Digestive disorder and toxicity

An epidemic of digestive disorders exist in the United States. According to Elizabeth Lipski, M.S., C.C.N. in Digestive Wellness (Keats Publishing, 2000), one-third to one-half of all adults have some kind of digestive illness.

Except for the common cold, these digestive problems are the most common reason people seek medical advice. A digestive disorder can develop congenitally or from a multiple of factors such as stress, fatigue and most importantly the wrong type of food in the modern diet that we consume every day.

Understanding your digestion system

In order to understand what a digestive disorder is and how it can be treated, consider the function of the digestive system and how it works. Imagine the digestive system is one big processor, breaking down and distributing nutrients and fuel needed to activate the body. It not only supplies energy and nutrition but also keeps toxic substances from entering the bloodstream. The digestive system works synergistically to convert food into microscopic particles beginning first in the mouth and traveling through the intestines, colon and then toward the kidney. When the mouth consumes food, the brain signals the release of saliva that breaks the food down into particles.

Next, the food passes through the intestine--a series of joined and coiled hollowed tubes. Digestion begins in the upper part of the stomach where the partially broken down food is stored and mixed with digestive enzymes and juices. These digestive enzymes work to convert the food into smaller molecules, which will later pass through the body.

In the small intestine, these molecules are then metabolized by millions of microorganisms working simultaneously. The food's nutrients are further broken down in the liver--protein is turned into amino acids, starches into glucose and fats into fatty acids and glycerol. These nutrients are then assimilated in the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream for cells to use.

Finally the large intestine, which is part of the elimination system, collects and eliminates the remaining waste.

Colon – the most important organ for detoxification

No part of our body is immune to the poisons of a toxic colon. This includes our skin, teeth, eyes, nerves and the various organs of the
body. Most people don't realize it but a person could have several bowel movements a day and still have a clogged colon.
Poor digestion, a sluggish colon, inadequate elimination of toxins through the digestive tract, all contributes to increased levels of toxicity.

Furthermore, with a poor digestive tract, there can be an increased growth in bacteria and yeasts which ferments undigested food residues, turning them into reactive compounds and then these are reabsorbed in the body, the process is known as "autointoxication".

According to Dr. Bernard Jensen, "Every tissue in the body is fed by the bloodstream, which is supplied by the bowel. When the bowel is dirty, the blood is dirty and so are the organs and tissues. It is the bowel that must be cared for first".

Bowel and colon problems can cause nutritional deficiency, regardless of how good one's diet is or how many vitamins are taken.

Most of the nutrients our bodies need are absorbed through the walls of the intestines. If there is a build-up of hardened, toxic fecal matter on the sides of the colon, which is what is feeding the body. When this happens, the systems and organs in the body start to break down.

It is not uncommon for people to carry around several pounds of old fecal matter, sometimes for years, because the colon has never been properly emptied. Sometimes even from birth. Seeds and undigested particles of food have been found remaining in the colon, which were ingested years earlier.

A toxic colon is caused by poor elimination which occurs when we have too long a "transit time". That is the time is takes for something to go from one end to the other. For most Americans, it is over 90 hours. According to some experts in the health field, cutting the transit time to less than 24 hours can significantly reduce the risk of many major diseases, including colon cancer.

The foods that we eat are a major cause of constipation. More fruits and vegetables and less dairy products, breads, and meat can make a great difference in how well our bowels work.

The Merck Manual states that bowel diseases should be treated with herbal products, fiber and a diet high in whole grains, vegetables and fruit. Bowel and colon cleansing body detoxification programs are supported by conventional and naturopathic medicine.

Statistics