Digestive Stress - and How to Correct It

[Guest guest]

Digestive Stress - and How to Correct It

by Kathryn Alexander D.Th.D

 

http://www.getalife.net.au/mag/digestivestress_html

 

I may be stating the obvious when I say " you are what you digest, not what

you eat " , and that the fabric of your body depends upon not only a quality

diet but a strong digestion. However, the irony is that we always search

beyond the obvious. We look to products to boost an ailing system,

forgetting that the product can only boost what's there, it won't rebuild it.

 

Many people today suffer from digestive problems, ranging from bloating,

flatulence and indigestion, to food allergies. The benefits of specific

dietary changes such as elimination diets, food combining, carbohydrate

restriction, or the high protein diet, are generally short-lived for as

soon as the normal diet is resumed, the symptoms return. Why? Because

nothing has been done to restore digestive function, to repair and heal the

digestive tract. The only achievement has been to remove the " offending

foods " . Invariably, this type of approach leads to deeper nutritional

deficiencies, and a more chronic onset of disease. Take this example.

 

A 53 year old lady saw me with chronic fatigue, food allergies and severe

muscular pain. Her past history included psoriasis, acne and sinusitis

since her teens, for which she took on-going medication (antibiotics and

the pill) until her late 20s. At 39 years she had a viral infection which

heralded the onset of CFS. The pains and stiffening in her muscles and

joints increased over the following years and she tried low salicylate and

gluten-free diets to try and alleviate the symptoms to little long-term

avail. Candida had been an intermittent symptom all her life and when she

finally saw me, she was suffering from fatigue, insomnia, irritable bowel

syndrome, pains and paralysis in her arms at night, along with stabbing,

colicky pains in her liver area.

 

The Damp Digestion

 

Most people wouldn't recognise that digestive deficiency is the main cause

of all these problems. The Chinese call it " dampness " . This means that the

processing of foods and the transformation of fluids does not occur

adequately. Think of the digestion like a washing machine. You put the

clothes in (food) and then the washing powder (digestive enzymes) and water

(digestive juices) are added and the program begins. If the machine is does

its job, then the clothes come out spun dry. If the digestion does its job,

then the nutrients are assimilated and the waste food is eliminated. So

what goes wrong?

 

The first signs of dampness are bloating and flatulence - insufficient

digestive enzymes leave undigested food which starts to ferment providing a

perfect environment for the growth of candida. Candida likes warm, damp

environments. It can even invade the body and take hold. Most people don't

know that our digestive enzymes also enter the blood stream and will vacuum

clean and destroy pathogens and partially digested foods that have escaped

from the gut.

 

When the dampness becomes more chronic, we may enter the phase of food

allergies. If you're not digesting your carbohydrates, you will not be

digesting your proteins or fats - as an under-functioning pancreas will

fail to secrete all the required enzymes in adequate amounts. Incompletely

digested proteins will lead to allergic reactions ranging from joint pain,

eczema, asthma and other immune responses. Dampness will also appear as

sinusitis, asthma or any condition of mucus accumulation. Parasites may

also be harboured at this level.

 

As the situation deteriorates, irritable bowel may become prominent.

Returning to our analogy of the washing machine, the clothes are no longer

spun dry, the digestion is weak and huge losses of nutrients occur. The

impact on the body will be a slow but sure gradual deterioration of tissue

integrity. Signs of chronic dampness are indicated in decrease of muscle

tone (hernias, prolapses, incontinence, wasting), the onset of muscle pain,

kidney weakness and blood deficiency which can lead to dizziness and fatigue.

 

 

How do we restore the digestion?

 

So an under-functioning digestion ultimately leads to an erosion of the

whole body. If not enough nutrients are assimilated to feed and repair the

body, then the body's general functions will decline. In my long

experience, when we turn to nutritional supplements to correct " deficiency

symptoms " , they fail to nourish the digestion back to life and the

situation worsens over a period of time until even the beneficial effects

of supplements wear off.

 

Repairing the digestion is dependent upon the type of diet and its method

of preparation. We take the convalescent approach, where easily digestible

foods are given as the first line treatment. The first rule is not to tax

an already impaired digestion, so we must take the burden from the system

and give foods that are readily digestible and assimilable, much like the

foods you offer to a baby, or an older person. These foods must be a

mixture of very well-cooked foods, and raw, living foods.

 

Reduce the " Damp-forming " foods

Returning to our theme of dampness in the system caused by the poor

digestion. The " damp " forming foods are obviously the ones that should be

removed. Most of you will be able to identify the main culprits - dairy and

wheat. But there are others - bananas, concentrated orange and tomato

juices, soy products, pork and rich meats, fats, bread, yeast, alcohol and

sugars.

 

 

Reduce the " Cold " foods

Then there are the " cold " foods which include all food and drink that is

taken cold or raw. An overload of damp and cold foods impairs the

digestion. The Chinese have an energy equation where they measure the net

amount of energy that is derived from a food after digestion. In other

words, you subtract the amount of energy the body uses to bring the food to

body temperature and digest it, from the total energy value of that food.

Warm and easily digestible foods obviously will come out on top - they will

deliver more net energy than cold, damp foods.

 

So the diet will rely heavily on vegetables cooked in their own juices and

ripe fruits (they will not tax the system), and cereal grains and legumes

for their energy and protein content. But the person with the poor

digestion may be unable to tolerate grains and legumes, so how do we adjust

to meet these requirements? We bring these foods down to a minimum (but

observe cooking techniques - see later) and bring the vegetables up to a

maximum - which means juicing. But isn't this increasing the content of

cold and raw? You are right, except when you juice you are actually

increasing the net energy of the food.

 

 

Include vegetable juices

Freshly prepared juices, strained so that there is no fibre, require very

little digestion. Not only this, if you use a juicer that does not destroy

the enzymes, and take the juice as soon as it is prepared (60% of enzymes

die within 30 minutes), then the nutrients contained within the living

enzymes are rapidly taken up by the body, particularly the sick tissues

which have already lost their capacity to recycle, retain and utilize

nutrients. These tissues are unable to reactivate their own enzyme systems

and so by default, they perpetuate a state of nutritional deficiency, even

if plied with chemical nutrients. However, nutrients in their living state

will support and replenish the enzyme systems of the cells until such a

point when the organs are sufficiently restored to take over their full

function. Nutrients fall out of their living state when the enzymes die or

are oxidized, and they are no longer as effective. Enzymes are only living

when taken in the raw state of the vegetable or fruit, not freeze-dried or

processed in any other way.

 

Observe Food Preparation/Cooking Techniques

Cooked foods, particularly the cereal grains and legumes, must be prepared

properly to maximize their nutritional value. They may form only a small

part of the diet; perhaps you will take an oat porridge for breakfast

daily, and include brown rice and legumes three times weekly. Protein

requirements can be made good through the volume of juicing and by taking

small amounts of yoghurt, already partially digested through bacterial

activity (sheep or goat is less damp-forming than cow's), preferably

unpasteurized and organic.

 

The food preparation techniques for the seeds (nuts, grains and legumes are

all seeds) are paramount to digestibility. It is the soaking, followed by

the semi-germinating of these products that enables maximum digestion and

absorption of nutrients. Soaking for at least 12 hours, inactivates phytic

acid (very high in soy products) which binds with, and leads to heavy

losses of dietary calcium, iron and zinc; while semi-germinating (rinse and

drain the soaked seed and place in a glass bowl covered with a damp cloth

for 12 hours) inactivates the enzyme inhibitors contained in all seeds.

These inhibitors, which stop the seed from germinating until conditions are

right, will inactivate your own digestive enzymes - hence the tremendous

digestive difficulties people may experience with these products. I would

recommend starting with lentils if your digestion is very poor.

 

So the diet is simple, it won't jam the system and it will allow the

digestion to restore. I use very few supplements, as if we can get the body

to unlock all the nutrients - both the discovered and undiscovered, in

their correct composition, mixture and quantity - then what better medicine

can you get. However, I do recommend digestive enzymes, and the poorer the

digestion, the more we take. There are many to choose from, both plant and

animal enzymes are available (the ones derived from animal sources tend to

be more effective). The basic rule of thumb is that you take as many as

required, that will alleviate digestive discomfort on this very simple

diet. Charcoal is quite good for alleviating the gas. You can take some

salads, as the digestion will allow, and remember, to take your juices

fresh, to help to eliminate gas build-up.

 

The End of the Journey – Digestion at Cell Level

 

The story does not here, for although the strength of our digestion and the

quality of our food governs our overall health and vitality, if the cells

cannot take up or “digest” the nutrients, then they will not repair or

renew. In my practice I have seen that for an increasing number of people,

following a good diet, correctly prepared for maximum digestion and

supported with digestive enzymes (if required), is insufficient in

resolving health problems. Indeed this type of diet can make them feel

worse. For example, there is a wave of people now diagnosed with

“hyper-insulinaemia” (too much insulin in the blood) where the symptoms

mimic those of low blood sugar (low or fluctuating energy, irritability,

weakness), with additional symptoms of congestion in the head, an inability

to think straight, and a brain like “ cotton wool”. All these symptoms

appear to be exacerbated after meals with a high carbohydrate content.

 

With a Western perspective it is tempting to ignore the big picture and

focus on the current symptoms. If there is too much insulin in the blood

stream, then cut out the carbohydrates and increase the protein - this is

indeed sufficient to mask the symptoms. However, if we apply an Eastern

perspective we begin to understand that we are still looking at a problem

of digestion, but digestion at cell level where the final stages of food

conversion, to body tissue and energy, is completed. In the Chinese

tradition, the function of the Spleen (the central organ of digestion, not

to be confused with the anatomical organ), governs the complete

“transformation and transportation” of food and fluids, from its digestion

in the gut, its transport to the tissues and its final uptake by the cells,

before conversion to energy and body tissues.

 

You can see that digestion at cell level becomes a critical issue. In this

context we can begin to review the function of the pancreas as an organ of

digestion both at gut and cellular level. The pancreas not only secretes

enzymes into the digestive tract but also secretes insulin into the blood

stream. Insulin governs digestion at cell level. Without insulin, we would

waste away; it is the key which unlocks the door of the cell and allows the

nutrients in - the sugar, protein and fats. If the lock is changed (insulin

receptor abnormal) or is inaccessible (covered by cholesterol), then the

door remains locked and the body may respond by producing more insulin. In

diabetes the opposite is true, but the end results are the same. A lack of

insulin, as in uncontrolled diabetes, ultimately leads to severe muscle

wasting.

 

Many people are facing this deepening crisis. In order to nutritionally

heal our cells must be able to take up nutrients that have been properly

processed by the gut and liver. Any number of problems can arise along the

way, but by reducing the dietary burden from the liver (specifically fats

and protein) and improving the digestibility of the diet, you can go a long

way to resolving these immediate problems. However, restoring the cells

when they are unable to take up nutrients is a different issue. Where there

are symptoms of obvious deficiencies (even when the diet seems adequate),

treatment has hinged on nutritional supplementation, but the failure of

many to respond to this treatment indicates problems either in the delivery

of nutrients or their uptake by the cells.

 

Digestion at cell level deals with two main issues, the capacity for

transport across the cell membrane of nutrients and waste, and the general

condition (pH and toxicity) of the internal cellular environment. Obviously

transport across the membrane becomes a major priority for the cell. The

cell membrane is an active, electrified sheet which acts as a transmitter

of chemical and electro-magnetic signals across its membrane which, in

turn, activate cellular structures inside the cell. It determines, through

its many specific gateways, the entry and exit of nutrients, oxygen and

waste products. The capacity of the membrane to maintain its electrical

state is determined by the type of fats that make up its structure. It is

the presence of the biologically active fats (such as the linoleic and

linolenic fatty acids found in seeds, grains and nuts) that have not been

destroyed by light, heat or processing, which maintains the electrical

integrity of the cell membrane. These oils, by virtue of their structure,

can store and conduct energy and attract oxygen into the cell, which is

critical for the oxidation, or burning of foods, to their end-state – ATP

production (energy) and the building of new tissue. Other fats such as the

saturated fats (butter, lard, dripping) and oils that have been subject to

heat and chemical processing are electrically inert, and at worst, toxic. A

diet that is high in saturated and damaged fats, and low in the essential

fatty acids, over a period of time is going to have adverse effects on the

integrity of the cell membrane. Cholesterol will also accumulate around the

membrane, covering many of the receptor sites for hormones such as insulin.

Gradually the membrane will become more inert, and toxic conditions will

build up within the cell.

 

In this toxic, acidic environment enzyme systems will become “disabled”,

they will lose their shape and their capacity to “hold” nutrients which is

essential for enzyme activity. The factory workers of the cell can no

longer process energy or manufacture goods. Digestion and processing is not

occurring.

 

Reversal becomes a long process, requiring both detoxification and

nutritional restoration at cell level. Furthermore, the body has its own

biological clock for tissue maintenance, so it will not happen overnight,

nor even in six months as we are talking about replacing old cells for new

within the body’s designated time-frame. In six months the impact on the

body may appear negligible, but in two years, the results may be

tremendous. Always remember the phrase when you sit down to eat, “what you

eat today, becomes the cells of tomorrow.”