Here is a concise summary of the text:
**7 Unexpected Health Benefits of Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)**
1. **Treat Heartburn**: Neutralize stomach acid with baking soda and water.
2. **Oral Hygiene**: Use as a mouthwash to reduce bacteria, bad breath, and plaque.
3. **Soothe Skin**: Relieve itching from bug bites, sunburns, and calluses with baking soda baths or pastes.
4. **Enhance Exercise**: Improve performance and reduce fatigue by consuming baking soda before high-intensity workouts.
5. **Support Kidney Health**: Slow chronic kidney disease progression with baking soda supplements (research-based).
6. **Relieve Arthritis Pain**: Reduce joint inflammation with baking soda and water (study-based).
7. **Potential Cancer Treatment Aid**: May enhance chemotherapy effectiveness by reducing tumor acidity (preliminary research, more human studies needed).
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, numbered and in short sentences, without opinions:
**Chemical and General Facts**
1. Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate.
2. Baking soda is a white, powdery substance.
3. Baking soda has a high pH level.
**Health and Medical Facts**
4. Heartburn (acid reflux) is a condition where stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus.
5. Heartburn can be triggered by stress, overeating, and certain foods.
6. Baking soda can help neutralize stomach acid to relieve heartburn symptoms.
7. Baking soda has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
8. Rinsing with baking soda can help eliminate mouth bacteria associated with bad breath.
9. Baking soda may help relieve pain from canker sores.
10. Soaking in a baking soda mixture can relieve itching from bug bites, bee stings, and sunburns.
11. Baking soda can help soften calluses, making them less uncomfortable.
12. Baking soda may improve kidney health in individuals with chronic kidney disease.
13. A study found a 36% lower risk of kidney failure in adults with chronic kidney disease taking baking soda supplements.
14. Baking soda may help treat rheumatoid arthritis by reducing joint inflammation.
15. Drinking water mixed with baking soda may promote the body's anti-inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
**Exercise and Performance Facts**
16. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) can extend performance during high-intensity, anaerobic exercises.
17. Baking soda can help reduce muscle fatigue by neutralizing lactic acid.
**Cancer Research Fact (Preliminary Stages)**
18. Preliminary research suggests baking soda may make the environment for tumors less acidic, potentially enhancing chemotherapy's effectiveness in certain cancers.