The maintenance of normal acid-base balance is one of the bodies most important homeostatic functions. (Martini, Bartholomew, Bledsoe 2008)
In 1983, I remember attending my initial paramedic class. We had a lesson dedicated to acid-base balance. It centered on the importance of homeostasis as it relates to our pH. Twenty-seven years later that lesson means more than ever before. The lesson centered on the need to ensure the delicate balance of pH maintains between the range of 7.35 and 7.45. If it is too low or too high, the body subjects itself to disease and in some cases death.
pH and Firefighters
The rate of cancer in firefighters seems to be increasing dramatically. After attending the Florida Firefighter Health & Safety conference in December, it is more evident than ever that we need to pay attention to the risks we encounter. According to a number of the presentations, the rate of cancer deaths among firefighters has surpassed the rate of cardiac deaths exponentially. This number may even be conservative as not every state reports.
There are prevention measures we can take to reduce the rate of cancer. We will look at some of these in later columns. This column is going to focus on homeostasis. If you have a normal acid-base balance — homeostasis — then your body will be able to defend itself against not only cancer but also other diseases.
First you need to establish your pH level in your body. Go to your local health food store and purchase a pH-testing strip kit. These typically come in a roll. There are two ways you can test your pH using the strips, one is by testing your saliva, and the other is your urine. Your saliva is not as reliable as your urine. Regardless, the best time to test your pH level is in the morning after you awake.
If you test your saliva, be sure you have not eaten within two hours or had anything to drink. Wash your mouth with your own saliva, swallow and repeat. Making sure you have saliva in your mouth, place the strip on your tongue and compare the results against the color guide that comes with your strips.
If you test urine, do it first thing in the morning with the first urination. It is simple, urinate on the strip and compare the strip with the guide on the kit. Your pH should read somewhere between 7.35 and 7.45. This is very similar to testing the chemicals in a swimming pool. I have found that most individuals have pH below the 7.35 reading, which means they are not in homeostasis and subjected to disease.
Maintaining Homeostasis
Now that you know what your pH is, how do you correct it if it is not within the normal range? There are a variety of things that influence your pH levels. Everything you put into your body creates the pH level within your body.
Sticking with our swimming pool analogy, if the pH of the pool is out of range, a variety of fungus and algae’s that are not to be there grow. It becomes more difficult to get the delicate balance of water back to the level to maintain a crystal-clear pool. We need to focus on what we eat.
First and foremost, regardless of what we do, we need to try to eat as purely as possible. That means that none of the food we eat should be processed. Eating organically is the best we can do in this area. This will at least reduce the number of chemicals entering our body.
Remember that every chemical we put in, the body has to work with to overcome. It is no different from the swimming pool scenario where the balance of the pH is critical to the clarity of the water.
Second, we need to understand which foods are alkaline and which are acid. There are a number of food charts available that denote the pH of foods. You can search the Internet for pH and food and you will get a number of references. Simply put, any raw vegetable is alkaline, and all meats are acidic.
Now, I am not saying give up eating meat and eat all raw vegetables, although there are some benefits to this pending your health state, but I am saying the portions of our vegetables should be much greater than our meat portion. Eating properly is the fundamental basis for restoring our body’s pH to homeostasis.
Summary
Eating properly is the foundation to maintaining your body’s pH. Cancer is running rampant in the fire service and you need to take action to give your body the best defense mechanism you can to fend off any attacks by cancer or other diseases that capitalize on a body that is out of homeostasis. As a firefighter, rehab is an ongoing process. Part of the process is what you eat. Be cognizant of what you are putting into your mouth. If you are interested in more information, send me an email.
References
Lindsey, J. (2007) Fire Service Instructor Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
NFPA 1584 Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises (2008) National Fire Protection Association Quincy, MA
Martini, F., Bartholomew, E., Bledsoe, B. (2008) Anatomy & Physiology for Emergency Care Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ