The other day I received a call from my client Monte. (I have changed his name to protect his privacy, of course.) He had developed kidney stones – seemingly out of the blue. He was very concerned about this – passing a kidney stone can be very painful, worse than childbirth, I’m told – and needed my help.

Here’s what I discovered, after chatting with him and reflecting on his condition.

Number 1. Monte had been drinking special “alkaline” water for the past several months because he had become convinced that all disease develops due to overly acidic pH. This is the party line these days, so I knew where he was coming from. And while this is definitely the case with many individuals, health-conscious people like Monte and the majority of my followers simply don’t eat excessive meat, grains, and sugar – which are primary causes of too much acid. They ingest lots of veggies, moderate fruits, balanced proteins, and quality oils. They don’t even drink coffee – except for that one cup per day that I allow on Fat Flush — due to overacidity. Even decaf is forbidden because the coffee beans that are used in making decaf are generally more acidic than regular, to compensate for the lack of “caffeine.”

Number 2. In his attempt to alkalinize his system by drinking 8.5 – 9.5 alkaline water, he overdid “too much of a good thing” because his diet was already alkaline – Monte is a vegetarian, you see. His overalkalinity interfered with his ability to metabolize calcium (which needs an acid medium to be metabolized).

Number 3. In addition to kidney stones, I asked Monte whether he was noticing more problems than usual with allegies, arthritis and even osteoporosis. Since these are all symptomatic of an imbalanced pH, I was curious. Sure enough, he reported that for the first time in his life – Monte is over 60 – he was developing all of the aforementioned disorders. “Are you a mindreader,” he asked? Not really, I told him but I do know that kidney stones are becoming much more prevalent, along with allergies and osteoporosis, due to misunderstandings about pH.

Number 4. I told my dear client that we needed to acidify his urine, first and foremost with a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water, three times daily. I also wanted him to start HCL + 2 immediately to acidify his stomach and help with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. Flora Key was next on my list as an adjunct for a healthy GI tract pH. If these easy remedies didn’t work, then we woudl bring out the big guns; Liver Lovin Formula. This copper free liver support is a purest source I know of that contains chlorophyll, a critical element for those with kidney stones because it helps to form a protein called osteocalcin that allows you to rebuild bone and neutralize high amounts of calcium oxalate, the major ingredient in most kidney stones.

Number 5. The lesson: There is alot of hype these days about the acid/alkaline balance. I am finding, counter to what others have said, that many of my patients are too alkaline, especially as they get older.
This is where my cran-water comes in so handy as well as the other supplements mentioned above.