Digestion, Part 2

According to the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, "more than 70 million people suffer from digestive disorders that interfere with their work and their lives." You may be one of the people experiencing digestive issues, but have never really learned what might be causing them. Or, you may be one of the lucky ones who do not have any digestive difficulties at all. In either case, knowledge is power, and I hope to provide information that may put you on a path to getting and/or staying healthy.


Many people in the natural health field believe that most digestive disorders are connected and are simply different manifestations of the same problem, namely toxic overload. Toxic overload can mean intestinal invaders or microorganisms in your digestive tract. These invaders can be infections; parasites; or toxins and fungi from our air, food, and water supplies. They can begin to cause imbalances in our intestinal flora and these imbalances may be made worse by chronic stress, a diet high in refinded flours and sugars, and the use of antibiotics and other medication which may open the door for yeast problems.


Doug Kaufmann, host of the television program Know the Cause and author of "The Fungus Link" book series, believes all digestive disorders, as well as many inflammatory ailments such as arthritis and fibromyalgia are the result of fungi that get into our bodies through food and, left unchecked, wreak havoc on our organs and body systems. Further, Dr. Valerie Saxion reported on her television show, Alternative Health, that 944 million people worldwide had parasites in the 1940's....how many must it be today?! In addition, Dr. Oz claimed on The Oprah Show that "90% of Americans will have a problem with parasites in their lifetime."


Toxic overload can also mean there is old fecal matter that has been backed up in the body for years, all the while becoming more and more toxic and poisonous. It may simply be time to get the crud out! Think about this....our bodies tell us when something is wrong, whether through constipation, diarrhea, or an upset stomach. For instance, Dr. Richard Schulz, one of the foremost authorities on natural healing in the world, explains that "diarrhea is a natural protective function of your body. It is a resonse to intestinal poisoning...when your immune sensors in your intestinal tract detect harmful toxic bacteria or microorganisms, they immediately force your bowel to evacuate all its contents before the water is removed, while your feces is still in liquid form."

As a first step to healing digestive disorders, many natural practitioners recommend doing some type of cleanse or detox several times a year to ride the body of potential toxins as this may help the digestive system. These general cleanses as well as targeted cleanses meant to detoxify the bowel, liver, or kidneys, can be found at any health shop, natural food store, or on-line. Many of these cleansing products contain specific herbs and other natural ingredients that assist the body in removing old waste products, parasites, yeasts, and other toxins.

The "bottom" line is that some digestive disorders may be healed just by eliminating old trash and intestinal pests! You may have just found a new definition for spring cleaning this year.