Ailments : A-Z

The above symptoms indicate that the stomach is not producing enough hydrochloric acid (HCl) and enzymes to digest food properly. Digestive complaints of this nature can often be eliminated by following one simple rule of food combining: Don’t combine sugars with proteins/fats at the same meal.

Examples of poor food combinations include steak and pie, orange juice and eggs, and sweet & sour Chinese dishes. Sugars are digested only in the intestine. If eaten alone, they pass through the stomach in 20 to 30 minutes. Proteins and fats, however, need to stay in the stomach for three or four hours. If sugars and proteins/fats are eaten at the same time, the stomach holds on to the entire mass, causing putrefaction, gas and bloating. A young person with ample hydrochloric acid may get away with unwise food combinations, because HCl sterilizes the byproducts of putrefaction. The older we get, however, the less HCl our stomachs produce and the more careful we need to be about combining our foods.

Consuming fruits, juices or other sweets one half hour before a meal (as an appetizer) or on an empty stomach three hours after a meal (as a snack) is sometimes all that is necessary to eliminate digestive disturbances. If not, then a broad spectrum digestive aid is needed.

The above signs indicate that there is not enough bile getting into the duodenum when needed. Bile breaks down fats into tiny droplets so that fat-splitting enzymes from the pancreas can work on them. Without enough bile, fats and minerals glob together in the gut to form insoluble soaps – often causing constipation and mineral deficiencies. The above symptoms can be corrected by taking supplementary digestive enzymes that include bile and pancreatin. This form of supplementation is highly beneficial for anyone who has had a gall bladder removed.

Lactic bacteria are important to intestinal immunity. They also improve digestion by stimulating intestinal movement (peristalsis) and by hindering the proliferation of harmful microorganisms (yeast, fungi, pathogenic bacteria). Lactic bacteria are provided in the diet by fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, cultured buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh or miso.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most important and most stable of the lactic bacteria in the gut. It survives in both acid and alkaline environments and has the potential to inhibit at least 26 different kinds of harmful bacteria. L. acidophilus capsules can replace the beneficial intestinal flora that have been displaced or destroyed by antibiotics, candida (yeast) infections or diarrhea. These capsules are most efficiently utilized when taken with meals.