Gastrointestinal Health

In our society, it’s hard to take what Confucius said seriously. Issues of digestive health may be the source of jokes, but they aren’t spoken of in polite society. We’ve avoided the subject for so long that very few people even think about intestinal health until there is a problem that can’t be ignored. By then, it’s all too often a deadly serious problem, and it becomes difficult to think of anything else. If you’ve experienced gastrointestinal disease, it’s much easier to comprehend where Confucius was coming from…. It’s not too late to realize the critical role our “gut” plays in maintaining our overall health, and learn what we can do to restore or promote its optimal function.

Did you know the “gut” is a major part of the immune system? The gastrointestinal system is highly underrated when it comes to the critical nature of its role in overall health, and the “G.I. tract” is much more than just a long hollow tube that processes food and eliminates waste. Within the lining of the intestine is the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue or GALT. The GALT, which is made up of lymphocytes, macrophages, lymph nodes and something called Peyer's Patches, can actually be considered the largest immune organ in the body – contributing heavily to 60-70% of immune function. The bottom line is that good gastrointestinal health is essential to good immune health, and good immune health is essential to overall good health.

Did you know that restoration of healthy gastrointestinal function will often require overall immune system rehabilitation? Just as gastrointestinal health is essential for good immune function, so reestablishing healthy immune system function is critical for correcting most GI problems. Many GI diseases begin with an infection of some kind, and subsequently develop an autoimmune component. The initial infection may not involve the gut at all, but antibiotics used to treat infection elsewhere in the body can seriously upset the balance of the GI tract in multiple ways. Antibiotics can’t distinguish between the “bad” bacteria that are making a person sick, and the “good” bacteria that perform many beneficial roles in the gastrointestinal tract. They kill the good and bad alike. When the good bacteria are killed off, overgrowth of the bad or pathogenic microorganisms, such as Candida (yeast) and E. coli, can cause a range of problems ranging from an annoying yeast infection to life-threatening illness.

The “gut” is working 24/7, accomplishing countless tasks necessary for good health. Among their many additional functions, the intestines 1) receive, process and absorb water and nutrients essential for life itself, 2) manufacture many vitamins (including B₁, B₂, B₁₂ and K), 3) break down food residues via beneficial bacteria, 4) keep disease-causing organisms in check with friendly bacteria, and 5) eliminate poisons, toxins and waste products.

Among many other problems, diarrhea leads to: 1) loss or malabsorption of nutrients necessary for cellular metabolism and the body’s ability to function, 2) mineral deficiency, and 3) dehydration, and its many related problems.

Constipation results in countless health problems. Well known ones include diverticulosis and hemorrhoids, but many others may result from the autointoxication caused by constipation. Simply stated, autointoxication occurs when the body reabsorbs too much of its own toxic waste. It is the outcome of an imbalanced diet and faulty bowel function, and is the root cause of many of today's disorders and illnesses. It can be life-threatening, especially if a person is on prescription or over-the-counter medications that have toxic potential.

The following are measures that have been tried and proven beneficial by many, including me.

Keep a record or journal of diet, symptoms and progress. Even a week-to-week notation of symptoms can be remarkably helpful. The more specific it is, the better you will be able to identify both progress and concerns.

Drink adequate pure water. The rule of thumb is half one’s body weight in pounds equals the number of ounces you should drink each day, but when there is a health challenge two-thirds the body weight in ounces is a better standard. (PLEASE NOTE: if a person has renal failure, low sodium levels, congestive heart failure or other fluid-related health problems – do not increase fluid intake without consulting your physician.) Adequate mineral supplementation is critical if using demineralized water (reverse osmosis, etc.).

Probiotics will be necessary to reestablish normal intestinal flora necessary for normal GI function. While there are good yogurt products that contain active culture of selected probiotics available in the market today, they often contain as much as 4-5 teaspoons of sugar per carton. You will achieve the intended goal and needed benefit much more quickly using a quality probiotic preparation. These are available in a variety of forms: capsules, softgels, liquids.

Choose "whole" foods (purchased in a form in which the food product can be recognized). Organic is almost always better, if feasible.

Consume adequate fiber. Eating plenty of fresh green vegetables, whole grains and fruits is important here, but severe inflammatory bowel disease of any kind may make this difficult initially. If this is the case, fiber-based nutritional supplements can be very helpful. My favorite fiber product is called Fiber4Life, produced by 4Life Research. It is an exceptional GI function modulator. It’s essential to take adequate fluid with it, but when used correctly, this product will (in my experience) support healthy GI function better than any other product available. If the gut will tolerate it, greens drinks such as Greens First by Doctors for Nutrition, can be very helpful. I often blend aloe vera juice, Greens First, Fiber4Life, crushed ice and/or frozen fruit into a great tasting shake. This can be individualized by choosing any combination of products that you like and that are beneficial for you. You will know your system better than anyone else.

An exceptionally beneficial product, especially for any form of inflammatory gut problem, is aloe vera juice. You may be familiar with its wonderfully soothing effects on burns, scrapes and other external irritations. It has the same amazing effect on an angry gut. Drinking a quality aloe vera juice enabled me to go from being curled up in a fetal position by the immobilizing pain of gastritis and colitis, to being able to be up and eating again. In addition to its soothing effects, it is also recognized to provide immune support and has general antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects. It assists the body’s detoxification processes by dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood and oxygen supply to the tissues. It also makes cells more permeable, allowing toxins to exit more easily.

Essential fatty acids are critical to restored tissue integrity. Among many other benefits, they support healthy cell membranes and capillary walls. These are absolutely essential for the restoration of a healthy lining of the intestines. This is important any intestinal disease, but is imperative when trying to reverse autoimmune problems such as Chron’s, or the loss of integrity seen in leaky gut syndrome.

Mineral supplementation will likely be needed. Many Americans are magnesium deficient. Essentially all those dealing with health challenges are mineral deficient. Chronic diarrhea causes low potassium and magnesium levels; probably all vitamins and minerals become deficient. Magnesium is involved in over 300 bodily functions; its deficiency contributes to many symptoms. Chelated minerals are more easily absorbed and used at the cellular level. Magnesium malate and orotate are just a couple of examples. These forms will be less likely to cause diarrhea. Colloidal minerals in suspension are also often very beneficial.

Overall Immune Health support is essential. - Since the gut plays such a critical role in immune health, it stands to reason that immune system support products will be important for restoration of GI health. Inflammatory bowel diseases usually have an autoimmune component, and all will involve problematic microbes. In my experience, transfer factor products are unparalleled in fostering much needed balance and effectiveness of immune system function. Transfer factors don't, in and of themselves, cure or prevent any disease. They do, however, provide immune intelligence necessary for the immune system to function effectively in restoring and maintaining good health. Such immune intelligence provides 1) a calming of overreaction that can result in the immune system’s attacking the body’s own tissues, 2) enhanced ability of the immune system’s ability to recognize threats {pathogens or abnormal cells}, and 3) enhanced ability to effectively deal with those recognized threats to health.

Identify food sensitivities and avoid those items at least until gut health is restored. Continued consumption of foods causing irritation will sabotage recovery. Wheat and dairy are the chief offenders. These sensitivities can develop at any stage of life. Citrus and corn are other frequent offenders. Keeping a dietary record of what’s eaten and when symptoms develop will really help on this count. A simple “pulse test” may be very helpful. This approach to identifying a wide variety of allergies was developed by Dr. Arthur F. Coca, MD, see www.vitaminlady.com/Articles/CocaPulseTest.asp or type “Coca Pulse Test” into your search engine. Here is an abbreviated and modified form of the test.

Once GI health is restored and immune function is stable, you can begin to reintroduce these foods slowly – one at a time. If there are those to which you continue to be sensitive, you can either avoid them, or seek desensitization through a health professional who provides this service.

Effective detoxification is essential. While making sure the gut is clean isn’t all that’s involved here, if constipation is a problem, it’s essential to address that issue. Inadequate fluid intake is the single greatest cause of constipation, and adequate pure water is the single most important detoxifier. Adequate fiber will also help here. A cup of hot prune juice with a pat of butter is a safe, gentle and amazingly effective laxative. Coffee enemas can facilitate both GI and liver detoxification. These would be worth considering, barring a contraindicating factor. If inflammation isn’t an issue, a quality GI Cleanse product may be considered. Other general detox considerations would include quality detox herbal teas and supplements, SAM-e, etc. Measures for improved lymphatic circulation would also be worthwhile.

Exercise to tolerance. Exercise is very important to normal GI motility. Walking is the best, but even exercise done lying on the bed can be very beneficial. My personal favorite is using a rebounder. By placing the rebounder near the bedpost, I was able to use this when I could hardly stand. Check out Scott Miners’ article “Bouncing for Health” at the following website: http://www.lightparty.com/Health/BouncingForHealth.html. Build your exercise up gradually, but start building!

Think positive thoughts, watch for the blessings and find ways to laugh! Laughter is actually exercise for the abdominal muscles and contents…causes the release of endorphins…and is absolutely good for the soul.

This is a work in progress. There are certainly other beneficial measures to take, but these should be a good start. Hope they help. J EE

(True for both food and information. J )

Avoid refined sugar. Sugar is like jet fuel for bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. Don’t look at it as depriving yourself, but as putting the enemy on a starvation diet!

Avoid processed foods and refined products. They contain few usable nutrients, but are loaded with chemicals that will increase the toxic load and further irritate the intestinal lining.

Avoid anything with aspartame or MSG. These are “excitotoxins” that enhance the perception of pain and cause a host of serious health problems. Check out these websites:

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/recent.html; http://www.truthinlabeling.com/

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