The acidity and alkalinity of a substance is referred to as its pH value. A neutral substance has a pH of 7, a substance with a pH above 7 is considered alkaline and a substance with a pH below 7 is considered acid. The term acidosis is used to describe a state of excess acidity in the body fluids whereby the term alkalosis describes a state of excess alkalinity.

PH stands for 'Power of Hydrogen'. Water molecules are made up of two Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom (H2O). Hydrogen atoms are the smallest atoms an the universe, having only a single proton and a single electron. Hydrogen is estimated to form 90% or the matter in the universe. Living things are extremely sensitive to pH and function best (with certain exceptions, such as different portions of the digestive tract) when solutions are nearly neutral.

The scale that is used for measuring the pH, or hydrogen ion concentration, is from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being the neutral point. An "Acidic Body" means that the pH of the blood is below 7.0 and an "Alkaline Body" is above 7.0 with the ideal pH being 7.35. Outside of this range the body activity is no longer optimal and the metabolism is out of balance.

It is well known that the body fluids of healthy people tend to be more alkaline (high pH) and the body fluids of sick or diseased people are acidic ( low pH). Healthy blood, spinal fluid and saliva are normally at a pH of 7.4. This alkaline state is necessary for cell growth, cell function and cell repair. It has been proven that cancer cannot grow in an alkaline solution because an alkaline solution will hold oxygen at a high level (Cause and Prevention of Cancer, Biochem Zeits, 152: 514-520).

ODEP stands for Output Device Emulator Protection. ODEP is an analog computer simulation of the output device thermal impedance. In layman's terms ODEP stores how much power the amplifier delivers to its load and its heatsink temperature. If the protection circuit determines that the output stage is being overstressed or cannot dissipate any further heat, then output stage drive is limited (Also see the FAQ, "What is TLC?" below).

Answer: LGBTQA stands for the part of Kinsey's Sexual Orientation continuum in addition to Heterosexuality. That is Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered (Trans-sexual), Questioning and Asexual. Kinsey, rather than separating Heterosexuality from all other orientations, put all of these orientations on a continuum indicating a broad range of "Normal", not just opposite sex attraction and arousal. Sure! First, you must find out what type of male condom you are using.

According to Sascha: "we all need a lil' secret, don't we? if we lifted the blanket from everything and all became blatantly obvious, if painters and writers would have to interpret and explain their works, the world would be too boring.

IBLA is the name of the ancient Baroque quarters of Ragusa - Ibla, the southernmost province of Italy in Sicily. Ragusa and Ibla are two sister cities built on two 300 m. hills. Ibla is the ancient city and Ragusa is the more modern one. The Monti Iblei that surround the area take the name from the ancient Ibla. The Mediterrenean coast line is only 18 minutes away. It overlooks the island of Malta. The closest airport is Catania Fontanarossa Airport, 2 hours away.

NAMI, the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness was founded in 1979 as the National Alliance on Mental Illness. "NAMI" was officially made our corporate name in 1997, after a vote of the membership. This was done after years of discussion that the full name was not person-first language and perpetuated the very stigma we hope to erase.

NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby that for more than 30 years has provided a voice for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition. We represent the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly and believe the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana should no longer be a crime.

The term RDI stands for Respiratory Disturbance Index and is a very important measure of the severity of the sleep disorder. The RDI is a number that represents how many times per hour breathing stops or becomes very shallow. This index is significant as it is often associated with disruption of sleep and dangerous drops in blood oxygen levels. Most physicians agree that an RDI below 5 is normal while an RDI over 30 may indicate severe disease.

RIMYI is an abbreviation for Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. Ramamani was the name of BKS Iyengar's wife. She died in 1973.

UMF stands for "Unique Manuka Factor", and is the trademark for the special antibacterial property found in Manuka Honey. When honey is diluted, a special enzyme the bees have added produces hydrogen peroxide, a well known antibiotic. Manuka Honey has been found to have an antibacterial activity in addition to hydrogen peroxide. No one has so far discovered the substance involved, so it is called UMF.