Almost everyone has sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda in our households. It causes the food we bake to rise. It takes away the bad smell caused by acids in our fridge, our carpet, our garbage cans. It can clean our sink, our dishes, our fruits and veggies.
But did you know that baking soda also has health advantages to offer us? Here are seven of them.
1. It has a positive effect against kidney disease.
Since the body produces bicarbonate, which is an alkaline that neutralizes acid and regulates pH levels, it can help people with kidney disease. Kidney disease usually happens to people who are diabetic or hypertensive. Kidneys that do not function the way they should find it very difficult to remove acids from our bodies. This is called metabolic acidosis.
A British research showed that those with serious kidney disease and metabolic acidosis who took portions of baking soda orally along with their prescribed treatments for two years had a delay in the kidney deterioration. Amazingly, there was more than a sixty-five percent rate of decline in the functions of the kidneys. More amazingly, under seven percent of those who took baking soda needed to undergo dialysis. This is a very significant number if you consider that thirty-three percent of the control group had to go through that process.
2. It may also have a positive effect against cancer.
Research showed that if a person consumes food that helps boost baking soda levels in their bodies, it can also raise the pH of an acidic tumor with no bad side effects on the pH of blood and normal body tissue. Most of the experiments were done on animals and not on humans, but the animals with cancerous tumors in the breast area showed vast improvements in their overall health. Animals that were given baking soda orally had tumors that were bombarded with alkaline. These tumors also kept from metastasizing. Because of this, we have incorporated baking soda in the treatment of patients who have cancerous growths in their bodies.
A twelve-gram dosage of sodium bicarbonate is introduced in two cups of water and sweetened since baking soda is a bit on the salty side. Consume this for the duration of an hour or two. Do it thrice daily.
3. It helps fight heartburn and indigestion.
Almost all the antacids available at the drug store have a bit of baking soda in them. But it’s best to save money with this simple trick –introduce half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate into half a cup of water. Wait for at least one hour after eating before drinking.
4. It can help people with skin problems.
A British study discovered that introducing a half cup of sodium bicarbonate into your bath water can relieve people with psoriasis of their itchy and irritating sensations. Sodium bicarbonate, in paste form, and introduced into a tiny portion of water can be effective against sunburn, an insect bite, and a rash due to allergy. Moreover, the pain on the skin affected by poison ivies or oaks may possibly be soothed. That paste form of baking soda can also be an effective exfoliant.
5. It can take away bad smells naturally.
Mixing a small amount of baking soda with water should create a milk-like substance. Take this and apply it to the underside of your foot and on your armpits.
6. It is good at cleaning your mouth.
As you may know by now, many a toothpaste and mouthwash have sodium bicarbonate in them. Having sodium bicarbonate has been found to boost products’ ability to eliminate plaque. You may also soak your toothbrush in sodium bicarbonate, but this is not recommended since it bad for the health of the enamel of the teeth.
Toothpaste and mouthwashes bought at your local supermarket is our suggestion.
7. It can boost strength and endurance levels during physical training.
If you take baking soda before an epic workout, the buildup of lactic acid is delayed in the working muscles. Fatigue also sets in much later and overall performance is boosted.
There is no danger when using sodium bicarbonate topically. Orally though,it is safe if you do not go over the proper dosages. Too much baking soda and you ruin the balance of your body’s acid and base levels. It may even cause dizziness and diarrhea.
Another important thing to note is that baking soda doesn’t increase one’s blood pressure even if it has a lot of sodium. Sodium only raises blood pressure when it is mixed with chloride, as it is with salt.
