Digestive Issues (acid reflux, constipation and healing a leaky gut)

Transcription

1 Vaughn Lawrence Naturopath & Herbalist Digestive Issues (acid reflux, constipation and healing a leaky gut) I. WHY DO WE HAVE A DIGESTIVE CRISIS IN AMERICA? A. Industrialized, Processed Foods. When we eat God designed whole foods, it greatly reduces our chances of having common digestive complaints, unless we chronically over-eat. There is a fine synergy between how our bodies are designed and the food God designed for us to eat, and when God s design is altered, it disrupts this food. This makes it difficult for the body to recognize the traditional building blocks needed to function. Inevitably, the body will struggle to digest these processed foods. Through this processing, much of what we consider food today is actually very toxic to the human body, creating a breakdown in digestion leading to sickness and disease. It is important to notice a trend occurring. We are becoming weaker and weaker each generation and we see the seeds of illness spreading to younger and younger generations through poor digestion. B. Over-eating. Most Westernized cultures are used to eating an abundance of food, way more than needed for the average person. The portion sizes are out of control. We have food available 24-7 at every function, every meal and to satisfy every craving. Our over-indulgence and inability to practice self-control in the area of food has created an epidemic of digestive complaints and disorders. If you add in the fact that most food choices are void of nutrients, we have a dangerous situation of being over-fed, yet simultaneously undernourished. When we over-eat, you inhibit the body s ability to digest. Our body can only secrete so many digestive juices and enzymes at one time. When excessive amounts are consumed, a portion of the food remains undigested, resulting in gas, bloating, heartburn and fosters an environment for the growth of pathogenic organisms. C. Poor food combining. For optimal digestion, food combing principles can be applied with great success. People with digestive issues may need to follow these guidelines more closely than others. Here are three basic rules to consider: 1. Do not combine proteins and starches. (steak/potato, turkey sandwich, hamburgers/hot dogs on buns, etc.) 2. Eat fruit on an empty stomach 3. Non-starchy vegetables combine with everything D. Dehydration. In order for the body to function properly, especially the colon, an abundance of water is needed. It is important to understand that many beverage choices today such as sodas, coffee and many caffeinated teas cause dehydration. This is the main cause of constipation today. The type of water we consume is important as well. It must be clean and hydrating, containing minerals.

2 E. Stress. Stress is a concern because it causes the body to go into survival mode, thereby shutting down every other system in the body. This includes digestion. This explains why stress triggers ulcers. This explains why people get an upset stomach or butterflies when going into a nervous situation such as an important job interview. Stress can trigger many digestive complaints. F. Sedentary Lifestyles. Why do you walk your dog? For exercise and to make sure they eliminate outside and not in the house. Often the exercise stimulates the elimination. The body was designed to move, so we should get moving so that food is cycling properly through the body and not sitting. II. Hints for good digestion A. Remove the Burden. There are many tips and tricks to remove the digestive burden from the body. The body can spend 80% or more of its resources on digestion if we eat the wrong foods and over-eat. Here are some quick trips to remove the burden: - Eat lighter meals and don t eat until you re full. A good rule of thumb is to eat slowly and recognize when you feel like you may be about 80% full. Full does not mean uncomfortable and bloated, it means no longer hungry and feeling satisfied. - Eat home-made soups, broths and steamed veggies because these are easy to digest - Add in juice fasting when possible. You can try this one meal per day, one day per week or three days mothly. - Follow 80/20 rules. Eat 80% until full, leave 20% room for digestion. Eat 80% steamed or raw veggies and 20% other foods (meat, grains, beans, etc.) at each meal. Eat 80% raw, 20% cooked (can switch this if very weak and sensitive digestive tract or for seasonal changes such as winter). - Consider food combing B. Chew thoroughly. Ideally, we should chew each bite until completely liquefied. Our saliva secretes enzymes that can take care of the majority of our digestion before it even hits our stomach! Eat slowly and chew, chew, chew. C. Cleanse. Once or twice a year, clean out the pipes. Do some juice fasting, some enemas, some herbal cleanses or a combination of these strategies. D. Take your time, prepare your meals, take family time for meals. If you eat on the run, eat fast food and eat for convenience, you can t help but make poor quality choices resulting in digestive challenges. For future generations, our children need to learn how food is lovingly prepared at home as opposed to the fast food lifestyle we have created in America. E. Eat three meals daily. This is portion control. We feel like we need food in front of us constantly and we lose track of what and how much we are eating. What we are doing is satisfying every hint of hunger, thinking that our immediate satisfaction is always necessary. This never gives the body an opportunity to rest or catch up with digestion. However, there are some people that would benefit from having more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. This would include young, growing children, those with blood sugar imbalances, adrenal fatigue concerns and pregnancy. The majority of us should eat three meals a day.

3 III. SPECIFIC DIGESTIVE CONCERNS AND NATURAL REMEDIES A. Acid Reflux. Contrary to popular belief, indigestion is usually caused by low stomach acid also called hypochlorhydria and it affects up to half of our population. This occurs from our dietary choices that are hard to process. Two of the biggest culprits that are difficult to digest are over-eating meat (requires large amount of acid) and sugar (shuts down acid production and digestion). Over-the-counter digestive aids do not aid digestion in any way. The fact that antacids are the #1 selling drug on the market speaks volumes as to the severity of our digestive problems in America. What they do is dilute and offset stomach acid, neutralizing our digestive juices. So here is the double negative that occurs. We already have low stomach acid to begin with and then we further complicate the problem by completely stopping all digestion. This results in the following: - You become protein deficient - You become mineral deficient leading to osteoporosis and other deficiency conditions - Your adrenals, thyroid and other glands become weakened Natural approaches to correcting acid reflux 1. Proper food choices, food combining and other principles listed above 2. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar or Aloe Vera Juice before or with meals 3. Digestive Enzymes and/or HCL supplementation 4. Increase HCL production with digestive bitters and/or cayenne pepper B. Constipation. Constipation is a blockage in the intestinal tract. If your dog eats twice daily and goes to the bathroom twice daily, this should be a good indicator. Going once daily is the bare minimum, especially if you are eating three meals daily. If you are going every other day, or even every few days, there is a serious problem. Where is that food going? Auto-toxicity occurs in the cells, tissues and organs when waste material has no place to go, resulting in various illness conditions. These are a few causes of constipation: Pasteurized and processed dairy, especially cheese; dehydration, antibiotics, birth control pills, and steroids (these call kill healthy intestinal flora); over-eating meat; whey and soy protein isolate powders; prescription drugs, painkillers, blood pressure medication, aspirin (synthetics often cause constipation); food allergies; low thyroid (hypothyroidism); stress/anxiety; fried foods, refined and processed fats and oils; spine out of alignment; processed, refined flours; white rice; processed sugar

4 Natural approaches to correcting constipation 1. Look at the above list and begin to eliminate all unhealthy choices. 2. Consider cleansing through enemas or colonics, or a good herbal complete cleanse. 3. Look into the Squatty Potty or just use a foot stool for proper angle of elimination 4. Juicing and proper hydration 5. Fermented foods and other probiotics. Raw milk kefir can be especially beneficial for constipation. 6. Increase healthy fibers. Do not use psyllium if chronic constipation is an issue because it is too bulking. Good fiber choices are chia seeds, flax seeds, whole fruits (apples, berries, prunes, pears), vegetables and whole oats. 7. Herbs if necessary. Some herbs promote bowel movements (senna, cascara sagrada) and can be over-used like laxatives. Some are more gentle (triphala and aloe vera) and can be used more long-term. Some are healing and soothing to the intestinal tract, also called mucilaginous herbs (slippery elm, marshmallow). 8. Increasing minerals, especially magnesium. This is often a very great, simple choice for many. 9. Increase healthy fats for healthy lubrication (coconut oil, cod liver oil, olive oil, etc.) 10. Increase bile flow. Lack of bile can lead to constipation. Bile flow can be slowed from constipation, liver congestion and gallstones. Bile flow is assisted by bitter leafy greens like dandelion and mustard greens, digestive aids containing bile and HCL, digestive bitters, cod liver oil, carrot, apple and beet juice. C. Diarrhea. 1. Infection. If diarrhea comes suddenly, there is often an infection involved where the body is trying to push something out quickly. 2. Constipation. Sometimes people have alternating constipation and diarrhea due to the body being constipated for so long it literally purges out the system by means of diarrhea. 3. Breakdown in lining. When there is an irritation in the intestinal lining (IBS, Crohn s, ulcers, etc.) foods can irritate this sensitive lining and chronic long-term diarrhea is often the result. The goal is to heal the intestinal lining. Natural approaches to correcting diarrhea 1. Consider what can be triggering the problem (gluten, too much fiber or roughage, dairy, sugar, stress, etc.) 2. If infection is involved try oregano oil, garlic, etc. 3. Bentonite clay mixed with fiber will firm stools 4. Slippery elm and marshmallow to coat and soothe the intestinal lining 5. Minerals should be replaced that have been lost from constant diarrhea 6. Probiotics and/or fermented foods can often quickly firm up and create healthy bowel movements

5 IV. HOW TO HEAL A LEAKY GUT A. Leaky Gut Syndrome is mostly unrecognized by the medical community. This is unfortunate because it is linked to so many concerns such as food sensitivities, auto-immune conditions and chronic infections. A leaky gut develops when damage is done to the gut at such an extent that holes develop in the intestinal lining making it permeable to more than just nutrients. Normally the gut is VERY selective of what it allows into the body. Items that were once isolated to the intestinal tract are now leaking into the bloodstream, causing a cascade of negative reactions. Bigger molecules are now getting in and the body must react to these as foreign contaminants. These molecules can also get lodged in tissue, joints, organs, etc. Natural approaches to healing a leaky gut 1. Avoiding all toxic, man-made foods and common allergens. If you are having reactions to certain foods, you must eliminate those foods and cut out processed foods from the Standard American Diet as well. - Common allergens include wheat, sugar, dairy, soy, corn and nuts 2. Eliminate the burden from digestion through intermittent fasting, eating very small meals and not overeating 3. Healthy fats 4. Fermented foods and probiotics 5. Fresh vegetable juices V. 10 Keys to Healthy Digestion 1. Whole foods 2. 80/20 Principles 3. Juicing 4. Water 5. Fiber 6. Good Fats 7. Minerals 8. Fermented Foods/Probiotics 9. Digestive Enzymes 10. Exercise