| If we were eating the right foods in the right way, we would not have
to rely on gallons of the pink stuff, scores of antacids or acid inhibitors,
or enormous amount of laxative medications. In other words, we need
chemicals to help us digest our food, assimilate its contents and
eliminate its waste byproducts. It is rather ironic that we have been
designed with magnificent digestive systems that far surpass the most
efficient machine ever created by man, but we still suffer from
mechanical breakdowns such as abdominal cramping, inordinate
amounts of gas, sluggish colons and an overall lousy feeling after
ingesting a meal. Red flags go up everywhere and many of us still
remain oblivious to possible problems. |
| Clearly, we are not eating the right foods. We consume an incredible
amount of soda, drugs, caffeine, and alcohol, which impede normal
digestive processes so that when we do eat, we suffer the
consequences. Adding stress and eating on the run creates a
combination of factors which can lead to heartburn and indigestion and
may develop into ulcers and colon disease. Simply stated, the process
of digestion includes chewing our food and combining it with saliva
which contains enzymes designed to begin breaking down starches.
Food then travels to the stomach, an expandable pouch which secretes
hydrochloric acid and other biochemicals designed to break down
proteins. In the stomach is where the food is broken down into a
mixture called chyme. The chyme then proceeds to the small intestine,
the scene of additional digestion, absorption and the transportation of
nutrients. Pancreatic and liver secretions are brought into this portion
of the intestine to augment the process. It is here that the majority of
nutrient absorption takes place. |
| Malabsorption results when part of the small intestine becomes impaired
as a result of disease, injury or infection. The pancreas supplies vital
enzymes which make the digestion and absorption of nutrients possible.
The large intestine or colon is responsible for the absorption of water
and electrolytes and provides a holding tank for waste storage until
elimination. This reservoir of waste provides the perfect habitat for
bacteria and can either serve to enhance our health or contribute to its
breakdown. (Its important to remember that not all bacteria are bad.)
Surprisingly, many of us suffer from a lack of both hydrochloric acid and
pancreatic enzymes, which causes us to poorly digest our food and
worse yet, to poorly assimilate its nutrients. In addition, our low-fiber
diets have created a veritable colon crisis where constipation and poor
elimination are the rule rather than the exception. |
