A digestive
disturbance is the inability to break down food in the stomach and intestines
causing un-metabolised food retention, malnutrition and possible disease.
Digestive disturbances can, in severe cases, be very restrictive of a person’s
ability to carry out his or her daily work.
The causes
of digestive disturbances are as follows: food allergies; food not properly
broken down by chewing; a slowdown in the production and potency of digestive
enzymes and hydrochloric acid in the stomach as people age; the pancreas is
malfunctioning and not braking down fats, proteins and carbohydrates; the
liver’s production of bile, which breaks down fats, is lessened; the muscular
action of the stomach and intestines needed to transport food is weakened as a
result of undernourishment; stress causing the overproduction of hormones which
interfere with digestion; the eating of spicy type foods which require higher
amounts of enzymes to be broken down; the
natural enzymes present in food is destroyed by overcooking; processed foods laden with chemical additives
and preservatives being more difficult to break down; fatty foods using a
higher amount of hydrochloric acid from the stomach and thereby causing
heartburn; disruption to the normal digestive process through eating
sugar-laden foods requiring the body to respond with a high amount of insulin;
and lack of sufficient amounts of fibre in the diet.
Conventional
medicine has responded to digestive disturbances with prescription drugs in the
form of antacids and antispasmodics. These drugs can have some serious side
effects such as brain cell deterioration, blurring of vision and difficulty
urinating. Their use should therefore be avoided if at all possible.
It is best
to prevent a digestive disturbance from occurring in the first instance by
paying attention to the following:
·
Avoid
any foods to which you are allergic.
·
Eat
slowly and chew food well.
·
Avoid
discussing stressful topics while eating.
· Avoid
spicy foods.
·
In
so far as it is possible, avoid processed foods.
·
Avoid
foods containing a lot of fat.
·
Avoid
sugar- laden foods and drinks.
·
Do
not drink liquids within 30 minutes of meal times.
·
Avoid
poor food combining such as starchy foods and proteins at the same meal; and eat
fruits separately from main meals
·
Drink
water regularly between meals.
In general,
it is best to increase your dietary fibre intake, eat lots of fruits with their
skins, and eat lots of fresh vegetables either raw or lightly cooked. Foods
good for digestion are wholegrain cereals, wholegrain bread, apples,
pineapples, oranges, grapefruit, peaches, rhubarb, celery, cabbage, fennel,
sorrel, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, chick peas, meat, black radish,
horseradish, low-fat yogurt with live cultures, bananas, raspberries and
gooseberries. Foods bad for digestion are processed meats, meats derived from game (deer, boar etc.) chocolate, biscuits (cookies),
lard, oysters and sugar-laden soft drinks (sodas).
The
following supplements can help with digestive problems: 1 or 2 digestive
enzymes taken with each meal; peppermint oil to be taken as the directions on
the label, vitamin B complex, 50 mg twice daily, to aid digestion and break
down carbohydrates; psyllium husks as directed on the label to make up for any
deficiency in dietary fibre.
The
following herbs, for the reasons stated, can be employed to alleviate problems
with digestion: parsley acts as a diuretic eliminating toxins from the body;
wormwood helps maintain proper stomach acidity; chicory stimulates bile
secretions; lemongrass helps to improve the digestive system; papaya has
natural digestive enzymes; peppermint is a good stomach sedative; thyme is a
general tonic with healing powers; and ginger alleviates nausea.
The reasons
for digestive disturbances are so varied that you will need to give careful
consideration to identifying the cause (or causes) of any one occurrence before pursuing a remedy
in accordance with the guidelines outlined above.
