July 2015 Newsletter
July Special…If you bring a new patient with you on your next visit, you get both visits for a combined cost of only $50.00!
“Cancer Advice, Part Nine”… is about digestive enzymes that can play a big part in preventing cancer. To better understand how, let me first explain some little known, yet interesting physiology about the digestive system. The gastro intestinal tract is one long tube that carefully tunnels through the middle of the body. The digestive system doesn’t have direct access to the other cells of the body in order to protect the body from invaders like germs and parasites. There are neurosensory transmitters starting in the mouth that tell the stomach, intestines, gallbladder and pancreas to secrete the needed digestive juices to process the fat, protein or carbohydrate levels in the food that is being chewed. One of those signals tells the large intestine to get ready with Intrinsic factor (more about that later). The nervous system is geared to time the process so that the food that is being chewed arrives with the right digestive chemicals present.
Saliva is the first digestive juice and it can begin flowing with just the sight or smell of food. The stomach has cells called “chief cells” that make hydrochloric acid (HCl) to break down the food in the stomach. There are sphincters that seal the acid off on both ends of the stomach to protect the rest of the digestive system. The lower sphincter opens for brief moments to allow a squirt of the stomach contents to enter the small intestine where the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas have a special tube, called the common bile duct, to secrete their unique digestive juices. These add things
to immediately neutralize the HCl as well. The small intestine adds fluid at the beginning, pushing the fluid nutrition into the cells through the small intestine. There is another sphincter between the small and large intestine right there with the appendix. The large intestine absorbs the rest of the fluids and this is where the minerals are mostly absorbed. Also this is where the intrinsic factor attaches to the B12 molecule and pulls/pushes it through the walls of the large intestine. Without intrinsic factor, the B12 will not be absorbed (think healthy well-formed red blood cells). The food nutrition is pushed along with a wave system of involuntary muscle contractions in a movement called peristalsis.
With just this brief look at the digestive system it is easy to see that there are many steps to the process. At any point, something can be less than optimal, causing problems with digestion. Digestive problems can lead to poor health because the nutrition you are eating might not get absorbed INTO the rest of the body. Food is meant to be eaten and excreted within a 24 hour period. Healthy people have one or two bowel movements a day. If there is something wrong that slows digestion, food will start to ferment and cause gas cramps and discomfort about which most of us have at least heard. It is not comfortable and it is a sign that something could be improved.
These days, many people think that by eliminating all wheat, dairy, soy, white sugar, white flour, grains and meat from their diet, then all will be well. That’s pretty drastic. Many times all that is needed is some help for the stomach with digestive enzymes. Protease & amylase help to digest protein, lactase helps digest dairy, Lipase helps digest fats, and cellulase helps digest plant fiber. Papain from papaya & bromelain from pineapple can help break up food molecules. There are also roots and herbs that help digestion such as ginger, fennel, cayenne pepper, licorice/anise, gentian root, beet root, dandelion root, and barberry root, to name a few. These aid the digestive juices and help the digestion process in many different ways. Some quiet the system, some add heat, and some help the peristalsis contractions stay rhythmic. There are several digestive aids that combine these into one pill.
With that in perspective, it should also be stated that food sensitivities are real. Many people find with experimentation that food can be digested without complications if certain foods or food categories are avoided. Currently, some find that everything else they eat digests in smooth order when they avoid wheat. Large intestines were once thought of as tough tubes that just eliminated the waste. Over time, it’s been shown that the health of the large intestine needs some attention. Rubbery foods (gluten) can rip the small cilia hairs off and affect absorption, while too much fiber can scrape and gouge. The pH needs to be a bit acid. The healthy bacteria that live there and actually make nutrition for our health are affected by many things. Consuming probiotics to replenish that flora will only be a temporary fix if the environment of the large intestine doesn’t let it stay alive. Awareness and action are needed to keep the large intestine a healthy place for the good ‘flora’ to live (more about that in an upcoming newsletter).
Here is a tricky piece of advice. As we age the chief cells wear out and die out. The stomach lining has some replacement chief cells to take their place but not quite enough to be able to eat like you did as a teenager. The stomach needs that high acid to break down protein & minerals. Some people can take a little apple cider vinegar in some water before meals and this is sufficient to help digestion. There are also Betaine HCl pills, but if you must take acid blockers it would be counterproductive to ingest HCl. People who have to take acid blockers can get anemic from lack of acid because of this. People with active gastric or peptic ulcers cannot take Betaine HCl. Personally, I base what I take on how heavy the meal was. For a large, high fat meal I will take 2-3 HCl and 2-3 digestive aid pills after the meal. I might have to eat one bite of food to ‘push them down’ into the stomach so I try to take them before I finish eating.
It continues to surprise me how many different digestive problems are out there. People often learn about food sensitivity by accident, but once they learn they are usually convinced to avoid that food. Migraines are often brought on by nuts, chocolate, red wine, and the yellow food coloring found in candy, ‘butter’ flavored popcorn, and yellow cheese. To test whether or not a food is adversely affecting your digestion (or any other aspect of your health), avoid the suspect food for no less than a month and then eat a large serving to see if the symptoms come back. Remember, the body is dynamic and things change as we age. For example, while citrus food was not a problem when younger, it can become one later on. Any reaction is a sign that inflammation has occurred. Avoiding things that give you inflammation is a key strategy for keeping cancer away.
Thirty minutes daily of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise also aid digestion. Letting go of stress and managing stress well aids digestion. Don’t let the past “haunt” you, bad memories can affect digestion. The past cannot be changed, but how you let it affect you can. Journaling can help, talking it out with a trusted friend, finding a support group, reading that someone else lived through a similar event and seeing how they recovered from it can help. Talk to God while you walk outside for 30 minutes each day. That covers all four: fresh air, sunshine, exercise and giving your cares to God all in one half hour. It is a very helpful habit to develop. Just avoid the time of day between 11 AM and 1 PM when the sun is the strongest.
July Fundraiser… will benefit Teller County Search and Rescue. It will be held at the clinic on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can receive a chiropractic adjustment or ear acu-stimulation for a donation of any amount to TCSR. No appointments necessary, walk-ins only.
“Cancer Advice, Part Nine”… is about digestive enzymes that can play a big part in preventing cancer. To better understand how, let me first explain some little known, yet interesting physiology about the digestive system. The gastro intestinal tract is one long tube that carefully tunnels through the middle of the body. The digestive system doesn’t have direct access to the other cells of the body in order to protect the body from invaders like germs and parasites. There are neurosensory transmitters starting in the mouth that tell the stomach, intestines, gallbladder and pancreas to secrete the needed digestive juices to process the fat, protein or carbohydrate levels in the food that is being chewed. One of those signals tells the large intestine to get ready with Intrinsic factor (more about that later). The nervous system is geared to time the process so that the food that is being chewed arrives with the right digestive chemicals present.
Saliva is the first digestive juice and it can begin flowing with just the sight or smell of food. The stomach has cells called “chief cells” that make hydrochloric acid (HCl) to break down the food in the stomach. There are sphincters that seal the acid off on both ends of the stomach to protect the rest of the digestive system. The lower sphincter opens for brief moments to allow a squirt of the stomach contents to enter the small intestine where the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas have a special tube, called the common bile duct, to secrete their unique digestive juices. These add things
to immediately neutralize the HCl as well. The small intestine adds fluid at the beginning, pushing the fluid nutrition into the cells through the small intestine. There is another sphincter between the small and large intestine right there with the appendix. The large intestine absorbs the rest of the fluids and this is where the minerals are mostly absorbed. Also this is where the intrinsic factor attaches to the B12 molecule and pulls/pushes it through the walls of the large intestine. Without intrinsic factor, the B12 will not be absorbed (think healthy well-formed red blood cells). The food nutrition is pushed along with a wave system of involuntary muscle contractions in a movement called peristalsis.
With just this brief look at the digestive system it is easy to see that there are many steps to the process. At any point, something can be less than optimal, causing problems with digestion. Digestive problems can lead to poor health because the nutrition you are eating might not get absorbed INTO the rest of the body. Food is meant to be eaten and excreted within a 24 hour period. Healthy people have one or two bowel movements a day. If there is something wrong that slows digestion, food will start to ferment and cause gas cramps and discomfort about which most of us have at least heard. It is not comfortable and it is a sign that something could be improved.
These days, many people think that by eliminating all wheat, dairy, soy, white sugar, white flour, grains and meat from their diet, then all will be well. That’s pretty drastic. Many times all that is needed is some help for the stomach with digestive enzymes. Protease & amylase help to digest protein, lactase helps digest dairy, Lipase helps digest fats, and cellulase helps digest plant fiber. Papain from papaya & bromelain from pineapple can help break up food molecules. There are also roots and herbs that help digestion such as ginger, fennel, cayenne pepper, licorice/anise, gentian root, beet root, dandelion root, and barberry root, to name a few. These aid the digestive juices and help the digestion process in many different ways. Some quiet the system, some add heat, and some help the peristalsis contractions stay rhythmic. There are several digestive aids that combine these into one pill.
With that in perspective, it should also be stated that food sensitivities are real. Many people find with experimentation that food can be digested without complications if certain foods or food categories are avoided. Currently, some find that everything else they eat digests in smooth order when they avoid wheat. Large intestines were once thought of as tough tubes that just eliminated the waste. Over time, it’s been shown that the health of the large intestine needs some attention. Rubbery foods (gluten) can rip the small cilia hairs off and affect absorption, while too much fiber can scrape and gouge. The pH needs to be a bit acid. The healthy bacteria that live there and actually make nutrition for our health are affected by many things. Consuming probiotics to replenish that flora will only be a temporary fix if the environment of the large intestine doesn’t let it stay alive. Awareness and action are needed to keep the large intestine a healthy place for the good ‘flora’ to live (more about that in an upcoming newsletter).
Here is a tricky piece of advice. As we age the chief cells wear out and die out. The stomach lining has some replacement chief cells to take their place but not quite enough to be able to eat like you did as a teenager. The stomach needs that high acid to break down protein & minerals. Some people can take a little apple cider vinegar in some water before meals and this is sufficient to help digestion. There are also Betaine HCl pills, but if you must take acid blockers it would be counterproductive to ingest HCl. People who have to take acid blockers can get anemic from lack of acid because of this. People with active gastric or peptic ulcers cannot take Betaine HCl. Personally, I base what I take on how heavy the meal was. For a large, high fat meal I will take 2-3 HCl and 2-3 digestive aid pills after the meal. I might have to eat one bite of food to ‘push them down’ into the stomach so I try to take them before I finish eating.
It continues to surprise me how many different digestive problems are out there. People often learn about food sensitivity by accident, but once they learn they are usually convinced to avoid that food. Migraines are often brought on by nuts, chocolate, red wine, and the yellow food coloring found in candy, ‘butter’ flavored popcorn, and yellow cheese. To test whether or not a food is adversely affecting your digestion (or any other aspect of your health), avoid the suspect food for no less than a month and then eat a large serving to see if the symptoms come back. Remember, the body is dynamic and things change as we age. For example, while citrus food was not a problem when younger, it can become one later on. Any reaction is a sign that inflammation has occurred. Avoiding things that give you inflammation is a key strategy for keeping cancer away.
Thirty minutes daily of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise also aid digestion. Letting go of stress and managing stress well aids digestion. Don’t let the past “haunt” you, bad memories can affect digestion. The past cannot be changed, but how you let it affect you can. Journaling can help, talking it out with a trusted friend, finding a support group, reading that someone else lived through a similar event and seeing how they recovered from it can help. Talk to God while you walk outside for 30 minutes each day. That covers all four: fresh air, sunshine, exercise and giving your cares to God all in one half hour. It is a very helpful habit to develop. Just avoid the time of day between 11 AM and 1 PM when the sun is the strongest.
July Fundraiser… will benefit Teller County Search and Rescue. It will be held at the clinic on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can receive a chiropractic adjustment or ear acu-stimulation for a donation of any amount to TCSR. No appointments necessary, walk-ins only.
