Baking Soda - Editor's Choice

This season, allergies hit me about six weeks ago. Every year I go to the doctor. Every year she says the same thing: "This year is going to be the worst year when it comes to allergies." I get prescribed the same medicine, which doesn't relieve me of the the symptoms.

This year, I suffered the normal symptoms. Stuffing noise, tearing eyes, excessive coughing and a lot of phlegm.

Last week I started drinking about 4 ounces of luke warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda (sodium bicarb). All of the above systems have stopped. I haven't felt this good in weeks.

Later, I understood that taking sodium bicarb and water outside mealtimes was good for alkalizing both the intestines and the body. However now, I take sodium bicarb and water about 1/2 hr to 1 hour after meals -- because taking it this way helps to alkalize the intestines, alkalize the blood AND helps digestion issues because it supports main stage digestion in the upper intestines which should always occur in an alkaline to neutral medium(not acid).

Normally, during sleep at night, the body's homeostsis mechanism comes into play to re-adjust the body's pH(and electrochemistry) back to a healthy levels again. Since 90% of the food we eat now is acidic -- taking sodium bicarb in this way, an hour or so before sleep, actually helps the homeostasis mechanism to re-adjust the body's pH to healthy levels again.

What I have also noticed is that taking sodium bicarb at night also helps people with slow digestion ussues caused by GERD and other problems. Similarly, slow or poor digestion can also be caused by too little bicarbonates from the pancreatic juices -- so taking sodium bicarbonate an hour before you sleep actually helps to make digestion more efficient and helps to avoid acid intestines, reflux etc at night.

To keep it simple -- the only times when I would never take the sodium bicarb and water remedy would be directly before a meal, during a meal and directly after a meal ie while stomach acid digestion is still working and doing its job -- because taking thos remedy incorrectly like this during meals would adversely affect and interfere with both stomach acid digestion and main stage digestion in the duodenum.

Therefore Sodium bicarb is OK to take for constipation. But I've also found that if you add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt(once a day) to the sodium bicarb and water and take it that way as Ted advises -- then this tend to work much better to help loosen up the constipation than just sodium bicarb and water alone.

My concern is worth mentioning that too much of the BS mixture can tend to mess up your electrolyte balance, if not careful. That can be bad.

I find that Tri-Salts is a much better, safer and healthier alternative to baking soda.

I've had great success using the Tri-Salts (No sodium - only Calcium carbonate/450mg, Magnesium carbonate/250mg, & Potassium bicarbonate/99 mg), and works EXTREMELY well before bedtime, especially if you suffer from acid reflux disease. I also use the unfiltered, organic ACV from the health food store. I order Tri-Salts online. My uric acid levels being "smack dab in the middle range" is actually high enough to always cause me grief. This method works well for me to get it back down. I prefer the protocol mentioned, as opposed to possibly overdoing the baking soda solution.

For at least 12 years now I've relied on drinking baking soda in water whenever I would come down with some sort of viral or bacterial infection, whether it is a cold, flu, stomach bug, or respiratory illness. I am convinced this method can kill any kind of infection.

When the West Nile virus was prevalent here in Colorado a few years ago, I became infected with it. I was skeptical that my baking soda cure would work, but gave it a try anyway since I was so utterly miserable. But, sure enough, later that evening the symptoms started to subside and I was nearly recovered by the next day.

Every time I have used the baking soda method it has worked. And everyone I have suggested it to and tried it has had it work for them, too.

The remedy is 1/2 teaspoon in a cup of water 2 to 3 times each day, sipping throughout the day. Take it for approximately 2 to 3 days. If symptoms do not resolve by the end of the third day then perhaps it will not be helped by baking soda; I have not found this to ever be the case though. It works no matter what stage a person is in their infection. For stomach bugs I will also add 10-15 drops of grapefruit seed extract.

Being female, however, I have noticed that I will get a vaginal yeast infection shortly after a course of baking soda. Because I believe it affects the pH, I treat myself with an apple cider vinegar/garlic rinse (1/4 cup of ACV and one clove of garlic, quartered, in 1 cup of water). I've wondered if the baking soda also kills the good bacteria in the body so afterward I supplement myself with probiotics (specifically Lactobacillus GG, the only known beneficial bacteria to survive stomach acid).

I know people who take Airborne to fight off colds. I looked at the label one day when my friend showed me the bottle, and sodium bicarbonate is one of the main ingredients. Perhaps this is the reason it works.

I believe that if there is ever a severe viral outbreak, such as SARS or H5N1, then this remedy would be worth a try. It seems I've always relied on home remedies to successfully treat myself and your site just adds to my collection of simple therapies!