In the previous articles, I have been discussing The Importance of Digestive Health. Hopefully by now you understand that in order to have health, you have to have a healthy digestive tract.
A lot of people ask me: How does the digestive system work? Here is a simple breakdown (pun intended) of how it works:
First, you must eat and chew enzyme-rich food. What does that mean? Whole foods contain more nutrients and enzymes than processed food.
Next, chew your food entirely. Remember when your grandma used to say slow down and chew your food? Well, there was a reason she said that. Most of your food breaks down in your mouth when you chew your food. The more you chew, the more it breaks down.
Then, the food enters the stomach where it pre-digests for an hour. This will break down 75% of your meal. If and when the body cannot break food down, it will sit and “rot” in the stomach causing acid reflux and indigestion symptoms (which so many Americans treat medically when all they have to do is eat real food.)
After that, HCL and Pepsin (digestive enzymes) are released which inactivates food-based enzymes.
Then the nutrient-rich food moves to the small intestine for further digesting.
Eventually, the acid is neutralized and pancreas introduces digestive enzymes. If the body has been burdened by too many processed foods, it can wear out the pancreas. We know that as “Diabetes”.
Finally, the nutrients pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream to supply the body with the nutrition it needs.
You can see the body works hard to digest food. If that system does not work properly, many diagnoses and symptoms can come from that.
Understanding this is only the beginning. Sometimes we think we are right yet sometimes what is considered “healthy foods” are stressing our digestive tract and affecting how we feel.
Read more here.
To summarize, eating healthier, more nutritious food is the first step in creating a healthy digestive tract. If you have additional questions and concerns please connect with me here.
Since 2006, Dr. Melissa Brennan and her husband, Dr. Jarrod, have focused on caring for your entire family. Dr. Melissa has certifications in Pediatrics, Pregnancy, Webster Technique, Acupuncture, and Nutrition Response Testing.
In 1997, Dr. Melissa was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. After many years of being on medications and suffering from complications (such as kidney disease, arthritis, sun sensitivity, butterfly rash, and extreme fatigue), she was motivated to find a more natural approach to treating her disease. She became a Doctor of Chiropractic in 2004 which started her on the road to a healthier, drug-free lifestyle.
Today, Dr. Melissa’s lupus is in complete remission. She attributes her health to Chiropractic, Acupuncture, a Whole Food Diet, and Nutritional Supplements. She has taken what most consider an “unfortunate disease of lupus” and turned it into a huge blessing and wonderful opportunity to help others seek more natural ways to improve their health and maintain it for a lifetime.