What Is the PH of Saliva?
Saliva is a secretion in the mouth produced by salivary glands that discharge into the oral cavity. These secretions moisten mucous membranes in the oral cavity and upper digestive tract, facilitate speech and control bacterial flora in the mouth. They also supply enzymes that prepare food for digestion and produce certain hormones and other compounds. The major salivary glands include the parotid, the submandibular, the sublingual, the small labial, the buccal and the palatal.
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Saliva PH Testing - History
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A series of nontraditional practitioners over the past century have advocated the use of pH testing as a way to gauge the health of patients along with urine pH testing. The testing procedure involves the use of easily available litmus strips from you neighborhood pharmacy or from practitioners who run on-line websites offering to treat "acidification" and other pH-related conditions. Hospitals and physicians use pH testing as part of a comprehensive diagnostic array in cases of severe illness. The American Medical Association does not advocate pH testing of saliva and urine as a lone comprehensive diagnostic tool.
Normal Saliva PH
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Saliva normally varies in pH balance (alkalinity vs. acidity) between 6.2 to 7.4, with higher pH levels often seen during increased secretion of saliva, for instance, when smelling food cooking or when hungry and viewing pictures of food. Some on-line practitioners offer guides to diagnosing a wide range of physical and psychological ailments using self-administered pH test kits that they sell clients.
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Saliva PH Self-Testing in Alternative Medicine
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To measure urinary pH yourself you will need to acquire pH testing strips from drugstores or pharmacies, or on-line at alternative medicine websites. Litmus test strips change color when they contact acidic or alkaline substances. Intensity of the color can tell the strength of the acidity or alkalinity. The shade tells you the actual pH by comparing the strip to a chart showing shades of color. Each shade corresponds to an exact pH value. Most litmus test strips measure between 5.5 and 8. You can obtain others that measure a wider range.
Medical Saliva PH Testing
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Tests for acidity in body fluid are often made on patients upon admission to a hospital. Rarely do patients show acidosis (too acidic) or alkalosis (too alkali) in the blood or extracellular fluids like saliva in even the early stages of any major disease other than acute kidney disease.
Considerations if Your PH Balance Is Off
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If you suspect your saliva or urine pH may be high or low, see a physician for further testing to diagnose any possible medical condition.
Normal PH
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Again, normal pH is between 6.2 and 7.4. But if your physician is not concerned about measuring it, you probably shouldn't be either
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