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Better Health Update #19 - Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist

Digestive Problems

Digestion is the foundation of our lives and health. This process of breaking down our food into its constituent nutrients and getting those nutrients absorbed by the cells is critical to our health. Likewise, poor digestion, as evidenced by various digestive problems, is the root cause of many health problems. Flatulence (intestinal gas), heartburn, burping, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, constipation and various other digestive problems, are some of the most frequent complaints I hear from my clients.

You do not have to suffer from digestive problems. There are answers as we understand and cooperate with the digestive process God built into our bodies. Let's look at how our digestion works and the causes of most digestive disturbances.

A TRIP THROUGH YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACT

The textbook explanation of the digestive process is pretty boring, so let me try to give you the highlights without putting you to sleep. Most people think of their digestive tract as their stomach, small intestine and large intestine. Actually, the beginning of your digestive tract is your mouth. Digestion begins with chewing and mixing food with saliva in the mouth. The six salivary glands produce the saliva that breaks down the starches in food, making it ready for the action of later digestive secretions.

Here we have the beginning of our digestive problems - hardly anyone adequately chews their food. This puts a greater burden on the later digestive processes, setting you up for not only indigestion, but poor assimilation. The idea of chewing food is to liquefy it, such that it can almost drain down your esophagus.

The stomach is of course the next step in digestion. Gastric juice in the stomach includes hydrochloric acid, pepsin, rennin, and lipase. Hydrochloric acid, contrary to popular belief, doesn't really digest anything. It merely lowers the pH of the gastric juice to activate the enzyme pepsin, which breaks down protein. Rennin separates milk into liquid and solid portions, and lipase works on fat.

However, the greatest part of the digestive process takes place in the small intestine. While the stomach is a very acidic area of digestion, the small intestine is very alkaline. The predigested food from the stomach is released gradually into the small intestine where three digestive fluids act on it: pancreatic fluid, intestinal juice and bile. Various enzymes in pancreatic fluid begin the process of breaking down proteins, starches, sugars and fats. The intestinal juice is secreted by the small intestine itself and continues the digestive process with more enzymes. Bile from the liver (stored in the gall bladder) emulsifies fats.

If things go according to design, the large intestine or colon, basically removes water (and electrolyte minerals) from the digested food, forming the feces for elimination.

DIGESTIVE INTERFERENCE

All is well when the digestion goes according to the above design. For the average person this is usually not the case. Here are the typical interfering factors:

1. Poor Mastication - Most people don't chew their food thoroughly, thus starting off the digestive process poorly. Eating "on the run", fast food, and the general rush everyone's in destroys digestion.

2. Enzyme Deficiency - As we age we tend to experience diminished enzyme and hydrochloric acid secretions. But a lot of this deficiency is simply a function of years of abusing our digestive system. We do that basically by eating too much in general, eating too much of hard to digest foods like meat, eating too quickly, and eating under stress instead of relaxed. Enzymes are the chemicals that make digestion work. Without them, indigestion and/or digestive diseases are guaranteed.

3. Dysbiosis - Dysbiosis refers to having too much "bad bacteria" in the digestive tract. A good functioning digestive tract requires the right kind of bacterial chemistry in your guts. Thanks to modern antibiotic drugs, few people have this good bacteria balance.

4. Candida albicans - The common yeast organism, Candida albicans, thrives in the absence of the beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, and can then produce gas, bloating, and other digestive symptoms.

5. Food sensitivities - Reactions to common foods like dairy products, wheat, corn, baker's yeast and others is one of the main causes of indigestion. Virtually everyone has at least some degree of food sensitivities, though they probably don't have medically diagnosed "allergies." While the term "allergy" refers to an antibody, immune system type reaction, a "sensitivity" is more of a digestive tract reaction. Indigestion symptoms greatly improve with (1) temporarily avoiding the sensitive foods, and (2) homeopathically desensitizing them so they can be added back into the diet.

6. Poor food combinations - Different foods digest differently. They are digested in different places for different lengths of time in different mediums. Protein initially digests for several hours in the stomach in a very acid medium, while starches digest primarily in the small intestine in a very alkaline medium. So what happens when you eat proteins and starches together? Digestion is at the very least, less efficient. Proteins and vegetables digest well together, as do starches and vegetables. Fruits are best by themselves, due to their rapid digestion, and starches and proteins are best kept separate.

7. Emotional stress - I don't know if there's a greater cause to indigestion symptoms than emotional stress. When you're stressed the primary area of your body to feel this stress is the digestive tract, particularly the colon. The worst thing you can do for your digestion is to eat while you're stressed or rushed. When you're stressed your nervous system is in the "fight or flight" mode, and the digestion more or less shuts down. Anything you eat in that aggravated state will either just sit there in your stomach undigested, or pass through the digestive tract undigested and become diarrhea.

DIGESTIVE DISEASES

There are a number of all too common digestive diseases that can result from the above digestive interferences.

1. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - IBS is characterized by irregular muscular contractions in the colon which may interfere with elimination and produce constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and flatulence.

2. Colitis - This refers to inflammation of the mucous membranes of the colon in which small pouches may be formed. The more severe form of this is ulcerative colitis, in which the colon becomes lined with ulcers.

3. Diverticulitis - Again we have the inflammation of the mucous membranes with more of an emphasis on the formation of pockets, or diverticula in the wall of the colon. Waste matter becomes trapped in these pockets, creating infection or inflammation. Diverticulitis is largely the result of chronic constipation.

4. Crohn's Disease - This is characterized by long-lasting inflammation of sections of the digestive tract, usually the small intestine in which scar tissue is formed. These sections of intestine become non-functional, and in extreme cases, require surgical removal. Crohn's symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, pain, malabsorption, anemia, and loss of energy, appetite and weight.

Most of these digestive diseases are caused, or at least aggravated by lack of fiber in the diet, food sensitivities, constipation, enzyme deficiency and emotional stress.

CONSTIPATION & DIARRHEA

Constipation (which I'll define as less than one good bowel movement per day) results from inadequate fiber in the diet, lack of pure water, lack of exercise and often, emotional stress. It is often the forerunner to other digestive problems. Proper diet, psyllium fiber products, and herbal laxatives can usually correct this.

Diarrhea can result from food sensitivity reactions, candidiasis, bowel pathogenic organisms like giardia or E. coli, or very often from emotional stress. Getting off the sensitive foods, correcting candidiasis, homeopathic formulas for intestinal pathogens, homeopathic diarrhea remedies, and stress reduction are helpful. Psyllium is also a diarrhea remedy, interestingly enough, and was originally used that way rather than for constipation.

STEPS TO BETTER DIGESTION

1. Slow down - Slow down your eating, and you probably need to slow down your life in general. Take time to eat and digest properly. Chew your food thoroughly, preferably until it's pretty much liquified. Taking time to chew your food also gives time for "sensors" in your mouth to "phone in" the order to your stomach and intestines as to what kind of enzymes are going to be needed. Swallowing food too quickly leaves your stomach and intestines unprepared for what's coming - kind of like a guest showing up at your door unexpected.

2. Avoid sensitive foods and get desensitized - This requires testing to tell for sure which foods you're reacting to. Normally getting you off of your sensitive foods will spell an immediate improvement in digestive distress.

3. Correct Candidiasis - Overgrowth of Candida albicans yeast will aggravate, if not actually cause, many digestive symptoms. Again, testing such as our Electro-Dermal Testing is required to confirm this and determine appropriate remedies.

4. Digestive Enzyme - A good digestive enzyme is fundamental to improving most digestive symptoms. I usually suggest a two-stage enzyme, where the first part helps stomach digestion and the second part works in the small intestine. Electro-Dermal Testing determines which enzyme is best for you.

5. Psyllium Husk - Most digestive problems are helped by this fiber bulking agent. I do not recommend the Metameucil brand or other drug store/supermarket brands of psyllium due to their sugar or artificial flavoring. Psyllium has a cleansing/detoxifying effect on the colon, as well as providing bulk for better elimination. With IBS, colitis, diverticulitis and Crohn's, psyllium is often helpful, but must be used cautiously starting with just a small amount. While the fiber can help heal these conditions, too much will cause irritation.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment. Rather, this material is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems. Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.