Food is Our Best Medicine: The Power of Digestive Health

Eighty percent of the health challenges we face today are diet and lifestyle related. And what we find clinically is that most of these challenges such as diabetes, heart disease, hormone issues, autoimmune, inflammatory conditions, and neurotransmitter deficiencies all stem from the body not getting the right kinds of foods and not maintaining the right kind of bacterial flora.

I’m always promoting the importance of intestinal health. It’s one of the most important aspects of my dietary program. There are many reasons why understanding digestion is so important and absolutely vital for your overall health.

When your body digests food it is broken down into nutrients, which is food for your body and is responsible for your body working properly. The body consists of billions and billions of cells, which form every part. These cells make up your muscle and bones, your skin and other organs. Your body needs nutrients to repair cells that become damaged and to make new healthy cells. The nutrients youngest give your cells what they need to perform properly, multiply and divide. Believe it or not your digestion plays a huge role in your health. If it’s not healthy and balanced then the body as a whole cannot be healthy and balanced.

One of the most important and needed supporters for healthy digestion is digestive enzymes. The active role that they play in healing the body is absolute and strongly proven. Almost every process that takes place in the body depends upon them. A body without necessary enzymes will suffer inflammation of one form or another. Even the medical profession itself agrees that disease is due to a lack or an imbalance of enzymes. Enzymes are protein molecules absolutely essential for the digestion of food, healthy brain function, tissue and cellular repair and new cellular life. They are secreted along the gastrointestinal tract and break down food in the body so nutrients can be absorbed. If the body has to rely on its own digestive enzymes the effect is too much stress and less cellular regeneration. Due to the fact that heat destroys enzymes, supplemental enzyme therapy is needed. Without it the body must rely too much on the pancreas for enzyme production which greatly stresses it over time.

Other functions of enzymes include dissolving blood clots, assisting respiratory function, assisting in healing, combating age-related wrinkles and assisting in glucose balance. The minute we stop drinking our mother’s milk and begin to eat foods that are void in these necessary enzymes we begin to suffer enzyme depletion and so an added component in the aging process begins. Symptoms of enzyme deficiency include acne, rosacea, GERD, diarrhea or constipation, back pain, gallstones, bladder and urinary problems, decreased immune system, arthritis, food allergies and sinusitis, just among a few.

Another necessary component in healthy digestion are probiotics. The name probiotic actually means ‘for life.’ They are the healthy bacteria that live in your intestines. These healthy bacteria increase our immunity and help protect us against attack from bad invaders. Because they crowd out health destroying pathogens, researchers are now proving that among many other benefits, they also play a role in lowering your risk of cancer.

Due to our modern day lifestyle, overuse of antibiotics ( meaning ‘against life’) and our high consumption of preservatives, carbohydrates, sugars and dairy products, our own healthy digestive flora is killed off and so we are left with decreased immunity against illness. Stress can even contribute to bad intestinal bacteria due to the fact that too much emotional stress messes with a body’s acid/alkaline balance and harmful bacteria thrive in an acidic environment. And just like digestive enzymes, without beneficial bacteria our ability to absorb nutrients decreases. Symptoms associated with a lack of good intestinal bacteria include IBS, diarrhea, bloating, gas, chronic fatigue, insomnia, allergies, sugar cravings, back and joint pain, acne, skin disorders, depression, PMS, memory loss, prostatitis, decreased immunity and so much more. In fact, researchers are now saying bad intestinal bacteria are responsible for hundreds of illnesses.

The latest research regarding healthy intestinal bacteria is finding that these powerful bacteria can greatly reduce your risk of cancer as we age. New research is finding that our chances of cancer increases as we age due to decreasing amounts of healthy intestinal flora and that by taking high doses of supplemental probiotics we can fight cancer by detoxifying potential carcinogens in the colon, decrease the risk of recurring bladder tumors, eliminate aflatoxin from the intestines, and enhance immune cell activity that can find and eliminate cancerous cells in the colon. Scientists now believe that our increased understanding of these amazing organisms is bound to revolutionize our understanding and treatment of disease. One concept that has been proven without a doubt is that protecting these helpful bacteria colonies is absolutely vital to good health.

Taking digestive enzymes together with probiotics has been found to potentially increase the effectiveness of the healthy bacteria and aid in its ability to colonize. Enzymes and probiotics are two powerful forces increasing and improving digestive health and in turn preventing, decreasing and even reversing illness and disease. As we grow older, we increase our vulnerability to cancers and other diseases so protecting your digestion through proper nutrition with a diet that aids in healthy bacterial growth will not only make you feel better in so many ways but you’ll live longer and look better in the process.

Dr. Asa's Take-A-Way

1. Start following the Anti-Inflammatory Diet
2. Use digestive enzymes with each meal
3. Take probiotics every day for optimal digestive health