"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Before diving into the harmful effects pH changes in our body, it is important to understand what pH is pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions or the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance on a scale. ranging from 1 to 14. In fact, different parts of our body have varied optimal pH, arterial blood has a pH of 7.4, intracellular fluid has a pH of 7.0 and venous blood and fluid. interstitial have a pH of 7.35 Even a slight imbalance of acidity and alkalinity can damage tissues and organs and compromise the immune system by allowing unhealthy organisms and pathogens to thrive. Research has proven that unless the body's pH is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself and that disease thrives in alkaline rather than acidic environments. Several factors such as illness or diet can cause an imbalance between acid and base, leading to (low) acidosis. pH in body fluids) or alkalosis (increase in pH). Our body has several important systems in place to maintain optimal pH of bodily fluids. The kidneys control the release of electrolytes calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, alkaline minerals that help compensate for acidity. If the body is exposed to high levels of acidity and the diet does not contain enough minerals to combat them, the body is forced to draw these minerals from the bones, cells, organs and tissues of the body. This leads to a mineral deficiency in these cells, inhibiting waste elimination, vitamin absorption and complete oxygenation. In addition to disrupting cell function due to lack of minerals, several other cells in the body are negatively affected during acidosis. Reducing blood pH below 7.35 disrupts the ability of lymphocytes to fight pathogens and also causes immune cells like macrophages to release inflammatory cytokines, leading to inflammation, thereby resulting in a poor immune response. Additionally, the drop in pH activates osteoclast cells which reabsorb calcium from the bones. Unlike normal bone remodeling where, as osteoclasts reabsorb bone, osteoblasts build new bone, acidosis inhibits osteoblast function, leading to bone loss. Low pH also leads to muscle loss and breakdown and hinders heart muscle cell contractions. Additionally, low pH inhibits the entry of calcium into vascular smooth muscle cells and causes them to relax and vice versa with higher pH. All of these responses to acidosis will affect the body's ability to absorb minerals, decrease energy production in cells, decrease its ability to repair damaged cells, decrease their ability to detoxify heavy metals, cause tumor cells to thrive and make them more susceptible to fatigue and illness. Red blood cells play an extremely important role in transferring oxygen to the body's cells and to do this, they must be able to flow easily and quickly, even through the smallest capillaries. Thus, red blood cells maintain a negative charge which causes them to repel each other, thus preventing red blood cells from clumping and allowing smooth blood circulation. Acidosis destroys this mechanism and inhibits the fluidity of the blood, so that the body's cells receive less oxygen and nutrients, resulting in less production"