ACV & Baking Soda Tonic: Boost Health Naturally - Ted's Q&A

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Why Am I Constipated?

Posted by G (Palo Alto, CA) on 07/21/2007

Hi Ted, I have a question for you: I started on 2 tbl ACV & 1/4 tsp Baking soda along with lemon juice. This I take twice a day for the last 5 days. The main intention is to reduce my blood pressure. I definitely see improvement in energy levels. However since I have started taking this I have begun getting constipated. Also my blood pressure has risen by about 5-8 points on the systolic reading and I feel I am gaining weight. Does this sound like I am retaining sodium? In one of your suggestions you mention using Potassium Bicarbonate. However I am unable to find it in the pharmacy. Please let me know what you would recommend. Thanks

Replied by Ted
Bangkok, Thailand
391 posts

My experience is that some constipation already existed before this remedy was done and taking them further didn't resulted in reduction as the body's need to alkalize rises tremendously if there was a beginning of constipation. The reason why I know is that I checked the urinary pH all the time and if I am constipated, such remedy of apple cider vinegar and baking soda is too weak.

Therefore in such an event, getting a laxative would be ideal so that a constipated body would reduce the body's excessive need to alkalize. In such as event, I might take some laxatives such as milk of magnesia (WITHOUT the aluminum!) or epsom salt and follow the directions according to the package sold in most over the counter drug stores. Thereafter, I can continue the apple cider vinegar plus 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

However, the remedy you used, instructions may not be followed since a lemon juice REQUIRES 8 teaspoon of lemon juice or lime juice plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water taken twice a day. A lemon juice CAN'T be added directly to the apple cider vinegar remedy since that will cause a bad imbalance of the pH outcome to be more acid where the beginning solution is too acid or less than pH of 6. In a body without sufficient bicarbonate levels anyway, that might remotely cause the body to be acid due to insufficient bicarbonates to neutralize the solution. Generally it is alkaline forming but in some cases they do cause to be acid forming resulting in a more likely scenario of a water retention or a chloride retention, more so than the well known sodium retention. As a result, the urine pH becomes acid. If anyone does the experiment of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) the urine does become more acid, while the sodium ascorbate the opposite occurs. In your incidence, the vitamin C from the lemon is actually the ascorbic acid. Therefore adding the lemon resulted in excess ascorbic as opposed to ascorbate.

To resolve I would try a simpler 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda WITHOUT either the apple cider vinegar or the lemon. That of course, if followed carefully should be taken in the morning and before bedtime. Most negative feedback I have received were not following instructions such as taken late in the day, between meals, or adding lemon to the ACV without sufficient baking soda to neutralize it. The pH of the solution should be between pH 7 - 7.5, but if a lemon was added, my guess is the solution were closer to 5, which may defeat its purpose, since the body's blood pH is closer to 7.35 and the solution therefore should be at least in equilibrium with the blood so the body doesn't have to fight unnecessary to attain its own equilibrium.


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