The Link Between Chronic Disease and Digestion
INSIDE: If you’re suffering from chronic disease, I can almost assure you, there are digestive issues at play. Let’s look at the link between chronic disease and digestion, and what we can do about it.
You may be wondering why it seems that I’m hung up on talking about digestion so much. But so many people have come into my practice with digestive issues – even I have had them from time to time. It’s a very complex part of the body and what’s even more complex is how to keep it all in balance.
How Our Digestion Gets Inhibited
There are so many ways for the digestive system to get out of balance. Let’s look at some of the most common ways…
Toxins
Many times, the delicate balance of the digestive tract can be unfavorably altered by toxins that include antibiotics, chlorine, fluoride, food additives, preservatives, caffeine, and too many hard-to-digest foods (fried foods, dairy etc).
Yeast
Many conditions in the digestive tract are either caused by – or contribute to – the overgrowth of yeast and a deficiency of beneficial intestinal flora. Yeast thrives on sugar, coffee, and refined carbs, displacing the beneficial intestine flora that help us digest our food.
Refined Carbs
Moreover, the refined carbs either stick to the sides of the intestines like glue or induce a bodily response to create mucous (ever find your stool has stringy mucous?) which adheres to the intestinal wall. This impedes the smooth rhythmical movement of the musculature along the entire intestinal tract (peristalsis).
Stress
This probably isn’t news to you, but a major contributor to poor digestion is stress—after all, the gut is known as the second brain. Even a small shift can decrease its production of digestive enzymes (including hydrochloric acid, which is necessary for digesting protein).
In the cycle, poor digestion further creates an unfavorable terrain for pathogenic microbes. Poor digestion means poor elimination, causing gas, and in some cases, inflammation and severe infections that lead to irritation of the colon and other disorders.
In chronic disease, the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system runs all the time and the parasympathetic (eat and sleep) system is effectively shut down. Since the parasympathetic system controls the gut, we stop making enzymes so that even with a great diet, we aren’t able to digest our foods.
How Leaky Gut Syndrome Occurs
The function of the large intestine is to extract water from the digestive sludge, which is one reason to drink a lot of water. When we are stressed, the blood supply of the gut is diverted to the muscles so we can run or fight more effectively.
Because of this, the large intestine’s ability to extract water is reduced and the lining of the gut becomes covered with a greasy sludge, like an oil filter.
This causes the gut lining to become inflamed, allowing large molecular-weight proteins to be reabsorbed into the blood. These cause allergies and the body makes attempts to excrete them through the sinuses.
This situation is known as leaky gut syndrome. Under these conditions, the body invites intestinal parasites and certain yeast (Candida) to help because each of them likes to “eat” the tarry sludge that lines the gut.
How to Beat Chronic Disease Through the Digestive System
Returning to health with chronic disease occurs when we reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system to normal, which, in turn, allows the parasympathetic system to return to normal.
Once this occurs, the microbes will leave what is now a hostile environment. Sure, you can kill worms and Candida, but they will come back until you get the gut working again.
Final Thoughts
Chronic disease and digestion go together like peanut butter and jelly. But when the digestive system is optimally balanced, chronic disease tends to take a walk.
Unfortunately, getting your digestive system back on track is almost impossible on your own. But it most certainly can be done. Contact me for a free consultation and let’s get you back to your healthiest self again!
