Highlights
- Test strips for pH range of 5.5 to 9.0
- A booklet of 80 individual pH test strips
- pH colour chart to interpret the results
- Instructions for testing urine or saliva
The pH scale (which measures Hydrogen potential) indicates how acidic (for the lower numbers) or alkaline (for the higher ones) a given substance is (whether it's soil, a chemical or household solution, or a bodily fluid). While a completely neutral pH environment would be 7.0 (the scale ranges from 0 to 14), our bodies try to operate at a slightly alkaline level, in the low 7's (from 7 to 7.4), since many functions such as enzymatic, immunologic, metabolic and repair mechanisms work best in that range.
Recommended Use: It's important to be consistent when you measure pH, since your levels fluctuate during the day. The easiest way is to test your urine's pH, first thing in the morning. Note, though, that a morning measurement may be slightly more acidic because metabolic acids in the kidneys build up overnight. For a more accurate reading try to take several measurements throughout the day, and then calculate your daily average.
Testing several times a day (ideally 4: first thing in the morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening) for three days in a row will give a very reasonable idea of whether the body is functioning within a healthy pH range. In healthy bodies, there's a natural circadian shift between acidity and alkalinity over the course of a day: we're all more acidic in the morning; and become more alkaline by mid-afternoon; and return to a more acidic state in the evening.