Now that we’ve looked at how a digestive system should work, let’s look at what is all-too-much the reality for most people in our culture today. Some 60-70 million people in the US are affected by digestive diseases, (this does not count the millions of other digestive ailments that are not classified as disease). 14 million people are hospitalized each year for digestive problems (9% of all hospitilizations) and 6 million people go through digestive hospital diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (14 percent of all hospital procedures). This is clearly no small or laughing matter (not even a belly laugh).
Perhaps the largest class of over-the-counter and prescriptions medications taken today are for digestive related ailments. Just think of the tons of antacids, acid blockers, gas relievers, bloat relievers, anti-flatulance medications, etc. that are consumed each year (each day??). And think of the millions of gastric and gut procedures that are done each year from endoscopies to colonoscopies to by-passes (see above). Many(most??) of these should not be needed if we just knew how to care for our gut by choosing and properly preparing healthful nutrient dense foods that support good digestive functioning.
So, what happens that creates such dismal digestive health for so many, and what can be done to improve matters – actually to improve things very significantly? Most digestive problems start from years of abusing our “inner” tube with poor diet, poor eating habits, unconsciousness and stresses of all kinds.
Remember that digestion starts in the mind/brain, even before we start to eat. That means that a good place to start to heal digestive disorders is through our thoughts and actions, before a meal. We have two parts to our autonomic, or “automatic” nervous system. The first is our fight-or-flight, get ready for action system, called the sympathetic nervous system. This one is related to stress, which amongst other things, greatly slows down our digestive processes. The second is the parasympathetic system, which is activated when we are calm, relaxed, meditating, in prayer, etc. When we get ready to eat, we want to be in parasympathetic mode – this is why so many pre-industrial cultures had customs and traditions that include prayer, slowing down, connecting with family and friends, etc. It leads to good and healthy digestion. As a culture, we are sympathetically stressed, eating quickly, swallowing without chewing, eating on the run, being unconscious about eating, and, of course, eating fast food.
If you don’t take the time to properly chew your food (about 30 seconds), the brain doesn’t get the message to trigger the proper digestive processes. Adequate saliva production is not triggered, which affects enzyme production in the mouth affecting the initial breakdown of carbohydrates. This really is the start of a chain reaction that goes all the way through the digestive system. Lack of salivary enzymes can reduce the pancreatic enzyme amylase, so that starches are not completely broken down in the small intestine, leaving undigested starches that enter the colon, that can feed candida and other dysbiotic organisms farther down the digestive tract. Sounds like a mess, doesn’t it? Well…things can get even worse.
So, what about stomach acid?
If you watch TV commercials, it would seems as if everyone in America has way too much stomach acid and we all need to do everything we can to bring it down to a reasonable level (and of course, so we can eat anything and everything we want to without ill effects). In fact, as mentioned above, acid blockers and antacids are amongst the top prescription and over-the-counter medications taken today.
But, in reality, the stomach is really all about acid; it should be highly acidic to function optimally, and there are all kinds of problems that are created if it isn’t acid enough. The normal pH of a healthy stomach is between 1.5 and 3.0 (battery acid has a pH of about 0.8) and acid blockers and antacids will almost always bring that up to a higher or more alkaline level. The problem with most Americans in this regard is not too much stomach acid, but rather, not enough. Studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of Americans produce too little stomach acid, or HCl. Dr. Jonathan Wright, MD, came to this conclusion using a small telemetric device dropped into the stomach of thousands of patients. Dr. George Goodheart, DC, came to essentially the same conclusion using kinesiology and functional assessments. Factors such as stress, excess carbohydrate consumption, nutrient deficiencies, allergies, and excess alcohol can inhibit HCl production.
So, what happens if you do not produce enough HCl?
The gut, and particularly the stomach with a very high acid level, is our first line of physical defense against entering pathogenic microorganisms. Lowering of HCl reduces or eliminates much of that defense. Yeast, prions, viruses, parasites, etc., are all little proteins, and when the pH is correct in the stomach, pepsin (an enzyme) digests these little microorganisms and they become food. When the pH is not correct, an environment is created in which these organisms thrive and raise havoc, not only in the stomach, but throughout the digestive system, and ultimately, throughout the body.
If there is not enough acid in the stomach, foods do not get broken down (carbohydrates will ferment, fats rancidify and proteins will putrefy). These maldigested foods cause a reflux, or backward flow, into the esophagus. This is not caused from too much acid, as is commonly thought, and rammed down our throats (literally) by the pharmaceutical and much of the medical industry, but by not being acid enough. Acid blockers and antacids just exacerbate the problem. If the stomach acid were strong enough, the digestion would take place normally, and pass on into the small intestine without that constant feeling of indigestion, bloating, gas and nausea. The reason the esophagus experiences the burning is because the partially digested foods do not transit properly, and then move back up toward the esophagus. They are acid (maybe pH 4-5), but not acid enough for good digestion.
Next time, we’ll look at the effect of maldigestion on the rest of the gut, from the small intestine to the colon, and discuss what can be done to bring the entire system back into balance.
As always, incredibly thorough and educational article. You are very knowledgeable in your field. As far as digestion goes, how do “alkalinizing foods come into play? When we eat foods that level out our pH does that mean our body is then able to release the appropriate levels of acid? I am also curious about detoxing the digestive track: pros/cons/does it occur naturally when we take in the right foods?
Peace Within (literally),
Diana
Again, Diana, thanks for another great question.
As with so many things related to good health and nutrition, there is a lot of confusion, mis-information and of course, debate and differing (and often opposing) opinions about acid/alkaline balance and foods. I wish it were simple. However, in many cases, it is simple, as far as the body is concerned.
In short, if one eats a good nutrient dense diet, avoiding starches and sugars, incorporates a regular and high amount of good quality fats with moderate high quality protein intake, then acid/alkaline balance shouldn’t be a problem. Here’s a quote from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon; “Under normal conditions, the blood, saliva and extra cellular fluids are slightly alkaline, while the urine is slightly acid. pH value of these fluids is maintained by a series of complex feedback mechanisms in the body and in general is not dependent on dietary excesses of either acid or alkaline foods. After a meal rich in protein, the blood will become more alkaline for a short period, which is in effect a balancing reaction to the secretion of large amounts of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Following this the blood then undergoes a short lived increase in acidity, which is again a balancing reaction to the heavy secretion of alkaline enzyme rich solutions form the pancreas. These reactions are completely normal and should in no way be interpreted as justification of avoiding high protein “acid forming “foods. “
I will post a more complete article on the effects of acid/alkaline balance on various parts of the body at a later time.
A similar answer to the second part of your question; the best form of detoxing is a good diet in the first place. The subject of detoxing, more specifically, would take up more space than I want to go into at this time. Often the GI tract needs a lot of help and support, though, and every situation and every person is different. Often pre-biotics and pro-biotics are helpful in balancing out problems in the lower GI that probably started from problems in the upper GI. For some people taking GI calming herbs and supplements, such as Gastrazyme or DGL will help the GI tract to heal. Of course, other factors such as lifestyle and stress issues are very important. For many people, some Hydrochloric Acid supplementation is helpful or needed to get the stomach acid balance back in line. Because every BODY is different, there is no “once size fits all” recommendations that can be made. I will continue to write on these topics in future blogs.