When your body accumulates an excessive amount of acid, you are at risk for arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. If you already suffer from one of these diseases, high acidity will intensify your inflammation, soft tissue degeneration and bone loss.

A highly acidic pH prevents the body from functioning properly. The presence of acid waste makes it increasingly difficult for cells to absorb the fuel they need. Vital body systems like the immune system start to malfunction. The result is increased inflammation and soft tissue degeneration. Acids are also solidified and deposited throughout the body, leading to bone loss.

The longer you wait to reduce your body's acidity, the longer you remain at risk for arthritis and related illnesses.

THE RISK

Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia are autoimmune diseases. They are the result of an over-regulated or under-regulated immune system that mistakenly attacks the body's healthy cells.

White blood cells, or lymphocytes, play a critical role in the immune system. They are the cells that bind with and disable germ cells. The fluid that surrounds the body's joints is filled with lymphocytes, which is one reason these areas swell and become painful when you are fighting off an infection.

In an arthritic body, these lymphocytes mistakenly attack healthy cells. Because lymphocytes are so concentrated near the joints, they do considerable damage to the bone and soft tissue.

When acid waste accumulates in your body, the immune system is compromised. The acid damages and disorients the lymphocytes. Thus, if you don't have arthritis or a similar autoimmune disease yet, but your body is acidic, you are at risk. If you already suffer from arthritis, excessive acid will intensify the damage.

THE DAMAGE

When lymphocytes attack healthy cells near the joints, they create acid waste as a by-product. This acid collects around the joints and causes further swelling and degeneration. The acid also poisons the damaged lymphocytes, disorienting them further and causing them to attack additional healthy cells.

As the lymphocytes attack healthy cells, germ cells freely invade the body and multiply. The germ cells attack healthy cells, release bacteria that produce acid waste, and then die out and become acid waste themselves. The body's pH level continues to become more acidic.

The acidic body environment also damages the nervous system. This is bad news for anyone suffering from fibromyalgia, another type of autoimmune illness that's characterized by inflammation of the soft tissue and myofascia, or muscle covering. The nervous system damage causes pain impulses to spread globally throughout the body. Thus, acidity can worsen the severity of fibromyalgia.

High levels of acid also lead to osteoporosis. Not only does the acid eat into the bone, causing loss of bone mass, but the body also leaches calcium from the bones. The body uses calcium to solidify acid in an attempt to store it safely away from the body's organs. Therefore a highly acidic body suffers extreme calcium depletion. Calcified acids deposited in joints and on the surfaces of bone lead to osteoarthritis.

THE BENEFITS OF A BALANCED pH

Fortunately, a significant reduction in your body's acid level can lead to regeneration of healthy cells and tissue. A diet that's more alkaline can help you reverse the damage caused by acidity and arthritis.

The right combination of fresh vegetable juices, for example, can help your body break down and destroy excessive acid waste. To prevent acid from accumulating further, you should eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet. Vitamin and mineral supplements specially formulated to balance pH are an important part of your strategy as well.

If you start to balance your pH level through supplements and easy-to-learn diet and lifestyle changes, you will reduce your vulnerability to arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. You can look forward to greatly improved health.