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Dear Doctor: I’ve
had digestion problems for a long time.
What can I do? L.L., Billings
Dear L.L.
Occasional digestive
problems are commonplace for many people.
Symptoms such as: heartburn,
indigestion, gas, bloating, fatigue, diarrhea and constipation can be very
uncomfortable at times. But, if these issues occur more than just
“occasionally”, it may be worth it, health-wise, to investigate and deal
with the cause of the discomfort itself, rather than use short term symptom
relief measures. Whenever our body
communicates an uncomfortable sensation to us, there is a reason for it,
and our body is trying to get us to pay attention and fix the problem. So when those digestive issues arise,
they provide us with information that something needs attention. When it comes to overall digestion, a
healthy digestive system is crucial for all our body functions, since what
we eat literally becomes our body.
Therefore our food intake, and how it is digested and absorbed, is
important to our overall health and well-being.
The digestion process
itself is amazing. If we think of
our digestive system as a unit, it is very simply, a tube that runs through
the center of our body, from top to bottom.
Everything that will eventually become part of us travels through
this tube and much of it is absorbed.
Just as the skin serves a protective function for us on the outside,
our digestive tract must be prepared to provide us with protection from
external harm as well, since it is the interface between our inner selves and
the outside environment. The
intricate workings of the body can be appreciated when we think of our body
as being able to ingest food, break it down into tiny components and select
from it the specific elements that are needed and can be used, and then
allow for the disposal of the remainder.
What is especially amazing is that this process, for the most part,
is accomplished without our conscious awareness.
Since our health
depends upon the quality, quantity and variety of the food we eat (to meet our
nutritional needs) as well as how our body processes and absorbs what we
need from our diet, let’s examine how our digestive system works. Let’s use an example of eating an apple
with peanut butter on it, and follow the process…
Even before we smear peanut
butter on our apple, our body is already swinging into action. With just the thought of food, our brain
starts the digestive juices flowing.
With our first bite, digestion starts in the mouth with an enzyme
called amylase, contained in our saliva that begins to digest the starches
contained in the apple as chewing begins.
Once the bite of
apple and peanut butter is chewed, it is swallowed and travels down the
esophagus to the stomach. The
stomach secretes hydrochloric acid and pepsin, which begin to break down
the proteins in our food. The bits
of our apple and peanut butter snack are churned and mixed with these
stomach acids before it is emptied into the duodenum, the first part of the
small intestine. In the small
intestine, our apple/peanut butter mixture (now called chyme)
mixes with several enzymes from the pancreas, along with bile from the
liver/gallbladder. As an example;
lipases and proteases are a few pancreatic enzymes that help to break down
the fats (into fatty acids and glycerols) and
proteins (into amino acids) from the peanut butter so they can be absorbed
into the body from the small intestine.
These nutrients are then in a usable form for our cells.
The majority of
absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine, which is about
20 feet long. Microvilli
located in the small intestine expand the surface area available for
absorption to be comparable to the surface area of two tennis courts! As the chyme
passes through the small intestine, nutrients are then absorbed into the
blood and then pass to the liver for processing. Most of the fats get absorbed directly
into the lymph system. Then the
final remnants of the chyme enter the large
intestine (which is about 5 feet long).
The large intestine absorbs excess water and electrolytes from the chyme, and temporarily “stores” what is left of our
apple and peanut butter until it is eliminated in the stool. With optimum digestion, a minimum
of one stool per day is necessary to rid the body of waste material.
Thus, as a result of
eating our apple and peanut butter, we’ve gained energy we can then use
from the carbohydrates. Also, amino
acids from the proteins may be used for muscles, hormones or even to
provide material to grow our hair.
The fat from the peanut butter may have gone to become part of a
cell membrane to help protect that cell from harm, or it may become stored
energy to be used as future fuel for the body.
Since we literally
are what we eat, the question arises of how to recognize if our digestion
is not optimal, and what to do about it.
Of course, if you are experiencing digestive issues, always
consult a qualified health care provider, to make sure that it is not a
serious health condition that requires attention.
Optimum Digestion
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Ideally, we would start with healthy, fresh, organic foods. Pesticides and herbicides are not
components of a healthy diet. The
quality of food we eat directly relates to the quality of our tissues.
·
Minimize sugar, alcohol and refined foods in the diet.
·
For most people, a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, including
fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy sources of protein and
unsaturated fats provide the nutrients that your body needs.
·
An easy guideline for most to follow is to divide your plate into
quarters: One quarter of the plate
should be a protein (such as chicken or fish), one quarter starch (such as
a grain like rice), and one-half the plate should be vegetables.
·
An ideal intake is to aim for at least 5-9 servings of vegetables
and fruit per day. Ideally, fruits
are best taken as snacks, between meals.
·
Drink plenty of water, but drink it between meals, rather than with
a meal, so you won’t dampen the digestive fires.
In this first
article, we’ve examined some components of optimum digestion. In the following article, we’ll discuss
some Naturopathic approaches to common digestion symptoms. Stay tuned!
Yellowstone Naturopathic
Clinic
720 N. 30th St.
Billings, MT 59101
PHONE 406·259·5096/FAX 406·248·5655
ync@180com.net
Dispensary
406·254·9682
dispensary@yncnaturally.com
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