BUILDING BETTER PRACTICES

D O N A L DH AY E S , D CThepower ofpHbalancing

P R A C T I C E T I P SImprove your claimsprocessing

PLUSTables Resource Guide

StrategicPositioningResults from our 14th AnnualFees & Reimbursements Survey

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CLINICALCONCERNS

ARTHUR GUYTON, MD, IN HIS

TEXTBOOK OF MEDICAL

PHYSIOLOGY, dedicates an entirechapter to alkaline balancing, andstates that when the body is alkaline itconverts free radicals to harmless waterand oxygen, which maintain energyand vitality. The acid-alkaline balancerelates to the chemistry of the body’sfluids and tissues as measured by pH.The cells of the body need a slightly

alkaline environment to survive. Witha blood pH of 7.365 the cells are inhomeostasis and they receive nourish-ment and release waste with ease.But when you eat, drink, and live an

acidic lifestyle, your cells and the innerenvironment become toxic. Yourpatient’s diet and lifestyle choices willeither help or harm their delicate pHbalance and improve or worsen theirclinical outcomes.

Free radicals, inflammation, and pHUnderstanding the relationship betweenchronic muscle and joint pain, inflam-mation, and saliva pH is critical forimproving outcomes. Most chiropractorsagree that the majority of injuriespresented at their practices are chronicmuscle and joint pain problems.These problems may be secondary

to acute or repetitive stress, buttypically they develop from improperlymanaged inflammation andacid/alkaline imbalances in the body.A major factor in the formation of

chronic inflammation is the presenceof free radicals occurring in greaterabundance than the body’s ability toremove them, frequently referred to as

“oxidative stress.” Excessacid-forming foods, drinks,and acidic lifestyles in general put anenormous strain on your patient’sdigestive system, liver, kidneys, andother areas prone to chronicinflammation.The body’s attempt to neutralize all

that acid creates even more freeradicals, which further damageinflamed tissue cells and steal electrons— your patient’s life force — fromexisting healthy tissues. By integratinga simple saliva-pH test and offering analkaline, antioxidant, andphytonutrient-rich green drinksupplement, you may see improvedoutcomes and faster healing times.

Monitoring your patient’s pHA simple and accurate way to read apatient’s pH is to test his or her saliva.Saliva pH is a reliable body fluid to testoutside of the blood, and it can easilybe measured using litmus paper strips,which are available in mostpharmacies. Many doctors buy smallpH-testing kits that contain a smallnumber of test strips (around 15), anda pH color chart to measure results, allenclosed in a small sealed bag.Most doctors who have integrated

saliva-pH testing into their practicebuy high quality test kits and eitheroffer them to patients at markup orgive them away when the patientpurchases an alkaline green drinksupplement.To test a patient’s pH, have him or

her take the test kit home and firstthing in the morning dip one paper

strip into their saliva on a spoon forone to two seconds. In about 10seconds they can compare the color onthe test strip to the color on the pHchart and record the number. Onereading of a test strip won’t really tellyou much, because levels fluctuate.It’s best to have patients track their

readings a few times a week for two tothree weeks to get a general idea ofwhere they fall on the pH scale. Thiswill give you and the patient a fairlyaccurate reading of their bodychemistry.Keep in mind that pH operates on a

logarithmic scale, meaning that each

The role of pH testing inacid-alkaline balancingHelp your patients to correct their metabolicfactors for chronic inflammation andfree radical damage.BY DONALD L . HAYES , DC

SHUTT

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OCK

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increase of a single number in eitherdirection away from seven is amultiple of 10. So when your patient’spH moves from seven to six on thescale, that’s 10 times more acidic;seven to five is a hundred times moreacidic, and so on. Coffee, for example,has a pH of around four and soda apH of two.Guyton says it takes 20 molecules of

alkalinity to neutralize one molecule ofacid, which means when your patientsdrink one 8-ounce glass of cola, it willtake 20 8-ounce glasses of water toneutralize it. It’s obvious how theStandard American Diet (SAD) canproduce such devastating effects onyour patients’ health.

The power of alkalizinggreen drink supplementsPlant-based green foods add alkalinityto the reserves of your patient’s body.Barley grass, chlorella, spirulina, andvegetables such as carrots, cauliflower,broccoli, spinach, parsley, and kalealong with fruits like blueberries,raspberries, strawberries, blackberries,plums, pears, and many others floodour bodies with chlorophyll, enzymes,vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, andoxygen.Healthy cells thrive on an alkaline,

oxygen-rich plant-based diet, whileunhealthy cells or viruses, bacteria, andcancers hate oxygen. Pathogens preferan acidic diet high in animal products,processed and refined foods, andsynthetic chemicals.When you eat a plant-based diet or

supplement with an alkaline greendrink, you assist the body in

maintaining an alkaline aerobicenvironment. The more oxygen youget in your food, the more health youshould experience.Excessively acidic food creates an

unhealthy cellular environment, whichincreases the chance of pathogengrowth. Green drinks and living foodsfrom fruits and vegetables are the mostalkaline, oxygen-rich foods you caneat. They are the prescription foroptimum health because they stillcontain their life force.

Alkaline balance andpH testing protocolsSince the majority of injuries in youroffice are muscle and joint pain related,and are chronic in nature fromimproperly managed inflammationand acid/alkaline imbalances, it’s likelythat the tissues surrounding the area ofmain complaint are acidic and loadedwith free radicals. Therefore, it’s notnecessary to measure saliva pH in youroffice on the first visit to determine theneed for alkaline balancing.Simply conducting the typical

patient workup that includes the maincomplaint and history along withexamination findings should be enoughfor you to suggest an antioxidant-richsupplement. As part of your routinetreatment of inflamed tissues,recommend a change in dietary andlifestyle habits that favor alkalinity.Knowing that most patients are

more interested in getting out of painthan changing their lifestyle habits inthe initial phase of care, it seems mostprudent and beneficial to consideroffering them an easy and simple way

to alkalize their bodies and quenchfree radicals as part of their initialtreatment program.The recommendation of a

phytonutrient-rich, alkalizing green-drink powder supplement on the firstvisit, one that contains many differentsuperfoods, complex carbohydrates,alkaline protein, and vegetable-basedhealthy omega oils will provide asubstantial amount of antioxidantswith an abundance of free electrons.This can help quench free radicals,decrease inflammation, alkalizesurrounding tissues, and provideacid/alkaline balance, which canultimately improve outcomes.Patients can be sent home with a

green drink supplement and a pH testkit to record their saliva pH over thenext couple of weeks to monitorimprovement, or determine the needfor additional lifestyle changes.

Educate patientsto improve complianceMost patients, rightly or wrongly, thinkof chiropractors as neck or back paindoctors. Since most will have difficultyin connecting their “back pain” to pHtesting and the benefits of a green drinksupplement, it will be helpful if you canconnect the dots for them: from theirspine, to their nerves, to their organs,and finally to pH imbalance.Consider using a software program

that shows patients the connectionbetween where they hurt in their neckor low back, the route of the affectednerves to the end organs, and acorrelation to pH imbalance. Thesoftware should have a simple checklist

Alkaline balance nutrition recommendationsFirst visit acute care protocol: two alkaline green drinks/day and one alkalizing mineral drink.After one week of saliva pH testing follow the schedule below:

Saliva pH below 7.0

Two alkaline green drinks/dayand one alkalizing mineral drink

Saliva pH: 7.0 to 7.2

One to two alkaline green drinks/dayand one alkalizing mineral drink

Saliva pH above 7.2

One alkaline green drink/day(alkalizing mineral drink optional)

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patients fill out that clearlydemonstrates how their current acidiclifestyle is contributing to theiracid/alkaline imbalance and freeradical production, and exacerbatingtheir pain and inflammation.

Putting it togetherIn chronic muscle and joint disorders,the presence of chronic inflammation,acid/alkaline imbalance, and oxidativestress in the myofascial tissues areinseparable; you cannot have onewithout the others. Therefore, tocorrectly heal chronic muscle andjoint problems, monitor a patient’ssaliva pH and offer an antioxidant-rich alkalizing green-drink supplementthat manages the metabolic factors ofchronic inflammation and free radicaldamage.

DONALD L. HAYES, DC, is aclinician, educator, and author ofseveral books, including AlkalizeNow.He is the founder of theGreens First line of nutritional

products and the Alkalize Now pH BalanceProgram. He can be reached at 866-410-1818or through www.greensfirst.com.

ReferencesFrasetto L, et al. Effect of age on blood acid-basecomposition in adult humans: Role of age-relatedrenal functional decline. Am J Physiol.1996;271(6 Pt. 2):1114-1122. URL (abstract):http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8997384(accessed 0.13.2008).Minich D, Bland J. Acid-alkaline balance: Role inchronic disease and detoxification. Review AltTher. 2007;13(4):62-65.Wiederseiner JM, Muser J, Lutz T, Hulter HN,Krapf R. Acute metabolic acidosis:Characterization and diagnosis of the disorderand the plasma potassium response. J Am SocNephrol. 2004;15:1589-1596. PMID:15153570.