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Nutrition and Proper
Digestion
We often take digestion for granted. We shouldn’t. Good health
depends on adequate digestion. Without sufficient physical and
chemical breakdown of foods, the nutrients every human cell
needs to function are not available. Poorly digested food can
become toxic. When it sits too long in the body, the toxins can
be absorbed and re-circulated through the body, stressing the
liver and the immune system and eventually causing disease. And
if the body works too hard to digest food, vital energy is lost.
Digestion starts in the mouth, where salivary enzymes begin the
chemical processing of food and the teeth break it down
physically. From the mouth, food travels down the esophagus to
the stomach, where high concentrations of hydrochloric acid
dissolve it further. Material then passes to the small
intestine, large intestine and to the colon before being
eliminated. Along the way, material is moved through dozens of
feet of gastrointestinal tract by peristalsis, waves of
contractions that propel food through the hollow digestive
canal. As food makes its way down the canal, nutrients are
extracted and absorbed by the body.
Though not technically part of the canal itself, the liver, gall
bladder and pancreas are crucial to digestion. The liver
produces bile, which emulsifies fats and aids peristalsis. Bile
is stored in the gall bladder, which contracts and secretes the
bile into the small intestine. The pancreas produces three
important digestive enzymes: amylase, which helps digests
starch; lipase, which takes part in the absorption of fat; and
protease, which breaks down protein.
Digestion disturbances can be painfully obvious. Some ills,
thankfully, disappear quickly, like the discomfort from
overindulgence in food or alcohol. Others persist chronically,
and can, potentially, cause a health emergency. These conditions
include: gastro esophageal reflux, gastritis, ulcers,
gastroenteritis, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome
and Crohn's disease.
Homeopathy Can Help
Homeopathic remedies are matched not only to a patient's disorder,
but to their emotional and behavioral patterns, making
homeopathy especially appropriate for digestive problems. As a
homeopath, I don’t just work on the digestive system of the
patient, I work on the whole person. Consequently, different
homeopathic cures work for different individuals even though
they might seem to suffer the same problem. Only by studying the
whole person and their individual lifestyle can I and find the
root cause and set them on the path to optimal health.
Cleansing the Digestive Tract
Organic, whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds,
lean meats and clean water help with proper digestion and
absorption. Diets high in fiber and low in fat also help to
clean and maintain the digestive tract. Processed foods and
foods full of antibiotics, hormones and pesticides may tax the
liver and make the body work harder to extract precious
nutrients. Digestive systems that have been stressed by bad
eating habits and poor digestion can be cleansed, however, and
refreshed with a number of substances. For instance, milk
thistle extract has been shown to improve digestion and help the
liver clean out the digestive system. Clove bud is an
antioxidant that treats dyspepsia and gas while uva ursa leaf
acts as a diuretic that can prevent amoebic diarrhea.
By speeding elimination, several substances can rid the digestive
tract of toxins. Psyllium fiber cuts gastrointestinal transit
time (speeding food along its way) and can reduce LDL or bad
cholesterol levels. Other fibers like oat bran, rice fiber and
prune fiber also produce similar digestive effects.
Supplement Options
In many cases,
supplementation helps, specifically vitamin C and water soluble,
gluten-free fiber. If your digestion is slow and you have no
history of inflammation, ulcers, colitis or Crohn's, digestive
enzymes and/or probiotics can also work wonders. Probiotics
works by increasing the number of good bacteria in the
intestinal tract. A new Canadian study has found that probiotic
bacteria are effective in treating ulcerative colitis. The
results of the study are published in the latest edition of the American
Journal of Gastroenterology.
Also, eating yogurt can
promote the growth of the good bacteria and should always be
eaten when taking antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the good
bacteria in the intestines. Yogurt will replace and nourish the
bacterial that is necessary to healthy intestines. Without the
good bacteria, yeast multiplies unchecked and causes yeast
infections.
Many health practitioners, no matter what their specialty, agree on
one thing: our stress-filled culture upsets our stomachs.
Avoiding arguments at the dinner table, listening to peaceful
music and eating nutritious food slowly (not gulping food in the
car while talking on the cellular phone) can all aid proper
digestion and absorption.
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