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Do drugs affect the bodily actions that keep pH constant?

the armed forces

Ex-Bluelighter
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Today in my high school Chemistry class we were talking about pH. My teacher made a comment about how the human body self-regulates pH. Then she made a statement that I found ridiculous. She said that drug-users basically ruin that system. More specifically, " thats why drug users are so stupid. WHy would you willingly ruin such a great device in your body." Does this statement have any validity? Thanks.
 
I can't see why there wouldn't be SOME drugs which would alter the bodies pH... If you eat like 15g of Sodium Bicarbonate it will make your body more basic.. I can't think of any other examples... I think you're teacher was talking crap... though like people who OVERDOSE do get highly acidic blood... or people who amp out too much on pills get too acidic blood because of all the muscle activity...
 
you're teacher IS full of shit. You should call her on it by saying, "Teach, you're full of shit." Or get an A+ in the class, and at the end of the sememster, stand up and tell everyone in class that you're a hardcore drug user and your teacher is full of shit.
 
The blood plasma is full of things called buffers, such as bicarbonate ions, that, as the name implies, buffers the plasma from large changes of pH (it's because they mostly exist in the unionized form, but any attempt to alter the pH will cause the buffer to dissociate and neutralize the compound trying to alter the pH.

It doesn't take much of a change in pH for the human body to stop working correctly, but because of plasma buffers, that small change in pH requires very large amounts of compounds. I assume that it was a chemistry teacher telling you about biological systems; well (s)he is well wide of the mark (and this from a qualified biology teacher) as metabolic acidosis or alkalinity would most probably only result from a toxic dose of any recreational drug. If our pH balance could be influenced as easily as your teacher is implying, drinking a carton of orange or grapefruit juice would be fatal.
 
well LSD/acid is really acidic (THATS WHY ITS CALLED ACID DUH) and it will make your pH < 2 if you have a bad trip

so don't do drugs
cause policemen will get you, too :)

(sex with policemen is only fun if you're already in jail)
 
Yeah, when she said that my BS detector flew off the handle. At the time I didn't have an affirmative evidence that she was talking out of her ass, but now I can have my word with her.

Yes, she's a chemistry teacher. :)
 
Leg said:


(sex with policemen is only fun if you're already in jail)

My friend got off of a bust for an unlicensed massage parlor because one of the girls was smart enough to entrap one of the cops the next day. How she prevailed (her word against his) I don't know but she claims she did not have sex with him. Lesson: If you get busted for solicitation flirt.

Detective demoted as case is dropped
Undercover cop compromised massage business investigation

By Becky Pallack
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The state will not prosecute a suspected Tucson prostitution and fraud case because an undercover detective compromised the investigation by having sex with a woman involved in the case, police records show.

During the investigation of Angel's Heaven - a massage business police said was a front for prostitution - Detective Michael Moser, 53, began a sexual relationship with a woman who had worked there, Sgt. Bernadette Eichenberger wrote in police internal affairs reports released Friday.

Eichenberger wrote that Moser was trying to get the woman to become an informant for him.

Moser, who was suspended and demoted and has since retired, told investigators he used his police vehicle to meet the woman after work and had sex with her, according to police reports.

But the woman denied the relationship was sexual, according to the reports.

The woman told investigators she felt intimidated by Moser but didn't want to make him angry, the reports said. The woman's name was not released.

During the police investigation of the business, the detective's partners learned from some of the women at Angel's Heaven that a police officer was trying to get close to them and have sex with them, Eichenberger wrote.

That's when Moser tearfully reported his sexual relationship with the woman to his sergeant, reports say.

"It is a short step from gratifying one's passions in this type of situation to being forced by the circumstances into illegal and corrupt activity," police Capt. Kevin Mayhew wrote in the reports.

Moser should have known his conduct would jeopardize the case, discredit himself and his agency, and potentially endanger his fellow officers, wrote Lt. Kevin Lane in an internal affairs report.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office declined to prosecute the Angel's Heaven case, in part because Moser's actions compromised the investigation, according to police reports. A spokeswoman for the agency confirmed that the office declined to prosecute, but wouldn't say why.

The Pima County Attorney's Office also declined to file charges against Moser or the owner of Angel's Heaven, John LaVoie.

The investigation, which took more than a year, culminated in the October 2004 raid on the businesses in the 1700 block of East Lester Street, near North Campbell Avenue.

LaVoie, 49, was arrested on suspicion of operating a massage parlor without a license and employing unlicensed massage therapists. He was charged with fraud, knowingly failing to pay Arizona personal income tax with intent to evade, knowingly failing to file tax returns and illegally conducting a business.

LaVoie said Friday he was stunned by the raid and denied the allegations that the business was a front for prostitution.

Angel's Heaven was advertised as a relaxation spa. LaVoie said Angel's Heaven was an auxiliary business of the Church of Liberty, a charitable outreach he operates.

But police said some of the women at the business, who were employed as independent contractors, also accepted money for sex.

The Police Department suspended Moser for 40 hours without pay and demoted him to the rank of officer.

Moser could not be reached for comment but his attorney, Mike Piccarreta, said Moser's actions should not have affected the state's decision on whether to prosecute Angel's Heaven.

"When you look at Detective Moser's long, successful career, it's unfair for him to be held responsible for a case that likely would not have been filed in any event," Piccarreta said.

Moser retired several months ago after nearly 20 years with the Tucson Police Department. He had worked in special investigations with Tucson police and its partner federal agencies for more than a decade. Much of his work was undercover.
 
Yes, she's a chemistry teacher.

Actually, I'd say two words to her:- 'biological buffer' (refers to the bicarbonate ion in the plasma). If she doesn't know what a buffer is, what the fuck is she doing teaching chemistry - you have to know about dissociation constants of ionic compounds in solution for A level chemistry, and to teach the subject, you usually need a degree.

[rant]
Unless she's one of those people who give rise to sayings like "those that can do, those that can't teach". A good teacher doesn't just need to know how to do it, but to communicate it to other people.

I may not be a teacher anymore, but there are a lot of good teachers out there that don't deserve to be belittled because of people like your chemistry teacher
[/rant]
 
Another place where carbonate ions play a role is in limestone. Lakes containing this rock help to buffer the otherwise corrosive effect that acid rain can have on aquatic organisms.

Your teacher is trying to be thought provocative to you. Try and ignore her.
 
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