Metabolic acidosis is a serious condition that can be very damaging to a lot of body systems. Blood is kept neutral at a pH of around 7, which among other things allows the complex chemical reactions our body depends on to occur unimpeded. If your blood becomes too acidic, lets just say that big problems happen. Respiration does help by introducing carbon into the blood stream, however you have to be careful. If you breathe too fast (hyperventilate) you blow off too much carbon and can worsen the acidosis.

some of it's magic
some of it's tragic
but i had a good life all the way......
~jimmy buffett