Renal physiologist, and study co-author, Dr. Paul O’Connor, thinks “the cholinergic (acetylcholine) signals that we know mediate this anti-inflammatory response aren’t coming directly from the vagal nerve innervating the spleen, but from the mesothelial cells that form these connections to the spleen (3).”
baking soda combats autoimmune disease
Pictured is Dr. Paul O’Connor, renal physiologist in the lab at the Medical College of Georgia Department of Physiology at Augusta University. Credit: Phil Jones, Senior Photographer, Augusta University
After making some physiological observations between both participants and animals, O’Connor and his teams’ hypothesis was confirmed. In a press release for Jagwire News in Augusta, Georgia, Toni Baker writes:
“In the spleen, as well as the blood and kidneys, they found after drinking water with baking soda for two weeks, the population of immune cells called macrophages, shifted from primarily those that promote inflammation, called M1, to those that reduce it, called M2. Macrophages, perhaps best known for their ability to consume garbage in the body like debris from injured or dead cells, are early arrivers to a call for an immune response (4).”
Baking Soda Combats Autoimmune Disease
So what does all of this information have to do with inflammatory autoimmune conditions? While this is the first study of its kind, O’Connor is hopeful. He thinks “this helps explain the cholinergic (acetylcholine) anti-inflammatory response that people have been studying for a long time (5).”
Given that autoimmune conditions are largely inflammatory, baking soda could be a simple, cost-effective means to help out those who are suffering. And while the participants of the study were healthy, it could still prove beneficial in the bodies of those with chronic inflammation.
“You are not really turning anything off or on, you are just pushing it toward one side by giving an anti-inflammatory stimulus,” O’Connor says, in this case, away from harmful inflammation. “It’s potentially a really safe way to treat inflammatory disease (6).”
While the exact ratios of sodium bicarbonate to water have not been made available to the public, you still might want to try it out if you’re dealing with chronic inflammation or have an autoimmune disease.
To make a basic baking soda and water mixture, simply dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in two cups of water, and drink every day. Keeping your baking soda intake to only 1/2 a teaspoon is recommended so that your sodium intake doesn’t get too high.
Precautions Regarding Baking Soda
Because of the high sodium concentration, baking soda should be kept to a minimum if you have high blood pressure, or if you’ve been instructed to keep your sodium intake low.
Taking baking soda can also result in minor symptoms such as:
– Nausea
– Bloating
– Gassiness
Baking soda can also interact with medications like (7):
– Acetazolamide
– Aspirin
– Other salicylate
– Corticosteroids
– Memantine
– Medications with coatings to protect the stomach.
Baking soda can also decrease certain medications’ effectiveness, such as:
– Ampicillin
– Atazanavir
– Azole antifungals
– Iron supplements
– Pazopanib
– Sucralfate
Also, don’t mistake baking soda for baking powder (they’re two very different things!).
