Confirm Your Bacterial Balance With a Stool pH Test

This simple, noninvasive measure will tell you if your digestive health could be improved

In conjunction with any digestive symptoms you may have, the pH of your stool is a good indicator of your digestive health. Your stool pH should be only slightly acidic, about 6.7 to 6.9. A neutral or alkaline pH (7 or higher) generally indicates poor balance between beneficial bacteria and bad bacteria; however, a very acidic pH can be negative as well, and often occurs with excessive amounts of sucrose (table sugar) or lactose (milk sugar) in the diet, as well as with conditions that cause diarrhea.

Your pH can be checked by using pH paper or with a liquid test agent called Bromthymol. The easiest to obtain is the pH paper, which is sold in many aquarium shops, pharmacies, medical supply houses, or by chemical supply companies. To determine the pH of your stool, simply touch the paper to a moist sample (before it hits the water in the toilet) and compare the color change to the chart that comes with the paper.

If the pH is not ideal, there are several foods and nutritional products that, if used correctly, can increase the growth of beneficial bacteria and help return the pH to normal. These solutions work regardless of whether the bowel is too acidic or too alkaline. See my simple, natural remedies for increasing the beneficial bacteria in your digestive system.

More Dr. Williams Advice on Digestive Health and Beneficial Bacteria

• How friendly bacteria keep you healthy
• Lifestyle choices that can upset the balance of bacteria in your digestive system
• The symptoms of bacterial imbalance