Eat Meat and Die Early! Any Questions?

Eating animal flesh results in strong dietary acids, such as nitric, uric, sulphuric and phosphuric acids leading to the degeneration of body tissues and organs that sustain life.

Red Meat Consumption Increases Risk of Early Death

By Katherine Harmon

March 12, 2012

Over the years, eating too many burgers, steaks pork chops or other red meat products has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. In particular, processed red meat, such as bacon, hot dogs or bologna, has especially strong links to chronic diseases.

But the latest research brings even more dire news for hardcore carnivores. In addition to increasing the odds people will get sick, red meat—whether it is processed or not—can actually increase the risk of premature death overall, according to a study that was published online March 12 in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Steak image courtesy of iStockphoto/Kativ

Researchers, led by An Pan of the Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed health and diet information from more than 121,000 U.S. men and women participating in two long-term health studies. Everyone in the group the researchers assessed had been free of both heart disease and cancer at the outset of the studies.

Over long-term follow-up, as long as 28 years in some cases, more than 13,900 people died—about 9,460 from cancer and almost 6,000 from cardiovascular disease. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers found each daily serving of red meat (beef, pork, lamb or a processed meat, such as bacon, bologna, hot dog, salami or sausage), increased the risk of a premature death by about 12 percent. Processed meat consumption in particular increased these odds even more than did unprocessed meats. And hot dogs and bacon seemed to be the most likely to lead to an early death.

If everyone in the study had limited themselves to 42 grams or less of red meat a day (considered to be about half a standard serving), more than 9,860 early diet-related deaths could have been prevented in the study alone, the researchers estimated.

So if that lamb and ham are off the table, along with all the all-too familiar beef, many people worry that they might not get enough protein with each meal. Fear not, say many health experts, there are plenty of other ways to put protein on your plate that don’t come with such high risks of chronic diseases. Chicken breasts actually have more grams of protein by weight than a piece of beef, and fish isn’t too far behind. The researchers also found that beans, nuts, low-fat dairy and whole grains made for healthful replacements for a red meat meal portion.

And for folks worried about getting enough iron, excess iron from diet has actually been linked to heart attacks and fatal heart disease as well as possibly to cancer, the researchers noted.

Getting to a healthful level of red meat consumption in the U.S. might be an uphill battle. Only about 9.6 percent of the women and 22.8 percent of the men in the studies fell in the low-risk category (of a half-serving-or-less per day) for red-meat consumption.

But contrary to popular thinking, a good diet is as much about what you put in to your mouth as what you omit.

The study found that trading out a serving of red meat for fish or poultry didn’t just negate the red meat risk; rather, it actually improved people’s odds of living longer. Replacing a serving of red meat each day with fish reduced premature mortality risk by 7 percent; for poultry, the reduction was twice that: 14 percent.

Veggies are even better. “Plant-based foods are rich in phytochemicals, bioflavonoids and other substances that are protective,” wrote whole-food diet advocate Dean Ornish in a related essay also published online Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine. “So substituting healthier foods for red meat provides a double benefit to our health.”

Ornish noted that the focus for a healthful diet should be on high-quality over high-quantity: “smaller portions of good foods are more satisfying than larger portions of junk foods.” In addition, he highlights current research-based suggestions for the healthiest diet:

o Little to no red meat; instead obtain protein from poultry, fish, legumes, nuts or other products

o Plenty of good, whole-food carbohydrates, such as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables

o Little processed or refined carbohydrates, such as white flower, sugar or corn syrup

o Some good fats, such as omega three fatty acids that are in flax and fish oils

o Little bad fats, such as hydrogenated, saturated or trans fats

Another benefit to cutting red meat consumption: dialing back out-of-control medical costs, Ornish noted. Avoiding chronic diseases linked to excess red meat consumption could decrease medical spending by billions of dollars.

Reference: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/03/12/red-meat-eating-increases-risk-of-early-death/?WT_mc_id=SA_CAT_HLTH_2012031346

\Medicine\Red Meat Consumption Increase Risk of Early Death - 03.12.12

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To Alkalize or NOT to Alkalize? I was diagnosed with a large and rare tumour inside my spinal cord (Astrocytoma)

To Alkalize or not To Alkalize?

by Lee Gefen

A lot of friends and family have been asking me what exactly is this alkaline ‘diet’ that I’m following (I hate the word ‘diet’ as I have been ‘dieting’ my whole life and I know diets don’t work! A lifestyle is a better word).

To me (and Dave), this knowledge has revolutionised our whole way of looking at food and drink , our bodies, our thoughts our actions and our..

PRIORITIES:

It can cost a lot of money to buy water filters, organic foods, supplements, quality juicing and blending appliances, the list goes on.

It does takes A LOT of time daily in the kitchen, washing, chopping, storing, juicing/blending/cooking/generally preparing meals. Everything needs to be planned and organised.

It takes an incredible amount of willpower and discipline to stick with what you believe when that goes against what most people believe, and the temptation to 'indulge' in what is not good for you at all is everywhere, readily available, heavily promoted, and encouraged innocently by friends and family and society in general.

However, this is all offset by the benefits which can take time but nothing worthwhile is easy. Our skin and eyes are noticebly clearer, we feel lighter and more energetic, we feel empowered knowing we can have relative control over our health, rather than feel victimised by that re occuring condition that 'happens' to you.

Touch wood, but I haven't had anything resembling a cold or flu in over a year, and Dave hasn't been sick since last April (in Belgium, where stress, baguets and chocolate were his diet!) We also feel blessed that in this life and in this country we are able to choose to live like this.

So, I’ve decided to use this opportunity to share it with you.

Most of what I will write about is based on extensive reading I’ve done in the last year.

In particular, it is based on the work of Dr. Robert Young, who over the past two and a half decades has been researching the true causes of ‘disease’ and the importance of pH balance in the body.
I have used his book ‘The pH Miracle’ as a main reference.

Of course, nothing that I write about should be taken as advice but simply as a summary of what I’ve learned.

As I am sitting down to write this blog, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed because this is such a huge topic and there’s no way I can cover all of it in one post. But I’ll do my best to explain the basics and hopefully this will intrigue you readers to go and do some more reading…

The basic premise is that of all the balances the body strive to maintain, the most crucial is the one between acid and alkaline (base). The medical view agrees with this premise but it does not understand how the body turns itself inside out and upside down in order to keep that delicate balance.

There is a consensus that the body must maintain a certain ph balance of the blood (slightly alkaline), however, what is not understood nor researched in the medical world, is how exactly the body maintains this balance, namely by compromising its own functions and health.

It is a paradox really: the body is designed to be alkaline and it needs alkaline buffers (fuel), however all body functions and human activity produce acidic effects. Add to this a diet full of acidic food and beverages, a lifestyle full of stress and worry and what happens is you get a massive over acidification of cells, tissues, organs and eventually blood.

This over acidification of body fluids and tissues is the underlying cause of all disease. It is only when the body is acidic that it is vulnerable to germs. In a healthy alkaline balance, germs can’t t get a foothold.

The pH (potential hydrogen) has a scale of 0 to 14. 7 is neutral, below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

If our body is over acidic, at the beginning, we might just get mild symptoms such as loss of energy, skin eruptions, irritation, headaches, allergies, colds, flu and sinus problems.

But as things progress and the body continue to be over acidic, weakened organs and systems start to give way, resulting in more serious conditions.

When the body is faced with a lot of incoming acids, the blood begins to pull alkaline minerals out of our tissues to compensate. If we have insufficient amounts of alkaline minerals in our diet or in the reserves, the body has to recruit them from somewhere else such as bones or muscles.

Eventually if the acid overload gets too great for the body/blood to handle, these acids will be deposited in various organ systems, including the heart, pancreas, liver and colon or stored in fatty tissues such as breasts, hips, belly and brain.

So according to this view (and I was amazed when I first learnt about it), a tumour is the body’s way of actually protecting itself by storing these acids in a ‘solid’ formation in a desperate attempt to ‘save’ the rest of the body, to survive.

Ok so we covered a bit of the theoretical side (there’s much much more to it, of course!), now let’s get to the practical business- what can we do to start alkalizing our bodies?

Making the transition to an alkaline diet/lifestyle can seem like a huge step to most people. That’s because it is! So, in my opinion, the best thing is to make baby steps, making small changes over a long period of time. It is often the case when one makes too big a change too quick, that it is not sustainable long term.

For me it was a bit different because it was soon after I started making the transition to an alkaline diet that I found out about my tumour so I decided to go a bit ‘extreme’ and jump right into the cold (alkaline) water.

I have, however, modified my diet over time to suit my needs and wants and yes, these days, I ‘cheat’ here and there. I believe that becoming too rigid with the diet (any diet!) is not beneficial to our bodies, mind and wellbeing. And in this case, stressing about what you eat or don’t eat is counter-productive as it creates more acids in the body!

There are many suggestions as to what is the best way to start alkalizing, what are the most important things. The way I look at it, there’s no right or wrong, start somewhere and the path will unfold to you just as it should.

I do like Robert Young recommendation, though, of starting to eat COWS which stands for Chlorophyll,Oil, Water and Salt. (Not steaks!)

Chlorophyll- Green vegetables and particularly green leafy veggies are the most nutrient- rich foods on the planet. They provide just about all the vitamins, minerals and micronutrients you could ever need.

So start thinking green green green! Spinach, cucumbers, silver beet, broccoli, lettuce, parsley, avocadoes, chives, celery, kale- just to name a few. The more the better!

Best is to eat them raw as important nutrients get destroyed when heated, but lightly steamed or stir fried veggies are also ok.

When you start getting into your greens, you’ll find that the easiest way to increase your consumption is by juicing and blending them. Both are important.

Juices provide immediate nourishment, without the body having to invest energy in digesting the food.
Blending (as in making a smoothie in a blender) is also great because you get a lot of fibre that you don’t get when juicing.

There are many delicious recipes for green smoothies and they are so easy to prepare, it really does take 5 minutes.

Grasses are great too- wheatgrass, barley grass etc.

This is what goes into our green juices. You'll have to be munching veggies all day to be able to get the same amount of greens...

If you find it too difficult to have regular green juices, that’s ok- there are many green powder products on the markets aimed to make your life easier!

I have been juicing almost every day, as well as having green smoothies and what I notice is that it helps keep my sugar cravings at bay.

Oils

Forget about the no-fat low-fat obsession! Fat plays a crucial role in our bodies and we need healthy fats.

Polyunsaturated fats such as flax seed, borage, evening primrose, grape seed and hemp oil are great choices.

Those fats that are predominantly monounsaturated like olive oil are also beneficial.

A minimum of a table spoon of flaxseed oil should be taken every day.

What I do is every morning I pour a bit of water into a glass and then on top of it 1-2 table spoons of flaxseed oil and I drink it like a shot. I found this way to be easiest, in case I forget to take my oil later in the day.

I use flaxseed, olive oil and coconut oil freely with my foods, as well as many many avocadoes.

What makes me laugh is that I used to be the ‘fat free’ queen!everything I bought, I always looked at the fat content and now I eat 3 avocadoes a day without blinking and I stay away from anything ‘diet’ or ‘low fat’.

Water

Our bodies are 70% water and so we need plenty of clean, purified water. (Not tap water!)

Most people, without even realising it, are chronically dehydrated! Body cells are as healthy as the fluids they are bathed in.

I drink 4 litres per day and the more I drink the thirstiest I get...

There are many water machines and purifiers out there, some of which are very expensive.

We invested a few hundred dollars in a water filtration system and I also add ‘pH drops’ to my drinking water to bring the pH level up. These drops are consisted of alkaline minerals such as potassium and sodium and are very inexpensive. I take them with me when I’m not home so that I can use them whenever I need to.

Salt

Contrary to what we are led to believe in regards to staying away from salt, salt is essential to our nutrition and body function! Good salt that is, not the processed white poison known as table salt!
(Table salt is bleached and contains additives, preservatives, anti caking agents, fluoride and dextrose)

Good salts help normalize the volume of blood, regulate fluid pressure including blood pressure within cells.
Salt is important in making the heart beat correctly and the regulation of metabolism.

The wrong salt (table salt) can cause blood pressure, especially if you are eating and living acidic.

The ideal salt for our bodies would be sun dried from the waters of a healthy sea.

(Which is a whole different topic- are there any healthy seas/oceans left these days...)
Celtic salt and Himalayan salt are great.

Mineral Salts are also very important. The best is a combination of the 4 most important salts for the body: sodium, potassium bicarbonate and magnesium and calcium carbonate.

I use this combination of 4 salts in a powder form twice a day- I mix a teaspoon with water and drink it morning and night.

If you don’t want to buy the 4 salts, you can simply use baking soda, which you most likely have at home. (Just make sure it is aluminium free!)

This is one simple thing you can start doing right away and you will notice the results.

You’re probably still asking yourself- so what should I eat?

You might be surprised to learn how much of what you eat is acidic, as well how some foods that are perceived as acidic are actually alkalizing. (Like lemons).

As a rule, your diet should be around 70-80% alkaline and the rest can be more on the acidic side.

What to eat

In short, all vegetables are alkaline, except for corn, white potatoes and mushrooms.

Eat plenty of veggies from different varieties, tomatoes, avocadoes, sprouts, herbs & spices, lemons, limes and grapefruits. (Low sugar fruits).

You can eat non animal protein such as soy beans and tofu and the occasional fish (if you must).

Grains and legumes such as buckwheat, millet, quinoa, spelt, lentils, chickpeas and beans are ok, however make sure they are in the 20-30% acidic part of your diet, as they are slightly acidic.

If you love bread, make sure it is wheat & yeast free.

We eat sprouted bread, as it only contains sprouted grains (such as wheat and rye) and olive oil.

Nuts are ok except for cashews, peanuts and pistachios (because of their fungal content).
The best nuts to eat are almonds. If you can soak them in water overnight it’s better as it gets rid of their enzyme inhibitors. But other nuts and seeds (such as pine nuts, sunflower kernels, sesame, chia and flex seeds etc) are also not too bad.

What to avoid (again, don’t get overwhelmed, remember baby steps, little adjustments and one thing at a time!)

- All forms of sugar (including fruits, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar etc)

- Simple Carbohydrates like white flour, pasta, white rice, potatoes etc

- Refined and processed foods- junk food, fried food, frozen food, food that has additives, preservatives, artificial colouring or flavouring in it. Also avoid artificial sweeteners at all cost.

- Fruits- high sugar fruits are full of sugar and therefore acidic. If you must have fruits- try and limit it to your acidic part of the diet and eat it by itself, not combined with anything else.

- Dairy products including milk, cheese and yogurt.

- Unhealthy fats (like canola oil, butter etc)

- Meat and eggs

- Yeast

- Edible Fungus (mushrooms, algae, chlorella)

- Fermented and malted products (like tempeh, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, chilli sauce, miso sauce, pickled veggies)

- Alcohol (you know the drill!)

- Caffeine (including chocolate, cocoa, tea, sodas and all forms of coffee, even decaffeinated).

Some of the things you can also do to increase alkalinity are getting regular exercise, plenty of fresh air, sweating in an infra red sauna (I have a sauna once a day now), rebounding (jumping on a little trampoline), meditation, laughter, spending time with loved ones, getting enough sleep, reducing stress and having fun!

So this is the alkaline lifestyle in a nut shell. If you are interested to read more about this huge subject, below is a list of books and websites that I find very helpful and informative:

‘The ph Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health’ by Robert O. Young (I use this book as my ‘alkaline bible’!)

Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko

http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com.au- Robert O. Young blog where he publishes incredibly interesting articles about health, diet and his research into the alkaline lifestyle.

http://www.energiseforlife.com- a great website full of resources, articles, recipes, products and much more. You can also download (for free) a full chart of what foods are acidic and what alkaline

http://www.smarterhealth.com.au – alkaline products, recipes and articles.

http://www.acidalkalinediet.com – this website has a great ‘home study kit’ that you can download (for a fee), it covers pretty much everything you need to know to start your alkaline journey, including charts and recipes.

Ok, this blog has been very informative and technical, but I hope you found it interesting and helpful.

Make sure to check my new ‘Recipes’ page, where I will continue to upload healthy alkaline recipes.

This is what most of our food shopping looks like these days...

My name is Lee, I’m a 32 year old woman, born in Israel and have been living in Australia for 7 years now.

One year ago, out of the blue (as is often the case!) I was diagnosed with a large and rare tumour inside my spinal cord (Astrocytoma).

Needless to say, my life as I knew it has changed forever.

I had surgery in Brussels (Laminectomy) at the beginning of April 2011; however none of the tumour could be removed without causing me quadriplegia so the tumour remained untouched.

(And I can walk, which I’m so happy about!)

So seeing that my medical options are very limited, I have decided to follow my initial intuition and strong belief in the body’s capacity to heal itself and I have embraced on a natural healing journey.

My intention in creating this blog is to share my journey, the things I am learning along the way, my thoughts and experiences, in the hope that perhaps this could help other people on their journey too.

Thanks for reading my blog and I would love to hear from you!

Love and Light

Lee

P.S
If you would like to contact me but not in this public forum, you can e-mail me at: leegefen@gmail.com

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La dieta alcalina di Robert Young

La dieta alcalina di Robert Young: un regime basato su assurde teorie, lo scrive Enzo Spisni docente dell'Università di Bologna che critica metodi e contenuti

La dieta alcalina non è una novità per gli italiani, anni fa era apparso un libro che vantava i benefici del sistema, e adesso è in commercio un nuovo volume di oltre 400 pagine che la ripropone in veste rinnovata. La recensione del libro è affidata a Enzo Spisni, docente di Fisiologia della Nutrizione all’Università Bologna, che delinea in modo efficace le assurde teorie dietetiche di un autore un po’ chiacchierato.

La teoria del libro è che tutte le patologie, dal raffreddore al cancro, compreso le malattie cardiovascolari, e quelle infiammatorie croniche, dipendano dall’alterazione del pH (acidità) del nostro corpo, che passa da una alcalinità ritenuta naturale, ad una acidità causata da cattivi alimenti ingeriti. Da un punto di vista scientifico questa teoria risulta alquanto singolare perché sostenere l’esistenza di una dieta universale perfetta e teorizzare che tutte le patologie abbiano una sola causa e una sola cura, non è molto serio.

Il testo contiene alcune affermazioni che meritano di essere commentate. Una delle teorie più affascinanti, degne di un film di fantascienza, è che "i batteri possono mutare in lieviti, i lieviti in funghi ed i funghi in muffe" (par 2.6, pag. 23) e anche che "...i globuli rossi possono modificarsi e rimodificarsi in qualsiasi tipo di cellule di cui il corpo necessita" (par 2.6, pag. 23). Da ciò deriva l'importanza di osservare il sangue in vivo per vedere in una sola goccia "microrganismi cristallizzati, micotossine, colesterolo, metalli, grassi non digeriti e molte altre cose"… Tossine e colesterolo non sono visibili con il microscopio utilizzato dagli autori e per quanto riguarda la presenza di microrganismi nel sangue, è stato dimostrato che ciò accade solo in caso di gravi infezioni o di gravi patologie intestinali, come la malattia di Crohn.

Affermazioni altrettanto false si trovano nella parte dove si svelano i secreti dello stomaco basico (par. 4.1) elaborando una "nuova biologia della salute", che assomiglia ad una fanta-biologia.

Ma veniamo al cuore della trattazione, cioè al modo di mantenere il pH del nostro organismo alcalino, modificando la dieta. Dopo avere suddiviso gli alimenti in due gruppi: acidificanti o alcalinizzanti, cominciano le strane teorie per cui si scopre che: agrumi come limoni, lime e pompelmi sono gli unici frutti classificati come alcalini(!). In pratica si definisce una spremuta di limone una bevanda alcalina. Invece, il riso bianco viene classificato come uno dei cibi più acidi ed acidificanti che esistono. Continuando, i pomodori sono alcalini, il latte e le noci acidi. Chiunque ha minimamente chiaro il concetto di pH e di acidità, dopo avere letto questo libro avrà molte perplessità sull’argomento.

Per quanto riguarda le nozioni sul metabolismo ci sono due concetti che assomigliano molto alle teorie magiche di Mago Merlino.

1) Secondo l’autore la digestione delle proteine animali forma acidi "acido urico, nitrico, solforico e fosforico" mentre questo non accade durante la digestione di quelle vegetali. La teoria è molto singolare ma va dimostrata perché gli aminoacidi sono sostanzialmente gli stessi e ipotizzare un diverso percorso è molto arduo.

2) I carboidrati sono "prodotti di scarto acidi” che “causano la trasformazione biologica delle cellule sane del corpo in batteri e lieviti" (par. 6.2.1, pag. 120).

Quanto alla paranoica accusa verso tutti quei microrganismi, che nel nostro corpo produrrebbero tossine, come i batteri, i lieviti e i funghi per cui si sconsigliano vivamente tutti i cibi fermentati come il vino lo yogurt ed il pane, bisognerebbe ricordare all'autore che molti batteri, tra cui i lactobacilli, producono sostanze come le batteriocine, utilissime all’organismo per difendersi dall’aggressione di altri batteri “cattivi”.

Ultimo concetto descritto riguarda la differenza tra acque buone (alcaline) ed acque cattive (acide). La lunga dissertazione sugli elettroni risulta essere farneticante quanto convincente per i non esperti di chimica e fisica. La conclusione è di usare una macchina molto costosa in grado di alcalinizzare e purificare l'acqua del rubinetto.

Da notare infine che le ricerche citate a sostegno delle teorie dell’autore, mancano di referenze bibliografiche e quindi non si possono consultare in originale.

Da un punto di vista nutrizionale:

Dimenticando per un momento le falsità del libro, una cosa è certa, la dieta alcalina è in pratica una dieta “vegana”, che restringe ulteriormente il gruppo di alimenti perché elimina gran parte della frutta (eccetto limoni, lime e pompelmi) e gran parte dei carboidrati complessi (pasta, riso e cereali). Aderire al progetto alcalino vuol dire nutrirsi quasi esclusivamente di verdura fresca e legumi, esattamente il contrario della dieta ricca e variata che i nutrizionisti suggeriscono! Con la dieta alcalina si perdono sicuramente i chili di troppo, ma nel lungo periodo si possono creare carenze nutrizionali importanti.

"Il miracolo del PH alcalino: bilanciate la vostra dieta, recuperate la vostra salute", Robert O. Young, Shelley Redford Young, Cesena, Edizioni Bis, 2011, 455 p., 21,00 €.

Enzo Spisni (Master in Alimentazione ed Educazione alla Salute, Università Bologna).

Foto: Photos.com

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Global Warming and Body Warming Are Caused By ACID

Global Warming and Body WARMING ALL Caused By Environmental, Dietary, Respiratory and Metabolic Acid!

The above picture is the acidification of blood which
causes degeneration of the red and white blood cells,
internal blood clotting and chaining of the red blood
cells. This condition of the blood leads to light headedness,
cold hands, cold feet, forgetfulness, muddle thinking or
brain fog, stroke, heart attack, tumor formation and
internal bleeding, just to name a few

I have been studying the acid/alkaline conditions of the
blood for over twenty-five years and have determined
that all sickness and dis-ease or body warming is caused
by the over-acidification of the blood and tissues.

Scientists have been studying the acid/alkaline
conditions at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

Natural carbon dioxide vents on the sea floor are
showing scientists how carbon emissions will affect
marine life.

Dissolved CO2 makes water more acidic, and around
the vents, researchers saw a fall in species numbers,
and snails with their shells disintegrating because of
the increase of acid C02.

Writing in the journal Nature, the UK scientists
suggest these impacts are likely to be seen across
the world as CO2 levels rise in the atmosphere.

Some of the extra CO2 emitted enters the oceans,
acidifying waters globally.

The only way of reducing the impact of ocean
acidification is the urgent reduction in CO2
emissions.

"These same principals of acidification of the
ocean also apply to the acidification of our
body and the causative reason for the increase
in cancer, heart disease, diabetes and all other
degenerative diseases," states Dr. Robert O. Young,
a research scientist at the pH Miracle Living Center.

"Studies have shown that the seas have become more
acidic since the industrial revolution," states
Carol Turley. of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

Research leader Jason Hall-Spencer from the University
of Plymouth said that atmospheric CO2 concentrations
were now so high that even a sharp fall in emissions
would not prevent some further acidification of the
ocean.

"It's clear that marine food webs as we know them are
going to alter, and biodiversity will decrease," he
told BBC News.

"Those impacts are inevitable because acidification is
inevitable - we've started it, and we can't stop it."

Corals construct their external skeletons by extracting
dissolved calcium carbonate from seawater and using it
to form two minerals, calcite and aragonite. Molluscs
use the same process to make their shells.

As water becomes more acidic, the concentration of
calcium carbonate falls. Eventually there is so
little that shells or skeletons cannot form.

The oceans are thought to have absorbed about half
of the extra CO2 put into the atmosphere in the
industrial age. This has lowered its pH by 0.1
pH is the measure of acidity and alkalinity.

The vast majority of liquids lie between pH 0
(highly acidic) and pH 14 (highly alkaline); 7
is the midpoint of the pH scale. Seawater is
mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about
8.2.

The IPCC forecasts that ocean pH will fall by
"between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st Century,
adding to the present decrease of 0.1 units since
pre-industrial times."

Around the vents which Dr Hall-Spencer's team
investigated, in the Mediterranean Sea near the
Italian coast, CO2 bubbling into the water forms
a sort of natural laboratory for studying the
impacts of acidified water on marine life.

Globally, the seas now have an average pH of about
8.1 - down about 0.1 since the dawn of the
industrial age.

Around the vents, it fell as low as 7.4 in some places.
But even at 7.8 to 7.9, the number of species present
was 30% down compared with neighboring areas.

Coral was absent, and species of algae that use
calcium carbonate were displaced in favour of
species that do not use it.

Snails were seen with their shells dissolving.
There were no snails at all in zones with a
pH of 7.4.

Meanwhile, sea grasses thrived, perhaps because
they benefit from the extra carbon in the water.

These observations confirm that some of the
processes seen in laboratory experiments and
some of the predictions made by computer models
of ocean ecosystems do also happen in the real world.

"I can't count the number of times that scientific
talks end with 'responses have not yet been
documented in the field'," said Elliott Norse,
president of the Marine Conservation Biology
Institute (MCBI).

"This paper puts that to rest for several
ecologically important marine groups."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
suggests that without measures to restrain carbon
dioxide emissions, ocean pH is likely to fall to about
7.8 by 2100.

This suggests that some of the impacts seen
around the Mediterranean vents might be widespread.

"I think we will see the same pattern in other parts
of the world, because we're talking about keystone
species such as mussels and limpets and barnacles
being lost as pH drops," said Dr Hall-Spencer.

The IPCC suggests that some areas, notably the
Southern Ocean, might feel the impacts at lower
concentrations of CO2.

Last month, scientists reported that water with
CO2 levels high enough to be "corrosive" to marine
life was rising up off the western US coast.

Bottom water naturally contains more CO2 than at
shallower depths. This scientific team argues
that human emissions have pushed these levels
even higher, contributing to pH values as low 7.5
in waters heavily used by US fishermen.

"If [pH 7.8] is a universal 'tipping point', then
it indicates that sections of the western coast
waters off North America may have passed this
threshold during periods when this upwelling of
waters high in CO2 occurs," commented Carol Turley
from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), who was not
involved in the Mediterranean Sea study (PML is
not affiliated with Plymouth University).

Organisms such as coral are also damaged by rising
temperatures, and studies are ongoing into the
combined effect of a warming and acidifying ocean.

Seagrasses were among the few beneficiaries of
more acid waters. There is much to learn. And
during the coming week, scientists will announce
the inauguration of the European Project on Ocean
Acidification (Epoca), a four-year, 16m euro (£12.5m)
initiative aiming to find some answers.

Studying the impacts may prove easier than doing
anything about them.

"The reason that the oceans are becoming more acidic
is because of the CO2 emissions that we are producing
from burning fossil fuels," observed Dr Turley.

"Add CO2 to seawater and you get carbonic acid;
it's simple chemistry, and therefore certain.

"This means that the only way of reducing the future
impact of ocean acidification is the urgent,
substantial reduction in CO2 emissions."

According to Dr. Young, "ocean acidification is
the macro view of our oceans becoming sick and tired
and the primary causative factor in global warming.
The death and extinction of marine life is the result
of this acidification which can be prevented with
alkalizing measures."

"Body acidification is the micro view of our
internal oceans becoming sick and tired and the
primary causative factor in body warming or
all sickness and dis-ease. The death and extinction
of the human race will be a result of an over-
acidification of the blood and tissues due to an
inverted way of living, eating and thinking. This
is what scientist have determined happened to the
extinction of the Mayan Race. We can prevent all
sickness and dis-ease (cancer, heart dis-ease,
diabetes, etc.) and the potential extinction of
the human race by learning how to maintain the
alkaline design of our body. These life changing
and life saving principals are taught in our
pH Miracle books, DVD's and CD's."

To learn how to maintain the alkaline design
of the body and prevent sickness and
dis-ease go to:

http://www.phmiracleliving.com/books.htm
http://www.phmiracleliving.com/audios.htm
http://www.phmiracleliving.com/videos.htm

More about → Global Warming and Body Warming Are Caused By ACID