The Three-Legged Stool for Digestive Health

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The Three-legged Stool for Digestive Health

 

 

 

Submitted by Greg Arnold, July 30, 2003, Abstracted from “The keys to digestive

health” from Taste for Life Magazine, July 2003

 

Our digestive tract is the cornerstone of our immune system. It is where the

food we eat gets absorbed and where harmful bacteria and viruses can enter our

body to cause disease. When our digestive system is dysfunctional, our health

suffers.

 

Unfortunately, the American diet does little to help support intestinal health.

From our ingestion of processed/refined foods to our consumption of sugar-laden

colas to the intestinal bleeding caused by our compulsive use of non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs (1), our digestive tracts are being broken down, opening

the door for infection, malabsorption, and disease.

 

The recipe for successful digestive health and function can be described as a

three-legged stool, where each component/leg of the stool cannot be beneficial

without the other two. The three legs of this digestive triad are (1)

Probiotics, (2) Enzymes, and (3) Bitter Tonics.

 

The basis for any health digestive tract lies in the population of healthy

bacteria. Probiotics are the “Good” bacteria that provide support to optimal

digestive function. Examples of probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus

(found in organic yogurt) and Bifidobacterium, populate our digestive tracts and

prevent harmful yeast, bacteria and viruses from gaining entry into our

bloodstream during food absorption.

 

Just as important as what happens in the intestines, what happens in our stomach

also plays a large part in the health of our intestines. As we age, our

digestive enzymes lose their ability to break down food into digestible forms

(i.e. proteins into amino acids).

 

If we lack the enzymes to digest our food properly, our intestines suffer an

inflammatory reaction in our body called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” and have

detrimental effects on our health. Digestive enzymes such as proteases (for

protein digestion), lipases (for fat digestion), and amylases (for carbohydrate

digestion) can be supplemented into our diets to aid in digestion.

 

Finally, there are bitter tonics. Bitter tonics aid digestion by increasing

stomach acid before a meal. As a result, bitter tonics are best sipped slowly 15

minutes before a meal instead of taken as tablets for they bypass the taste buds

and lose efficacy. One example of a well-known bitter tonic is Gentian.

 

As a supplement, the following herbs also aid digestion and improve

gastrointestinal health:

 

ALOE VERA: acts as a digestive tract cleanser and decreases stomach inflammation

ASTRALALUS: Promotes better absorption of nutrients

GINGER: Taken as a tea, it helps soothe digestive tract irritation

L-GLUTAMINE: Protects the mucous lining of the intestines and helps in Leaky Gut

syndrome

TUMERIC: Used for heartburn and stomach irritation

http://nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail & item_id=13477

 

Reference:

Bloom BS. Risk and cost of gastrointestinal side effects associated with

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Archives of Internal Medicine

1989;149:1019-22

_________________

 

 

 

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 1:41 pm Post subject: IBS: A Growing Problem, But

One With a Solution

 

IBS: A Growing Problem, But One With a Solution

 

 

 

Submitted by Greg Arnold, October 6, 2003, Abstracted from “Managing Gut

Reactions” in Taste For Life Magazine, October 2003 issue, p. 12

 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common benign disorder of the

digestive system. IBS is a functional disorder, meaning nothing is visibly wrong

with the colon or any other underlying illnesses causing the symptoms. In people

with IBS, the gut signals going back and forth to the brain are not acting

properly, but there is no visible disease or illness other than this functional

problem (1).

 

Although 13 of 16 studies demonstrated prescription drug efficacy with

significant improvements in pain (2), there is no need to rely on expensive

prescription drugs more than Americans already do, spending $192 billion on

prescription drugs in 2002, an increase from $110 billion since 1992 (3)

 

As is usually the case, there are healthy alternatives to prescription drugs

when it comes to your digestive health:

 

ALOE VERA JUICE. When taken with meals, aloe vera juice or gel (sold as a

digestive aid) helps repair and soothe the digestive tract.

PEPPERMINT. Taken 15 to 30 minutes before eating as an enteric-coated tablet,

this herb can also help IBS symptoms.

CHAMOMILLE TEA acts as a potent muscle relaxer/anti-spasmodic.

GINGER, LEMON BALM all provide soothing effects of IBS, mostly due to their

anti-inflammatory effects.

If you try the proposed treatments but still find no relief, you should take a

good look at the foods you eat. You may have an unknown allergy, such as gluten,

which has started to be implicated in celiac disease (4), a digestive disorder

more serious than IBS.

 

References:

1. Aviera AJ. Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. American Family Physician

2002; 66:1867-74

2. Jailwala. Pharmacologic treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome: a

systematic review of randomized, controlled trials. Annals of Internal Medicine

2000;133:136-47

3. Public Citizen Website “Pharmarceutical Companies Rank As Most Profitable

Industry, Again. www.citizen.org/documents/fortune500_2002report.PDF

4. Hill I. The prevalence of celiac disease in at-risk groups of children in the

United States. The Journal of Pediatrics 2000; 136(1): 86-90

 

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