Re: Real name = Parhatsathid Nabadalung

You have some very peculiar views on Sodium Bicarbonate, which perhaps shows some lack of research on your part. Anyway here is a post I put up on Earth Clinic a long while ago to explain why bicarbonates are so body friendly:

The purpose of this post is to put people's fears to rest and to illustrate that Sodium Bicarbonate (aka Bicarbonate of Soda or Baking Soda) is a natural body-friendly chemical.

* The human body needs bicarbonates as part of its homeostasis mechanism to help alkalize the body and maintain body fluids within a healthy pH zone. Contrary to much current thinking, the body is not perfect at achieving homeostasis -- particularly if the body is sick with a depressed immune system.

* Despite present day fears to the contrary, the body needs Sodium which is a major and essential constituent and electrolyte of the blood serum. Sodium is essential in maintaining the absorbtion and transfer of nutrients and minerals between blood and cells using the sodium pump and sodium symporter networks throughout the body.  

* Bicarbonates are needed and secreted by the pancreas in the duodenum to neutralize the hydrochloric acid from the stomach chyme at mealtimes, in order to allow the next phase of digestion in the duodenum, whose medium must be neutral to alkaline for the duodenal digestive enzymes to work properly.

* Bicarbonates are an essential aid in the human respiration energy cycle, which helps in the process of swapping carbon dioxide and oxygen during respiration at the cellular level.

* Before the 1930s, Baking Soda in solution on its own was recommended by Doctors to cure stomach digestion problems, flu and colds and was also used as toothpaste. The dosages recommended in these times were much larger are than recommended on this site. 

Sodium Bicarbonate is currently widely used in the Medical profession as defined here:

* As an IV infusion as a flush or buffer for cancer chemotherapy.

* For women in labour.

* For Metabolic Acidosis as a serum alkalizer.

* As an alkalinizing agent in prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation and in the treatment of certain drug intoxicants.

* As a hydration agent for Radiographic contrast dyes. 

* Supplementation for Renal Tubular Acidosis. 

* As treatment for pulmonary hypertension in newborn babies.

* As a treatment for Diabetic Keto-Acidosis.

* As treatment for hyperkalemia (excess potassium)

As for your opinions concerning the dangers and problems caused to the stomach by taking Sodium Bicarbonate, this is another reminder of your lack of appreciation or understanding in how to actually use BS properly. Of course, if you take BS at mealtimes this WILL neutralize the stomach acids and cause indigestion upset. However, if you are eating a very acid diet -- for instance mixing fruit juices with meats or proteins at mealtimes -- then the second stage alkaline digestion in the the duodenum may not happen because the pancreas might not have enough alkaline bicarbonates to neutralize both the stomach acids AND the acid foods eaten for the main duodenal alkaline digestion to occur -- and problems will arise and compound due to the constant acid diet over the longer term leading to acid intestines and problems like IBS --> Colitis --> Candida --> Leaky Gut --> Allergies etc. That's why, if you are eating acid foods, adding a little Sodium Bicarbonate -- say 1/16 to 1/8 tspn to your drinking water at mealtimes, will help to neutralize the excess acid from the   food to allow proper and balanced alkaline digestion in the duodenum to occur later.

If you take BS outside mealtimes in the correct amounts and concentrations -- no harm should arise. In fact, outside mealtimes when your stomach is empty, no harm should come to your stomach and the Sodium Bicarbonate will not be neutralized by stomach HCL because, after a meal, all the HCL is either re-absorbed by the stomach or is neutralized by bicarbonates secreted by the stomach lining itself(that's right, the stomach also produces SB). Also, all the mucus from the lungs, throat and nose accumulates in the stomach, and helps to protect the stomach lining against acid damage. So, if you take Sodium Bicarbonate outside mealtimes, it will not be neutralized or should not cause any problems whatsoever in the stomach.

Similarly, the SB can be taken about an hour or so after eating a meal -- when the food has left the stomach and moved into the duodenum for alkaline digestion. By taking SB like this, an hour after a meal, aids and reinforces the digestion by ensuring proper alkalization of the digestive juices to ensure proper main stage digestion in the duodenum. SB can be used like this if bicarbonaets are lacking in the pancreatic juices. Yet nother way of using Sodium bicarbonate.

Most people think that stomach acid reflux is due to excess acid in the stomach. This is not true, in fact directly opposite is usually the case -- to little stomach acid is usually the cause -- and here's why. The oesophageal sphincter at the top opening to the stomach has biological sensors that detect acid pH or strength. If the stomach acid is at the correct strength and amounts -- the sphincter closes properly and you do not get reflux. But if the acid strength levels and acid amounts in the stomach are too low then the sphincter will not fully close and you get reflux. In such a case, taking Betaine Hydrochloride tablets or even a tablespoon or two of ACV in water at mealtimes would help to fix this low acidity problem. To actually heal the lack of stomach HCL -- taking sea salt in water and kelp tablets between meals will help to encourage and regenerate the necessary stomach HCL to proper levels. As an aside, most people who get reflux take antacid tablets -- which is problably the worse thing in the world that you could possibly take for reflux problems and just makes it all so much worse. 

You can also disagree all you like with the above facts and reasoning on the usefulness of Sodium Bicarbonate, but fortunately I've been using SB like this for over five years and have proved all this to myself. So it really doesn't matter if you don't believe the reasoning. All I can say is that it works and SB has considerable multi-use in the body as I have demonstrated and, clearly, you are completely unware of these presented facts. But to be able to use SB properly in the body also calls for some understanding of fairly simple chemistry and body metabolic mechanisms. And I am afraid that, regarding the latter, you've got some considerable mental legwork to do here in order to adequately equate and justify your own somewhat strange SB beliefs towards more sufficient logical reasoning, which should be based on commonly proven and held biological and chemical facts -- something which is so sadly lacking in your own unsubstantiated views and beliefs on SB and alkalizing.