Is my body too acidic?

I’m trying to figure out if anyone here actually knows what the hell is going on with my body. Honestly, it feels like my system has just completely given up on me. I’ve been dealing with this brutal muscle pain for years now—like, constant, deep-seated aching everywhere—and it’s gotten so bad that I’m starting to worry it might be something like ankylosing spondylitis, even though the muscle issues are the main culprit. On top of that, my skin is bone-dry, my digestion is a total mess, and there’s this persistent, sour taste in my mouth that I just can't shake, no matter what I do. To make matters even weirder, I get these sudden, insane cravings for sugar; I'll hit this wall of extreme weakness where I feel like I have to wolf down a massive amount of food just to stay upright. What the heck causes this constant acidity, and is there any way to actually fix it?
Please, let me know if you guys have dealt with anything similar.

You might be dealing with a Candida overgrowth. There’s actually a simple little home test you can try using just a glass of water. First thing in the morning—make sure you're on an empty stomach—spit into a glass of water from a bottle; if you notice any sort of stringy, thread-like structures settling at the bottom after about 15 minutes, then the test is positive.
Regarding the acidity levels in your body, you might want to consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner—I don't have any personal experience in that specific field myself.

So, where can I actually track down that doctor?

And what's your blood sugar looking like right now?!

Steven Booth65 said:So, where can I actually track down that doctor?

Maybe at some sort of holistic wellness center—I'm not entirely sure where you're located, so a quick Google search should do the trick.

Have you tried that water glass test yet?

Steven Booth65 said:I’m trying to figure out if anyone here actually knows what the hell is going on with my body. Honestly, it feels like my system has just completely given up on me. I’ve been dealing with this brutal muscle pain for years now—like, constant, deep-seated aching everywhere—and it’s gotten so bad that I’m starting to worry it might be something like ankylosing spondylitis, even though the muscle issues are the main culprit. On top of that, my skin is bone-dry, my digestion is a total mess, and there’s this persistent, sour taste in my mouth that I just can't shake, no matter what I do. To make matters even weirder, I get these sudden, insane cravings for sugar; I'll hit this wall of extreme weakness where I feel like I have to wolf down a massive amount of food just to stay upright. What the heck causes this constant acidity, and is there any way to actually fix it?
Please, let me know if you guys have dealt with anything similar.

First off, your body hasn't actually "gone acidic." You can't really claim that unless you get a blood gas analysis done to check if your pH levels have actually dropped below 7.35.
Having a sour taste in your mouth doesn't automatically mean you have an "acidic body," either. Honestly, it sounds like you should probably head to a specialist and get some solid GI diagnostics from a doctor who actually knows their stuff.
As for soothing that sour taste in your mouth, it’s kind of like when you keep popping Advil for a toothache instead of just going to see a dentist.

So, I went for one of those tests where they draw some blood and run it under a microscope... apparently, it showed my acidity levels were up... but then they tried to push this whole "eat according to your blood type" diet on me—which, honestly, I’m not buying. They also mentioned it’s a quick way to gauge what’s going on inside, suggesting that if your urine is dark, your acidity is high... though, of course, color can be influenced by whatever you've eaten lately, and your internal state shifts every single day depending on your diet and how much water you're actually drinking...

Scott Allen10 said:First off, your body hasn't actually "gone acidic." You can't really claim that unless you get a blood gas analysis done to check if your pH levels have actually dropped below 7.35.
Having a sour taste in your mouth doesn't automatically mean you have an "acidic body," either. Honestly, it sounds like you should probably head to a specialist and get some solid GI diagnostics from a doctor who actually knows their stuff.
As for soothing that sour taste in your mouth, it’s kind of like when you keep popping Advil for a toothache instead of just going to see a dentist.

Exactly. Blood pH sits at 7.4. Any fluctuation greater than +/- 0.05 is usually fatal.

Harold Stewart3 said:So, I went for one of those tests where they draw some blood and run it under a microscope... apparently, it showed my acidity levels were up... but then they tried to push this whole "eat according to your blood type" diet on me—which, honestly, I’m not buying. They also mentioned it’s a quick way to gauge what’s going on inside, suggesting that if your urine is dark, your acidity is high... though, of course, color can be influenced by whatever you've eaten lately, and your internal state shifts every single day depending on your diet and how much water you're actually drinking...

Man, someone has really been feeding you some total nonsense! Honestly, you should just give that person a piece of your mind and tell them they're being ridiculous. Any argument here isn't even really about you, it's about whoever is spreading that kind of misinformation in the first place.
You can't exactly see "acidity under a microscope," so that's just not how it works. Besides, that's not even the point of this conversation.
The real deal is that acidosis—whether it's respiratory or metabolic (those are the only two ways it happens)—is a serious metabolic disorder that needs heavy-duty medical attention based on the cause, and we're talking about something much more significant than the "Gatorade-level" stuff being discussed in this thread.

The whole blood type diet thing? Total nonsense.

And that "quick acidity test" via dark urine? That's just plain stupid. Dark urine is usually just a sign of dehydration (hemoconcentration), whereas drinking plenty of fluids will make it almost totally clear. Plus, the kidneys are incredibly sophisticated organs that use complex mechanisms to maintain homeostasis, so claiming "dark urine equals high acidity" is about as logical as saying puddles form after rain because the raindrops hit the ground so hard... roughly speaking.

For those brave souls who insist their bodies are stuck in an acidic state, feel free to try this little experiment—but honestly, do it at your own risk:

Just find a comfortable spot to sit or lie down and start breathing really fast, like you're hyperventilating.
Start off a bit slow, I guess, but then pick up the pace and just hold that rapid rhythm consistently.

Now, after maybe five minutes or so, you’ll probably notice your hands and even parts of your face starting to cramp up.
Once you feel that stiffness setting in, just stop the hyperventilation and try to ease yourself back to a normal breathing pattern.

It's a technique a lot of these "New Age gurus" swear by, but if you ask me, it's pretty dangerous.
So, what's actually happening in there?
When you hyperventilate, you're basically flushing out the CO2 in your blood, which messes with how hemoglobin behaves. Because the CO2 levels drop (along with some salts or compounds, I suppose), your blood pH shifts by about 0.1.
The medical term for this is respiratory alkalosis, and it can get quite nasty.

I figure this gives you a tiny glimpse into what happens to your body when the pH shifts even slightly, so imagine what would happen with a much larger swing.

I should probably mention, though, that I don't have any clue how this kind of hyperventilation—some people call it "breathwork"—affects folks dealing with asthma, heart conditions, airway issues (where things might actually get blocked during respiratory alkalosis), or epilepsy.

fadedmarlin402 said:Exactly. Blood pH sits at 7.4. Any fluctuation greater than +/- 0.05 is usually fatal.

I wouldn't say they're instantly fatal, though depending on how hard your body fights to balance things out, you're definitely going to need some meds or other medical interventions to fix the mess.
Personally, if my pH ever dips below 7.0, I think I'd be checking in for a permanent meeting with the afterlife pretty much immediately.

@Scott Allen10: let me know if I got anything wrong here, I guess

Scott Allen10 said:Man, someone has really been feeding you some total nonsense! Honestly, you should just give that person a piece of your mind and tell them they're being ridiculous. Any argument here isn't even really about you, it's about whoever is spreading that kind of misinformation in the first place.
You can't exactly see "acidity under a microscope," so that's just not how it works. Besides, that's not even the point of this conversation.
The real deal is that acidosis—whether it's respiratory or metabolic (those are the only two ways it happens)—is a serious metabolic disorder that needs heavy-duty medical attention based on the cause, and we're talking about something much more significant than the "Gatorade-level" stuff being discussed in this thread.

The whole blood type diet thing? Total nonsense.

And that "quick acidity test" via dark urine? That's just plain stupid. Dark urine is usually just a sign of dehydration (hemoconcentration), whereas drinking plenty of fluids will make it almost totally clear. Plus, the kidneys are incredibly sophisticated organs that use complex mechanisms to maintain homeostasis, so claiming "dark urine equals high acidity" is about as logical as saying puddles form after rain because the raindrops hit the ground so hard... roughly speaking.

haha, yeah, I know, you're right, I totally realized it was all garbage 😬 ...but people try things, I guess... I just went along with it to see what they'd say... and honestly, half of it is a blur now
best,

👍

You haven't mentioned much regarding your blood sugar levels... what was your A1C? Acidity in the mouth can sometimes be a sign of ketoacidosis associated with diabetes, and in its early stages, it might not present a full clinical picture yet.
So, have you checked your glucose levels?
Scott Allen10, I appreciate you helping me make sense of this...

wearycobra48 said:For those brave souls who insist their bodies are stuck in an acidic state, feel free to try this little experiment—but honestly, do it at your own risk:

Just find a comfortable spot to sit or lie down and start breathing really fast, like you're hyperventilating.
Start off a bit slow, I guess, but then pick up the pace and just hold that rapid rhythm consistently.

Now, after maybe five minutes or so, you’ll probably notice your hands and even parts of your face starting to cramp up.
Once you feel that stiffness setting in, just stop the hyperventilation and try to ease yourself back to a normal breathing pattern.

It's a technique a lot of these "New Age gurus" swear by, but if you ask me, it's pretty dangerous.
So, what's actually happening in there?
When you hyperventilate, you're basically flushing out the CO2 in your blood, which messes with how hemoglobin behaves. Because the CO2 levels drop (along with some salts or compounds, I suppose), your blood pH shifts by about 0.1.
The medical term for this is respiratory alkalosis, and it can get quite nasty.

I figure this gives you a tiny glimpse into what happens to your body when the pH shifts even slightly, so imagine what would happen with a much larger swing.

I should probably mention, though, that I don't have any clue how this kind of hyperventilation—some people call it "breathwork"—affects folks dealing with asthma, heart conditions, airway issues (where things might actually get blocked during respiratory alkalosis), or epilepsy.

I better be careful not to pass out... 😲 I wouldn't want Dr. Anthony trying to save me... Just kidding—I don't have those issues, so there's no reason for me to test it out... but man, you guys on this health forum are absolute geniuses 🙄 — I love reading your stuff, you really are one-of-a-kind characters!!! 😁 👍

I honestly wouldn't even know, since I was the one stuck at the recommendation appointment and ended up leaving with my hands and mouth completely paralyzed 😬

wearycobra48 said:I honestly wouldn't even know, since I was the one stuck at the recommendation appointment and ended up leaving with my hands and mouth completely paralyzed 😬

😕 😲 😲

Come on, don't shock me like that anymore!!! 😉

Hyperventilation is generally discouraged, as it can lead to respiratory alkalosis

wearycobra48 said:@Scott Allen10: let me know if I got anything wrong here, I guess

Man, look, I don't even know how to correct you because I'm totally clueless when it comes to these weird yoga experiments, but I'm pretty sure that besides being useless, trying stuff like that is just asking for trouble.

Using hyperventilation to try and fix a metabolic imbalance is really only on the table when a patient is intubated and hooked up to a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (HFV - High frequency ventilation), or maybe in an OR during certain neurosurgeries where you need to dial the CO2 levels up or down.
Even then, you’ve got to be decked out with full ventilation monitoring and be incredibly careful about tweaking things like tidal volume, respiratory rates, and airway pressures, all while constantly pulling arterial blood gases to check the stats.

So yeah, using hyperventilation as some kind of DIY hack— 🙂 !

Some people actually pull this off just by switching up their diet. For me, caffeine was the culprit—it caused insane acidity. Ever since I quit coffee, my joint pain vanished, the morning brain fog is gone, and I don't have that white coating on my tongue anymore. It’s different for everyone. One person struggles with dairy, another with too many carbs, etc.

http://www.makronova.com/Default.aspx?tabid=160

Dig through these links. You might actually find an answer there.