In my view there are TWO things to be aware of when deciding on the best way to achieve pH balance by means of “supplementing” with minerals. (pardon if this has been said countless times).

FIRST to account is the particular form in which the minerals are found, which range from ionic, to colloidal, to partially insoluble suspensions.

The only form that can be readily absorbed is in IONIC form. This means when the particular mineral salt is added to water, it fully dissolves into a CLEAR solution. This means that the water has successfully “liberated” the mineral into its ionic parts (for example NaCl is dissolved into Na+ and Cl-). These ions hold an electrical charge (positive or negative) and if electricity is applied to a salt solution, a battery effect is created (there is electron flow due to the solution’s conductivity).

IF you mix a mineral complex (for example lime aka Ca(OH)2) into water and the result is a cloudy solution it means that there STILL is undissolved lime in the water (most lime does not dissolve in the water), and that’s the reason why it is cloudy white solution (the small undissolved particles reflect light and you see a whitish color). For the most part, lime water has only dissolves very little (the ions is what we want because they are readily absorbed) so that is why the TCM reading is low (conducts very little). High conductivity = high amount of ionic species= good thing (if the right minerals obviously)

So, things like coral calcium belong to the mostly insoluble supplements (in water). This theoretically means that it is not the best form of calcium to take because the minerals aren’t available (tied up in solid form). HOWEVER, one must account that our digestive system has an acidic medium, and this ACID CAN help further dissolve the insoluble coral calcium (for example lemon added to coral calcium can help improve dissolution).

Colloidal suspensions aren’t a good option to obtain your minerals from, and this is because the tiny particles suspended in solution aren’t electrically charged. A lot of colloidal solutions are clear solutions but that is because the particle size is very small and may not interact with light in such a way that produces color solution (if the particle size is big enough you WILL see a color effect). But its not just about particle size, it must be ionic in form (containing a charge) to be able to enter the cell. So even if a colloid particle is small enough to go through intestinal walls (most are) it may be of no use (if anything of harm). (however, Colloidal Silver (nanometer range) CAN be beneficial not for nutritional reasons but it interacts with enzymatic activity in bacteria which inhibits their growth).

Okay so we know that ionic form minerals are the most absorbable and therefore the best form to take.

Now, the SECOND thing to account for is BIOAVAILABILITY. This is typically disregarded but I think it needs to be stressed. Quite a few supplements out there contains tons of vitamins and minerals that are readily absorbed, but what is missing are the all the activators, enzymes etc that makes up the whole complex only found in natural foods.
For example Ascorbic Acid is considered by many to be Vitamin C however it technically isn’t. The real vitamin C found in things like an orange is a complex of different substances (including ascorbic acid) which are energetically bound to each other and ONLY when this whole vitamin C complex is present is when the ascorbic acid can be not only absorbed (chemical ascorbic acid gets absorbed as well) but most importantly utilized properly.

Your body may not know what to do with a pure chemical vitamin because your body expects ALL the complex found in nature to be bounded with that particular vitamin. (if your body is deficient in that particular vitamin, it will still use the “manmade” vitamin but may not be properly utilized).

Another example of this is by comparing the chemical table salt (sodium chloride) and natural Sea Salt :

Although manmade table salt once dissolved in water is in ionic form,(meaning it gets absorbed by the body) it is missing all the trace minerals and the “natural energetic field” that binds these minerals in such a perfect balance found in Sea Salt .

The main thing you want to take out of this: trust nature – trust the natural sources of minerals for they are in synergistic balance with all the elements that your body expects when it ingests a mineral. Obviously the best sources of minerals are plant and even animal based (all natural).
Don’t worry that a lemon is very acidic – your body knows exactly how to handle it and extract all the “alkalizing minerals” and even take full advantage of the acid components as well – nothing gets wasted! Besides there’s a reason why the stomach of a perfectly healthy human being has a pH of 1-2 and yet all the fluids like blood and urine are tightly kept around ph & - your body knows how to control all this – all you have to do is provide all the nutrients (or better yet, all you have to do is listen to your body as it tells you what it needs, all you need to do is really shove natural food and water down your throat; sighs, what a hard complex task! (nowadays it may actually be))
Certainly there are natural sources like coral calcium which aren’t the best option because of what was mentioned previously (if a material is not soluble it won’t be bioavailable. If digestion is weak and there’s difficulty absorbing nutrients from foods, supplements from water oz, eniva CAN be good option especially if you are deficient. Always revert back to whole natural foods once in balance and digestion is optimum (it’s tough to find whole foods rich in minerals nowadays however).

Also, don’t be too caught up on trying to focus only on restoring the pH, as this is only one factor to be accounted for – also bear in mind that every substance works differently with everybody (everyone has different environment) due to unique metabolic setup so some things may not work for you even if it works for everybody else.

Mike