# Baking Soda For A Tummy-Ache?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-for-a-tummy-ache/78268>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 27, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-for-a-tummy-ache/78268 "2001-08-27T02:16:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-for-a-tummy-ache/78268/1 "2001-08-27T02:16:32Z")

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A physician friend of mine just told me to be careful with this “house-hold remedy”. He says that introducing a “little bit” of alkalinity (the baking soda) is okay, but too much will cause the body to secrete more acid to “fight” the alkalinity.

So I guess we have to be careful and not fall into the temptation of thinking that if a little bit works, then a _lot_ will work faster.

Comments?

Thanks

Quasi

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**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-for-a-tummy-ache/78268/2 "2001-08-27T02:23:58Z")

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If you make your stomach too basic, your body is going to secrete more acids (read here H+ ions) into your stomach. Those ions do not just come out of thin air, they come from your blood stream. If too many H+ ions are pulled out of the blood stream the very delicate acid/base balance of the blood can be thrown off.

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**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-for-a-tummy-ache/78268/3 "2001-08-27T02:28:19Z")

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here it is a bit more specifically for ya – from the A&P webpage at UNM

H+ and HCO3- are important in regulating pH. Hydrogen ions are acid ions and lower the pH of a solution. The pH is important for normal structure and function of proteins. In the human body bicarbonate ions help to neutralize hydrogen ions to maintain a normal pH range. A chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and water in the blood produces carbonic acid in equilibrium with hydrogen ions and bicarbonate. This produces a buffer which maintains the normal pH of the blood.