Digestion is a complicated, multi-step process. When things start going wrong with gas, bloating, acid reflux, diarrhea, constipation, or other issues, it can be hard to know how to resolve digestive issues. And then there is misinformation about herbal medicine, foods and other “cures” that may help some parts of digestion, but not others. Let’s look at the process like a linear line from start to finish, similar to a car production line. You will then see how certain foods and nutrition can help or hurt the process.
Digestion is a complicated, multi-step process. When things start going wrong with gas, bloating, acid reflux, diarrhea, constipation, or other issues, it can be hard to know how to resolve digestive issues. And then there is misinformation about herbal medicine, foods and other “cures” that may help some parts of digestion, but not others. Let’s look at the process like a linear line from start to finish, similar to a car production line. You will then see how certain foods and nutrition can help or hurt the process.
I have had digestive issues for about 15 years now. I have studied at length, and feel like I may be able to serve others. If you want help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or by phone.
I may be help you with gas and bloating, IBS, constipation, eating a better fiber, digesting better through various methods, adding good bacteria and enzymes, and much more. Say “no” to having any more digestive issues!
Abdominal pain can be difficult to diagnose even by doctors. In cases of abdominal pain, I may refer people to their doctor first to make sure a person’s pain is not a more serious medical issue.
Taking Herbal Bitters for Better Digestion:
Some people take bitter herbs in the form of bitters or bitter drinks to help start this process, especially in Europe. These are even commonly used in alcoholic beverages.
Our Tongue Starts Digestion:
When we take that first bite, our tongue tells the stomach what it’s about to send down. The stomach prepares the right mix of juices for the type of food.
The mouth is lined with a wet lining called mucous membrane that goes all the way through us, causing some people to liken us to a big donut with an external hole in the middle of us.
And we have immune function all around our throat and neck, near this big opening to the outside world.
If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
Stomach Acid is Good:
Stomach acid kills off any possible bad bacteria that has come into the body. It helps us break down foods into usable form, getting the food ready for absorption in the small intestine.
Some people have a bacterial infection at the top of the stomach, where it meets the esophagus – an ulcer. People used to think it was food irritating things. Now we know (from a pair of researchers who gave themselves an ulcer, cured themselves, and then won the Nobel Prize for it) that it is a bacterial infection that causes irritation to this area. We know that it can be cured with simple antibiotics.
Do you need help you figure out food allergies that may be causing GERD or acid reflux? If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
Other people may have a form of infection here that leaves bare patches in their stomach lining. These can also be painful when hit with stomach acid.
Other people apparently have bacteria hiding under a layer called “biofilm.”
When people eat fermented foods, these are already partially broken down by the fermentation, higher in vitamins, and easy to digest. They also provide good bacteria to add to the colon.
So the stomach is acid for a beneficial purpose, to help break the food down into smaller bits before the next step in the line, the small intestine.
If you want help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or by phone.
How Important is Eating Wheat to You? Acid Blocker Medications or Proton Pump Inhibiters Lead to Wheat Intolerance!
And if someone has been given the Big Pharma “candy” of stomach acid blockers, called proton pump inhibiters or PPI’s, they may not have good stomach acid after that..possibly forever! They lead to long term changes in body function, possibly permanently. It is now known that using these products can lead to gluten intolerance, an inability to digest wheat. I have seen these on a huge pallet at a big box warehouse store – and it made me extremely mad.
If this stomach area is not acid enough, you can forget ever breaking down minerals for absorption. You could eat a lot and just not absorb any of it. Building bones with calcium? Building teeth? Trying to absorb other minerals? Forget it –
Taking In the Food Energy in the Small Intestine:
The next step (if all went well with the stomach’s acid break down) is the small intestine. The acid triggers a release of a “base” chemical to counter it from the gall bladder. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes to help break things down further.
Enzymes: What Are They?
People may need help here with digesting their food, and take supplemental enzymes to help break down their food. Enzymes are included in raw foods. I think of it as a key to unlock the food. Other people talk about them as catalysts. Some people think we have unlimited enzymes. Others think we may have a finite amount for our life. Cooking can destroy enzymes that help us digest food.
If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
Enzymes in Milk & Lactose Intolerance:
The biggest example of destroyed enzymes is pasteurized milk. In its raw form, cow’s milk comes with roughly five enzymes and higher vitamins than in pasteurized milk. Once cooked, it is harder to digest. All of those enzymes, and the live good bacteria in there, are destroyed. Our body then has to supply the enzymes. People who can’t digest dairy have a hard time. Some cultures don’t have a tradition of eating dairy, and also may have a harder time digesting it. (We tend to crave our food allergens.) And for others, they may start to have issues digesting dairy after middle age.
But back to the small intestine: Then there are small hairs on the small intestine walls, called villi, that have smaller and smaller hairs on them, that all increase surface area, and help us absorb the maximum amount of food in the smallest area.
If someone has celiac, a true reaction immune function reaction to wheat proteins, the wheat causes these hairs to get sheared off, meaning these people can’t absorb their food and vitamins. They can’t eat even atoms of wheat without reactions. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease, which means the body is thought to attack its own tissues.
If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
Some celiac tests involve a blood test. There are about fifty celiac markers, and the standard blood test checks for – wait for it – only three. Yeah, there’s a reason that in America it takes about a decade or more to be diagnosed with celiac, and only three weeks in Italy.
Other people can have wheat intolerance, meaning they react to wheat, but don’t have immune function reactions to it. They may get stools that switch from diarrhea and bloating, to constipation. (Hah! Fun times!) They many also get “allergic shiners” – they may look like they have black eyes under both eyes after eating wheat or other foods. It could show up as lethargy and confusion or excited, amped up behavior.
Some people end up with good bacteria in the small intestine, too high up for its own good. (It’s supposed to live in the large intestine at the end of the conveyer belt.) This can cause bloating when one eats certain foods, especially starchy carbs like tapioca, that can ferment, or even other fermented foods. This is called Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, or SIBO for short. One can go from normal to looking six months’ pregnant in a matter of minutes or hours. It can be very painful!
If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
What is Leaky Gut? What Causes It?
The small intestine should normally have tight joins between cells to keep these foods inside for absorption. But – alas – antibiotics, stress, lack of vitamin D, and thirty fun things in all can cause people to have gaps in these joins. If there are gaps, indigested foods can leak out of the small intestine into the blood stream, which causes food reactions, and can cause issues like a sort of drugging.
So the small intestine helps us really take in the energy from our foods.
The large intestine or colon is where the water from our meals gets reabsorbed back into the body, and stools are formed. Our good bacteria are meant to hang out mainly here, help direct our immune function, and help us absorb vitamins. In fact, without good bacteria, we would not be able to absorb any B vitamins from grains, or vitamin K (involved in clotting) from other foods.
How Many Good Bacteria Are There in the Digestive Tract?
There are so many good bacteria, it is believed that 4-6 pounds of them live inside us. The good bacteria cells are smaller than ours, and outnumber our body cells 10 to 1. That means that 90% of our cells are not us, and yet they are helping us do work in the body!
Good bacteria also coat the stools, helping them slide out of the body. So if someone has chronic constipation, they can add fermented foods along with liquids to their menu.
Count Your Fluid Intake for Better Digestion:
It can be helpful to count how many glasses of water or other hydrating liquids one has had in a day.
If someone drinks coffee, black or green tea, then you will need to drink one cup of water for each cup of those, just to reach an even point of balancing out their dehydrating effects.
Is Hard Fiber Good for the Gut and Digestive Tract?
People who eat a ton of hard grain fiber may think they are helping their body by cleaning it out. This has not been my experience. Lots of grain fiber can make stools much larger and drier. If things are already dry down there in colon-land, those dry granola bars can HURT as they move down slowly! Think about what it is doing to your soft mucosal lining! I can teach you about easier to digest fiber in foods.
If you would like a custom health plan and help with your digestive issues, please contact me via this email or call me: (970) 988-5413.
What Is the Appendix’s Role in Digestion?
The appendix hangs out where the small intestine meets the colon, or large intestine. People falsely think that this tiny sack does nothing. It holds the good bacteria inside the pouch in case a person gets a meal with something bad inside, and the body needs to wash out the small and large intestine (diarrhea). Then when the coast is clear, the appendix re-innoculates the large intestine with good bacteria.
Herbal Help for Digestion and Digestive Issues Like Gas, Bloating, Stomach Acid, Malabsorption and More
So – let’s talk about herbal medicine and digestive health. Not every herbal medicine is good for every person – it is individual. Please also beware of taking any herbs if you are on medications. Some herbs affect heart or blood pressure function. I can check any herbs against your medications for safety.
I may be help you with gas and bloating, IBS, constipation, eating a better fiber, digesting better through various methods, getting good bacteria and enzymes, and much more. Say “no” to having any more digestive issues!
If you would like a custom health plan for your health issues, please contact me via this email or call me at (970) 988-5413. I have offices in northern Colorado, and can see clients in the United States nationwide via phone.
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