The germ theory of disease was popularized by Louis Pasteur in the mid 1800s. The theory was not new at the time Pasteur claimed to have "discovered" it and for the most part had been dismissed as invalid by the leading scientists of the day. Nevertheless, Pasteur promoted the theory that fixed, external germs invade the body and cause a variety of separate, definable diseases. In order to get well, you need to identify and then kill whatever germ made you sick.
The tools generally employed were drugs and surgery. Prevention included the use of vaccines as well as drugs, which, theoretically at least, worked by keeping germs at bay. Obviously this approach was and still is embraced by the allopathic and pharmaceutical world.
Biological Terrain versus the Germ Theory
Just prior to the time that Pasteur began promoting the germ theory, an extremely brilliant medical doctor and medical school physiology professor by the name of Claude Bernard developed a theory that the body's ability to heal was dependent on its general condition or internal environment. Thus, disease occurred only when the "terrain" or internal environment of the body became favorable to disease.
According to Bernard and most other scientists of that era, disease occurred to a large extent as a function of biology and as a result of the changes that take place when metabolic processes are thrown off. They knew that germs existed, but they believed that germs became symptoms that stimulate the occurrence of more symptoms, which ultimately culminate in disease. A body thus weakened also naturally becomes vulnerable to more external harmful germs.
A key "metabolic process" that would be thrown off as a result of a biological change would be the pH of body fluids.
In fact, history clearly demonstrates a connection between the thinking of Guyton and Bernard. Guyton's physiology professor at Harvard was Walter Cannon, MD, who coined the term Homeostasis in 1902. Cannon gave much of the credit for his concept on homeostasis to the research and work years earlier by Claude Bernard.
To point to a modern day reference of terrain versus the germ theory, research published in Science Daily on April 2, 2012, that was conducted at Carnegie Mellon University by a grant from the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, stated that colds (condition) are "not caused by the cold virus (germs)" but are a "side effect" of the ability of the immune system to regulate inflammation (terrain).
Is the Terrain Is Strongly Defended?
Chiropractors have always had a desire to have a clinical marker of a patient's current state of wellness that was noninvasive and would not increase the burden on healthcare costs. Patients certainly are looking for a more accessible, inexpensive, noninvasive, easy-to-use screening tool that would help their doctor monitor their health status and devise an effective preventive and therapeutic wellness lifestyle treatment plan.
Doctors and patients need not look any further than a simple principle taught in medical physiology: saliva pH!
It's my opinion that saliva pH is the best marker of that elusive wellness goal because, among other things, recent published research shows that a decrease in saliva pH correlates linearly with pro-inflammatory blood cytokines, the chemical messengers that trigger cellular inflammation in the body that can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, oxidative stress and cellular inflammation.
What Is Cellular Inflammation?
Cellular inflammation is the type of inflammation that is typically below the level of perceived pain. This type of inflammation disrupts hormonal signaling at the cellular level that can lead to a reduced blood and saliva pH value and eventually can lead to the development of chronic disease and decreased physical performance.
You can't feel cellular inflammation, but you can measure it. The best way to measure cellular inflammation is by saliva pH testing.
Is Saliva pH Testing Valid & Scientific?
Research published in February 2012, using saliva pH as a marker, showed a linear correlation to pro-inflammatory blood cytokines and chronic disease.
As saliva pH went down and became more acidic, cardiometabolic risk components such as inflammation, oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and CVD went up. In fact, inflammatory cytokine status progressively increased across all pH quartiles in the whole sample group. The authors of the study suggested that the biomarkers of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease could be performed directly from saliva pH, eliminating the need for blood sampling and thereby decreasing costs while increasing accessibility to screening tools. E-mail me to receive more information on this published research.
What Causes An Acid-Alkaline Imbalance?
Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, sugar, carbonated beverages, all processed and fast foods are acidic. The acidity of some soft drinks is caused by carbon dioxide, which is a waste product we breathe out. If you add to that acidic carbonation and up to 10 teaspoons of acidic sugar, it's easy to see how quickly a person can create an imbalance. If you drink one eight ounce glass of a popular cola drink that has a pH of 2.5, you would need to drink 20 eight ounce glasses of pH 7.0 water just to neutralize the harmful effects.
[pb]What Is the Ideal Saliva pH Wellness Value?
Saliva pH is an indication of the levels of cellular inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Low saliva pH values (acidic) does not mean a patient has a disease state, but it does indicate that they are not as "well" as they could be. Their future state of wellness and health status can be determined by the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress as shown below.
The higher the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, the more likely the future development of chronic disease will be accelerated. Research clearly indicates that inflammatory cytokine status progressively increases as saliva pH becomes more acidic.
The Biological Terrain Battle in Our Body
Make no mistake about it, there is a biological terrain battle going on in the blood and tissues of our bodies twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If we take a realistic look at a typical patient lifestyle, we'll see that everything in their world is perpetrating an acid environment. The battle between wellness and sickness is between acid and alkaline pH. The supposedly complicated battle for health and wellness is as simple as that. People consume too much acid foods, acid beverages, acid pharmaceuticals, eat foods laced with acid pesticides, acid herbicides, acid fungicides, throw in some acid recreational drugs, clean their homes with acid industrial products, breathe acid exhaust fumes from cars and planes, and come into contact with acid petroleum toxins and acid petroleum-based chemicals every day.
Dietary Methods to Improve Alkalinity & Balance Saliva pH Values
There are no drugs that can alkalize the body and balance the saliva pH value. This is because low-grade acidosis and an acidic saliva pH are a consequence of poor lifestyle habits and diet. One method of alkalizing the body and raising the saliva pH value is by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables. One study posted at the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine that was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, concluded that five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day can reduce the markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adolescents. The difficulty is eating five or more servings each and every day. That's why an effective way to ensure your patients get an adequate supply of the anti-oxidant benefits of fruits and vegetables is to use a powder supplement that will increase blood antioxidant levels. One scoop of a high quality fruit and vegetable powder can provide the alkaline minerals and the anti-oxidant protection of 15 plus servings of fruits and vegetables.
Are Fruit and Vegetable Powders As Effective As Real Produce?
The British Journal of Nutrition conducted research that concluded fruit and vegetable powders can significantly increase blood concentrations of measured antioxidant nutrients the same as real produce provided the product is processed correctly. You must make sure the product you recommend is not processed in high heat and that its spray dried.
Alkaline Lifestyle Program
The best long-term method to reduce cellular inflammation and oxidative stress and to balance saliva pH is to have your patients follow an anti-inflammatory diet that promotes eating less animal products and encourages eating more fruits and vegetables. As long as there are sufficient amounts of alkaline minerals in the body, poisonous acids are neutralized. There is a family of minerals that are especially suited to neutralizing or detoxifying strong acids: sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. They exist as salts in our tissues and are highly alkaline. A healthy body maintains alkaline reserves by recruiting elsewhere if insufficient minerals are not available from the diet, such as muscle (magnesium) and bone (calcium). So if we eat 7 to 9 servings a day of highly alkaline, organic fruits and vegetables that are grown in rich top soil, by farmers who rotate their crops and don't use acidic pesticides and herbicides, then we should be able to alkalize the blood, keep our pH balanced and keep our alkaline reserves high. Good clean air, alkaline foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, alkaline beverages like fresh pure water; herbal teas, fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, daily exercise, being outdoors in the sun and organic non-toxic cleaning products will help the body maintain a proper pH balance in which sickness and poor health cannot exist. And since the research published in the British Journal of Nutrition indicates that consuming a fruit and vegetable powder can be as beneficial as eating produce, it may serve many patients with a history of chronic inflammation and poor lifestyle eating habits to do both; try and improve their diet and take a fruit and vegetable powder supplement daily. In addition, offering patients a "take-home" saliva pH test kit that they can use to test their 10 day average, could provide both them and you a way to monitor their ongoing state of wellness.
Continuing to impress the advertising and marketing world, The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) has again been recognized by industry organizations for its excellence in educating consumers on the benefits of chiropractic, this time through social media, newsletters, and demonstrating thought leadership by promoting holistic well-being.
Dr. Louis Sportelli received the Lee-Homewood Chiropractic Heritage Award during the annual conference of the Association for the History of Chiropractic (AHC). During his nearly 60-year career, Dr. Sportelli has embodied the spirit of the award, given to “living individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the chiropractic profession.”
Presently there is no consensus on the best treatment for Achilles tendon rupture; and its management is still controversial. The treatment options are conservative treatment and surgical repair. With either treatment, be it conservative or surgical, Achilles tendon tears necessitate prolonged recovery and rehabilitative management.
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