Digestion: You May Need to Take a Close Look

Consisting of the gastrointestinal tract through which food passes, and a number of organs such as the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas, the digestive system is responsible for breaking down and delivering food from the moment it enters the mouth to when it leaves the body. At various steps along the way the release of enzymes and acid is timely and requires just the right environment to work correctly.

Digestion starts in the mouth when chewing breaks food down into more digestible chunks. The salivary glands release the enzyme salivary amylase to start the break down of carbohydrate. Swallowing food too soon will affect digestion in the stomach. When food reaches the stomach it mixes with hydrochloric acid and the enzyme, pepsin. This breaks proteins into smaller amino acids. A well- chewed meal will stay in the stomach for one to five hours; partially chewed food will sit in the stomach for longer often resulting in indigestion.

As food passes into the small intestine yet more enzymes are released, this time from the pancreas. For these enzymes to work the food needs a lower acidity level so a hormone is released to make the pancreas pour out a juice to neutralise the acid and make the chemical environment just right.

Simultaneously, the gall bladder releases bile to break down the fats.

There need to be just the right chemical mix for optimal digestion and absorption. Any deviation will result in symptoms, from allergies through to more serious complications. People who’ve had their gall bladder removed are often told to eat normally. But, we know that the stomach is not designed to digest fats and coupled with the absence of bile, the fats will simply be expelled with the faeces in an undigested form or combined with other substances forming an insoluble mass, resulting in constipation. The added complication of inadequate fat digestion is that fat soluble vitamins (A,D, E, K) may also be poorly absorbed.

Many complaints can be eliminated by making changes to the diet. If you suffer from the following your body may be trying to tell you something:

Bloating after eating

Abdominal pain

Excessive gas production

Constipation

Diarrhoea

Heartburn

General Fatigue

Allergies and sensitivities to certain foods

Digestive tips

Chew your food well

Cut down on fatty foods

Cut down on sugar

Cut down on large meals

Increase your water intake

Do not drink with meals – this dilutes the action of the digestivejuices

Reduce stomach irritants such as salt, sugar, coffee, alcohol, strongspices

Try Peppermint Tea

Take time to relax

Herbs and supplements

Centaurium is often used to treat indigestion symptoms

Peppermint is often used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Milk thistle is great for symptoms associated with a poor liver function such as poor appetite and tiredness.

Liquorice, especially in the form of DGL which appears to have directanti-ulcer activity

Artichoke is essential for the liver and gall bladder

Enzyme supplements like Protazyme or Michael’s Digestive Enzymes reducebloating.

Ulcers

Ulcers generally occur in the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine (anatomically known as the duodenum). The symptoms felt from these two areas is quite different. Duodenal ulcers occur more frequently in men and are more common than stomach (gastric) ulcers. Typically, the pain of a duodenal ulcer is felt about one hour after a meal and is relieved by eating a little more food or taking an antacid tablet. However, if duodenal ulcers are treated with antacids or drugs such as Tagamet, Zantac, or Pepcid, they usually come back when the drugs are stopped. Acid reducing drugs are expensive and do not cure the duodenal ulcer problem. Gastric ulcers, on the other hand, are often aggravated by food although a large number of sufferers may actually be symptom free and have a less characteristic history. About 30% of stomach ulcers are due to the corrosive effect of aspirin type medications.

It was originally thought that excessive digestive acid was the cause of all ulcers but in 1983 physician Barry Marshall discovered that Helicobacter pylori was causing both gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and ulcers.

Clinical studies have now shown that by killing Helicobacter pylori, many patients with duodenal ulcer can be cured. The treatment is most successful in patients under 50, but older people also benefit.

After killing the H. pylori germ, most patients (80%) will be able to stop taking acid reducing drugs (eg.Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid).

Infection with H. Pylori can now be accurately diagnosed by means of a simple breath or blood test.

Read Jan’s book Stomach & Bowel Disorders

Health problems? Jan answers readers’ questions

I suffer from bad circulation, with cold hands and feet. i read an article that recommended ginkgo biloba for this complaint. would you advise this?

Ginkgo Biloba would certainly be of help for your circulation, and is recognised for its beneficial action on the arterial circulation. Taken in the fresh herbal tincture I would suggest 15 drops in a little water, 3 times a day. If you are on Warfarin or a long term course of aspirin we would recommend that you do not take Ginkgo.

I had blood tests taken and they show that i have high androgen levels.

is there an appropriate remedy i can take to lower them?

It is not really possible to bring androgen levels down but what you could do is take one tablet of Indolplex daily to help make your body’s tissues accommodate the high levels.

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