Intestinal Health

In the Western World there is a thirty-foot pathway which is overlooked and at times ignored. The condition of this passageway plays and important role in an individuals quality of life and longevity. It is the gateway that guards us from invaders, which may lead to disease and eventual death.

So where is this thirty-foot tract found? It is found in the abdomen region of every human called the intestinal tract. In Eastern medical practice the condition or health of the intestinal tract is extremely important. Ayurvedic medicine, which dates back some 5,000 years places great importance on cleansing and detoxifying the intestinal tract.

A therapy called Shodan, is used to rid the body of toxins and aid in healing and restoring health. Ayurvedic medicine views toxins as the root cause of all disease and they are believed to stem from undigested and unabsorbed food, which builds up on the walls of the large intestine or colon and become breeding ground for bacteria and parasites.

In Western medicine many of the antibiotics which some experts believe are over used to treat infection and rid the body of bacteria, may actually weaken intestinal health and compromise our bodies natural healing powers. Dr. Mark Pochapin director of Gastrointestinal Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital was quoted as saying, "Indiscriminate killing of good and bad bacteria is too drastic." Pochapin further stated that "In fact some doctors point to reduced bacterial counts in the intestines for the upsurge in intestinal dis-orders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn's Disease." It's time for East to meet West and to develop a system of health where its foundations are built on prevention rather than repair.

The intestinal tract transforms the foods we eat into macro (protein, carbohydrate and fats) and micro (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemical and fiber) nutrients, which provide the building blocks for cellular repair and energy for life. The intestines also remove the by products of waste and toxins from the transformed food which if allowed to remain in our system could lead to disease and possible death. The three functions of the intestinal tract are digestion, absorption and elimination.

The first twenty-five feet of the intestines called the small intestine consists of three parts the duodenum, ileum and jejunum, together they perform the function of digestion and absorption. The cells in the wall of the small intestine called the mucosa, secrete mucus, peptidase, maltase, lactase, lipase , along with the enzymes and digestive bile secreated from the liver, pancreas and gallbladder to digest food, and make it available to be absorbed through the small intestine walls to enter the blood to be used by all cells.

The last five feet of the intestines, the large intestine or colon consists of five parts the cecum colon, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon, which completes the function of absorption of certain vitamins, minerals and water. The colon then performs the function of formation and elimination of feces consisting of nutrient void food, along with toxins that are the bi-products of chemical digestion.

Unlike the small intestines the mucosa cells in the walls of the large intestine produce only mucus, which protect the cells from the toxins in the waste material as it passes by. It takes three to ten hours for the partially digested food called chyme to pass through the small intestine and enter into the large intestine. The transit time of waste material in the large intestine can be hours or days. It is this extended period of digestion, absorption and elimination that provides the battle ground for bacterial microorganisms, to play a major role in keeping our defense mechanisms free of disease . We don't catch disease, we create them when our natural defense mechanisms are broken down.

What are your first thoughts when you think of bacteria? Is it good or bad? If your thinking of the kitchen counter or toilet seat your anti-bacterial conditioning will have you saying it's bad. However when it comes to your intestinal health the correct answer is both.

We need good bacteria to digest food, synthesize vitamins and minerals, clean up toxins and dead cells and compete with the bad bacteria for nutrients. The bad bacteria are pathogenic and disease causing. They attempt to overtake our immune system and compete for the same nutrients that bring life to our bodies.

It's time to open your eyes and understand the intestinal world of friendly or harmful bacteria. The lyric's in Dave Mason's hit song say, "There ain't no good guys, there ain't no bad guys, there's only you and me and we just disagree." I hope you and I agree on this, he was not singing about your intestinal tract.

There is a war taking place in our intestinal tracts between the good guys (good bacteria) verses the bad guys (bad bacteria) each day. Dr. Todd Klaenbaner, professor at North Carolina State University and recognized expert in intestinal bacterial flora states "The number of bacterial cells found in the intestinal tract outnumbers the human cells ten to one. He estimates there are five hundred strains of bacteria in the human intestinal tract. The good news Dr. Klaenbaner says, "Is the good bacteria outnumber the bad bacteria, good 80% -bad 20% in individuals experiencing good health. The bad news the ratio's can be reversed bad 80% - good 20% in patients experiencing intestinal disturbances."

Dr Mark Pimentel assistant director of gastrointestinal motility program at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center reports that 78 % of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients in their study have overgrowth of bad bacteria in small intestine. This study suggests that (IBS), a chronic condition which plagues an estimated 20 % of adult population, may be caused by too much bad bacteria in small intestine.

The educator's from the Global College of Natural Medicine (G.C.N.M.) report that recent medical studies have estimated that 85% of the North American adult population is infected with at least one form of a parasite. Built up fecal material on the colon walls provides the ideal birthing ground for parasites.

A GCNM course on Toxicity and Detoxification reveal that humans can play host to more than 100 different kinds of parasites. Parasites, which are organisms that feed, grow and live off a host, can be microscopic or can grow as large as several feet. Parasites are found mostly in the large intestine, but they try to permeate the intestinal wall and migrate to other parts of the body.

The most common source of infections from parasites are under-cooked meats, unwashed fruits and vegetables, time spent in third-world countries, contaminated water and infection by mosquitoes. The most common occurring parasites in the United States are round worm, hookworm, pinworm and tapeworm. Parasites can devastate our health in the following ways:

1. They weaken the immune system. 2. They prevent the proper absorption of macro and micro nutrition of foods eaten. 3. They cause inflammation, and irritation to all tissues. 4. They produce toxic waste which are absorbed into the blood system. 5. They perforate and damage the intestinal wall lining, as they try to work their way to other regions in the body. 6. They can cause intestinal and pancreatic bile duct obstruction.

What is the best offense to defend us from these invading mutants? A nutritional lifestyle that will naturally keep the intestinal tract (spic and span), using nutritional sponges and scrubbing pads found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods are an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and rich in fiber. Add to this microbe fighting powerhouse three things: ORGANIC, ORGANIC, ORGANIC.

Learn to use only organic whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which are void of pesticides. Pesticides might make economical sense to farming, but can bankrupt our intestinal environment. To maintain good intestinal health our bodies require thirty or more grams of fiber daily. Fiber is divided into two types soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is vital in formation of stools and decreases the time that waste is eliminated from our system. Poor transit time of waste material increases the feeding time for bad bacteria and increase risk of certain colon cancers. Insoluble fibers prevent the buildup of mucus and fecal material on intestinal walls which lead to poor absorption of nutrients into the body, which in turn can lead to deficiencies such anemia or osteoporosis.

In addition soluble fiber act's to absorb digestive bile, which is made from cholesterol, so when eliminated causes more cholesterol to be converted to digestive bile, which lowers blood cholesterol (LDL)levels. n

The knowledge to bring healing and prevent disease by maintaining intestinal health is thousands of years old. Greek and Roman writings 2,000 years old, describe fermented milk (lactobacillus), garlic and onion (which feed Bifidobacteria) as standard practices for physicians treating intestinal disorders and preventing sickness and disease. Indian writings called the Vedas, 5,000 years old describes the use of enemas' for intestinal cleansing.

The modern science of Microbiology, has taken this knowledge and elevated it from "abracadabra," and expanded our knowledge and documented its effect on intestinal well-ness. Pro biotic, pre biotic and symbiotic, are the latest cutting edge use of these ancient healing techniques.

Pro biotic - comes from the Greek, and means pro life, it is administered by eating live bacterial organisms. Pro biotic bacteria not only survives digestion, but aides in digestion. The most numerous of the pro biotic bacteria are Lactobacillus, Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, however there are hundreds of others strains.

The best food source of these bacteria are yogurt or kefir, but they can also be taken in liquid, powder, capsule or pill forms as well. Look for organic yogurt (made without the use of antibiotics and toxic pesticides), and that the label certifies it contains live active cultures like Lactobacillus (L) Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei and L. Reuteri.

The challenge is for the bacteria to survive the hostile gastric juice environment of the stomach, on its way to the small intestines to add too the colony of existing bacteria and become food for future bacteria. Researchers at Tufts University discovered that a strain of Lactobacillus GG (LGG), stood out from over 1,000 different strains analyzed for its ability to survive the stomach's gastric juices, hydrochloric acid and pepsin.

Pre biotic - are non- digestible fiber foods that act as a host to feed and promote bacterial colonies, most notably bifidobacteria, mainly in the large intestine. The formation of short chain fatty acids from these fiber foods not only feed the good bacteria, but also the muscosa cells in the colon wall. Pre biotic's play a role in the muscosa cells ability to absorb the minerals calcium, magnesium and iron, along with the vitamins niacin, folic acid , B-6 and vitami
K. Pro biotic foods contain the phytochemicals, inulin and oligosaccharids, and are found in garlic, onions, asparagus, artichokes, chicory, bananas, wheat , barley, and rye.

It is estimated that American eat less than 3 grams daily of these foods, far less what is needed for optimum intestinal health.

Symbiotic - is the combining of both pro biotic and pre biotic in the same product. A good example are the latest yogurt's that contain live active cultures (pro biotic) and add inulin (pre biotic). This makes for a winning combination to add too the number of good bacteria both in the small intestine (lactobacillus) and large intestine (bifidobacteria).

Autointoxication is self-poisoning caused by bad bacteria, metabolic wastes and others toxins produced within the large intestine. It originates in an unhealthy colon, and often results in constipation. What steps can be taken to maintain optimum intestinal health? A detoxification program is a good start , those with extremely weak immune system should use caution.

Eat a diet of organic whole grains, fruits and vegetables, with daily fiber consisting of 30 grams of both soluble and insoluble. Incorporate a daily routine of both pro and pre biotic foods. Drink 8-10 glasses of bottled water to assist the elimination process. A lifestyle of 3-4 hour of exercise weekly will aid in mechanical digestion and reduce transit time of waste elimination. Avoid all processed foods, white flour, simple sugars and alcohol, they are the food of choice for bad bacteria. Avoid eating beef and poultry that are raised on antibiotics. Almost half of all antibiotics used in U.S. each year are given to livestock. The doses are low and designed to prevent infection and increase growth. Be aware that continued use of aspirin or drugs like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or oral contraceptives deplete the good bacteria. Flatulence and abdominal bloating my occur in the initial stage of introducing foods that are pro and pre biotic, this is the result of the breakdown of unfriendly bacteria and the fermentation of the friendly bacteria. If it becomes too unpleasant introduce these foods slowly to your daily routine. Taking a digestive enzyme is helpful when increasing fiber to a minimum of 30 grams daily, especially if you have been consuming like most American 10 grams or less daily.

In closing, I'm reminded of a meeting I once had with a couple on the techniques of good nutrition. They had brought their son Jarred, who at the time was four years old. During the meeting he interrupted and said "Charlie why is there bad?" I looked into his eyes and said "Good always takes care of bad, always keep your eyes on good and you won't have to be conce
ed about bad." That same truth could not be more true, when it comes to our intestinal health. Develop a lifestyle committed to organic whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Avoid the overuse of antibiotics and keep the immune system in peak performance maintaining the good bacterial flora that brings life and health and lowering the bad bacterial flora which can lead to illness and even death.