The pH of your blood normally stays between 7.35 and 7.45. If you're healthy, you don't have to worry about how to keep your blood within this narrow range because your kidneys do that automatically. People with renal tubular acidosis aren't as fortunate. Treating this condition requires medical attention because the consequences of out-of-range pH can be very serious.
Renal Tubular Acidosis
Renal tubular acidosis is a condition in which your blood shifts from being slightly basic to slightly acidic. This is usually secondary to another disease such as sickle cell anemia, primary biliary cirrhosis, hyperthyroidism, rejection of a transplanted kidney, renal medullary cystic disease, and many other types of kidney disease. It is relatively common among patients on dialysis.
Treatment
Since there are so many different causes of renal tubular acidosis, treatment is focused on treating the symptoms. Nephrologists often prescribe sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate because these are basic substances. These can be taken orally or mixed with fluids used in dialysis. By introducing a strong basic substance into the body, the blood becomes less acidic.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is not a good treatment for renal tubular acidosis because it is very acidic, with a pH of 2.4. This is almost as acidic as the gastric juices in your stomach which have a pH of 2.0. Introducing very acidic substances such as lemon juice into the body will only make the problem of acidic blood worse.
Warning
Renal tubular acidosis can cause bone problems in both adults and children. Treating this condition is important in children because it can cause serious growth problems related to rickets. Adults can get osteomalacia and osteopenia, which are bone issues secondary to renal tubular acidosis. Conventional treatment is a good approach to this disease because the complications can be permanent and life threatening.
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