Question

A 55-year-old woman visits a popular eatery for lunch. She orders a cheese and bacon pizza with extra cheese and has about 3 large glasses of cola (ph value 3). On the way back home, she experiences heartburn and abdominal pain, and has difficulty breathing. She drinks a lot of water and has to consume milk of magnesia (pH value 10.5) before she feels comfortable again.
1) Classify the liquids that she has consumed as acidic or alkaline. 2) State the pH values of water and blood.
3) State what the patient can include and avoid in her diet on a regular basis to avoid these symptoms in the futur

Answer 1

pH of 7 is neutral; anything higher is basic, and anything lower is acidic. Therefore the cokes are acidic and the milk of magnesia is basic.

The pH of water is approximately 7 (tap water has a number of dissolved ions that can shift pH slightly, while distilled water would be exactly 7). The pH of blood is typically slightly basic, maintained within a range of about 7.35-7.45; if you're out of this tiny range, there's a serious risk of multiple organ failure and death.

Heartburn is caused by acid reflux from the stomach. Lowering acidic compounds in the diet and increasing basic compounds will decrease the pain associated with it. Antacids are effective medications; they are basic and act to neutralize stomach acid.

Answer 2

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