pH Physiology: more news of its role in immune function and cancer

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In a past newsletter, I reviewed the effects of acid-base balance on the functions of immune cells, inflammation and cancer survival and detection.

Topics included:

• Inflammatory state eased with alkalinization, bicarbonate ingestion

• Extracellular acid inhibits immune cells

• pH indicator dyes diagnose cancer cells

• Acidic environs switch on genes for metastasis

• Cancer cells need a place to dump their acid

• Acid intracellular environs launches killer agent

Also included, were some basics on how ions are transported across cell membranes, including the proton.