JOJNHC Home
The Germ Terrain Duality Theory and the Apparent Paradox of Acidic Drugs
Mister Seun Ayoade*
BSc (Hons) Physiology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Submission: June 18, 2018; Published: June 25, 2018
*Corresponding author: Mister Seun Ayoade, BSc (Hons) Physiology, University of Ibadan, P.O. Box 22325, Oyo State, Nigeria, Email: SeunAyoade@protonmail.com
How to cite this article: Mister S A. The Germ Terrain Duality Theory and the Apparent Paradox of Acidic Drugs. JOJ Nurse Health Care. 2018; 8(3): 555737. DOI: 10.19080/JOJNHC.2018.08.555737
Opinion
A sceptic of germ terrain dualism recently brought to my attention his objections. He protested that if germ terrain duality was true, all drugs would be alkaline and none would be acidic! This fellow however had forgotten that not all drugs attack or interact with germs. There are drugs such as vasodilators, vasoconstrictors, laxatives, diuretics and anti-diuretics etc. that have no action on germs at all. Such drugs act directly on internal body structures/ systems. Alkaline drugs in Germ terrain dualism (especially relating to malaria) concerns drugs that attack the acidic vacuole of plasmodium with alkalinity [1]. Secondly, there has to be some acidity (e.g. in the stomach) in the body to mix with alkalinity for balance. If not the body would be rabidly alkaline with a PH of 14 or close to that, which would be fatal. The alkalinity of the blood has to exceed the acidity, not overwhelm it! Think of it like a scale balance or see-saw tipped slightly to one side, and this “tipping” is achieved through buffers/buffer solutions in the body/blood. The crux of the matter is to which side is it to be tipped to combat germs and to maintain good health? The answer to that question is that the balance is to be tipped to the alkaline side. So obviously some drugs are acidic and others alkaline. Most acidic drugs are only moderately acidic however, and when ingested are beneficial. This doesn’t disprove germ terrain duality. According to germ terrain duality, the PH of the blood is important. Alkalinity [PH > 7] encourages good health and repels germs while acidity [PH < 7] compromises/discourages good health and encourages germs to thrive. Blood PH needs to be preserved at 7.35 - 7.45. Human blood contains large amounts of carbonic acid, a weak acid, and bicarbonate, a base. Together they help maintain the blood’s PH at an average of 7.4 as a result of a carbonic acid to bicarbonate ratio of 1:20. The technical term for this is “acid-base balance of the blood” So when the germ terrain duality theory talks of ideal blood PH being alkaline it doesn’t mean the blood is entirely 100% alkaline. That’s an oversimplified assumption. There’s acid in the blood too, but together with the base the result is a harmonious balance for an overall alkaline blood. Too much alkaline in the blood (alkalosis) is just as dangerous as too much acid (acidosis). A blood that is too alkaline [PH 7.8 plus] or too acidic [PH 6.8 or less] can cause sickness and eventually even death. In short, protesting against the germ terrain duality theory with the argument that if it were true all drugs would be alkaline shows a lack of understanding of the buffering in the blood and of the fact that the blood/body is both acid and alkaline but should be more alkaline than acid to properly fight germs and maintain proper health (Table 1).
