Nearly all biological functions are dependent upon the acidity or alkalinity of the liquid environment. pH is a measure of the relative acidity or alkalinity of a solution where a pH of 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic and greater than 7 is...
The balance of acids and bases in the blood must remain within a very narrow range. The body has a variety of mechanisms to maintain the proper blood pH. These mechanisms respond quickly to make alkaline blood more acidic and acidic blood more...
The balance of acid and bases in the body can be measured by a number called pH. A pH of 7.4 is normal for the blood. A pH below this level is a measure of excess acid, while a pH above is a measure of excess base. Problems of the acid and base...
Chloride is a salt which makes up about 0.15 percent of your body's weight, according to the National Institutes of Health. Chloride's primary responsibilities within the body are fluid regulation and its role in digestion via stomach acids. The...
Sodium citrate is used to treat a condition called metabolic acidosis. In metabolic acidosis, the acidity of the blood, urine and other bodily fluids becomes too high; it occurs when the kidney is excreting too little acid, or the body is...
Potassium is one of the most abundant metals on the earth. An essential electrolyte, potassium comes in several different compounds called salt-forms, according to "Williams Textbook of Endocrinology." The most commonly used potassium supplements...
Arterial Blood Gases, or ABGs, measure the amounts of oxygen, carbon dioxide and acid/base level in the blood, according to Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. ABGs are ordered if the patient has difficulty breathing,...
L-arginine is an amino acid used to help generate creatine, improve blood flow and remove certain waste products from your body. People who have metabolic alkalosis, a condition in which your body fluids have an unusually high pH, may benefit from...
Solutions such as blood can be neutral, acidic or basic. The acidity of a solution can be represented by pH. On the pH scale, 7 is neutral, numbers less than 7 represent acids, and numbers greater than 7 represent bases. The blood normally has a...
Hypokalemia, or low levels of potassium in the blood, is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. Potassium plays a key role in a variety of bodily functions such as nerve cell conduction, muscle contraction and the balance of fluids...
Sodium bicarbonate is something you probably know as baking soda. In addition to the familiar powdered form you may have in your pantry, sodium bicarbonate is available in tablet form as an antacid and in an injectable form for medical use. Sodium...
A food is classified as either acid- or alkaline-forming based on the pH of the compounds it produces when metabolized. Acid-forming foods generate acidic waste products that a complex set of buffering systems must remove to preserve your...
Licorice inspires thoughts of black or red strings of chewy candy. Unfortunately, licorice is not just a benign ingredient in confections. True licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid and this is responsible for the side effect of high blood...
During 2004 alone, 309,269 Americans received hemodialysis as their treatment for end-stage renal disease, nearly double the number who received the treatment in 1994, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The solution used...
Alkalosis is a condition involving excess base, or alkali, in your body fluids. There are two principle types of alkalosis: respiratory and metabolic. Respiratory alkalosis occurs when you develop low carbon dioxide levels in your blood, and...
Your body needs to maintain a pH level between 7.35 to 7.45 in order remain properly balanced, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library says. Acidosis occurs when your pH level drops below 7.35. This condition causes the fluids in your body to be...
Your body's pH level -- an indicator of acidity and alkalinity -- depends on the amount of certain substances in your body, such as carbon dioxide, an acid, and bicarbonate, a base. Your body requires a specific pH level to function properly, and...
Sodium bicarbonate is a treatment used to reduce the amount of acid in the blood in people with a condition called metabolic acidosis. This substance is typically administered as an intravenous, or IV, injection by a medical professional. If you...
Arginine or L-arginine is an amino acid that the body produces, but it's also found in many foods. Though your body usually makes enough arginine on its own, some people may need extra supplementation. L-arginine is necessary in the creation of...
Respiratory alkalosis is the development of high pH, or basic, blood, as the result of breathing-related causes. Unlike metabolic alkalosis, respiratory alkalosis doesn't result from kidney problems or medications---unless those medications affect...
PH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. In the human body, the pH levels must be maintained within a narrow range. Acids are a product of normal metabolic processes, and, when the body is functioning properly, they are buffered...
Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, has uses for cooking, cleaning and deodorizing, and also is an effective antacid. An antacid absorbs and neutralizes stomach acid, and is helpful for relieving your heartburn and indigestion. Jackson...
Adrenal carcinoma is a malignancy of the adrenal gland and normally carries a very poor prognosis. These tumors are usually classified by their ability (or sometimes lack of, in the case of nonfunctional tumors) to secrete adrenal hormones, which...
The amount of acid and base in the body is carefully controlled because the right balance is essential for the function of many different tissues. Because carbon dioxide is mildly acidic, the lungs can play a role in the acid-base balance of the...
Diagnostic tests performed on a sample of blood obtained from an artery can measure the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood as well as the pH or acidity, the bicarbonate and several other values by using a blood gas analyzer. These...
Calcium medications are used for electrolyte replacement therapy, for acid indigestion and to control phosphate levels for chronic renal failure patients. Calcium has also been used to help lower blood pressure for certain patients. When calcium...
Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) affects more than 10 percent of the U.S. population. An acid-inducing bacteria called H. pylori is the most common cause worldwide, according to The American Gastroenterological Association, as it initiates the formation...
One of the most important aspects of human physiology is homeostasis, which is the drive to keep the internal makeup of the body in a stable state. Part of this involves controlling the relative amounts of acidic and alkaline chemicals, also known...
Sodium bicarbonate, better known as baking soda, is often used as an antacid to relieve heartburn and also in prescription tablets or injections to make blood or urine less acidic. Although generally safe, larger doses can cause serious side...
