Colon Toxicity Can Lead to Poor Health

Some say that the flu begins in the intestines. Some say that the gut is a second brain. The digestive system is important to whole health, and its importance is frequently overlooked. Intestinal problems can lead to chronic problems, such as premature aging, poor eyesight, memory loss, acne, wrinkles, as well as degenerative disease, heart troubles, diabetes and cancer.

A toxic colon can cause malabsorption of food and lead to nutritional deficiencies. The toxins spread into the blood and lymph via osmosis, and clog organs. Built up toxins that could have been eliminated by the colon are then discharged by the kidneys, liver, or lungs, which causes extra work for those organs.

Improperly digested food remains in the colon where it hardens and sticks to the intestinal walls. This substance, and the mucus it creates, can be several inches thick and form a tube the entire length of the colon. The mucus layer then slows the peristaltic action of the bowels and constipation results, followed by other digestive disorders, such as colitis, diverticulitis, and eventually, autointoxication. When the colon becomes toxic, unhealthy parasites and intestinal bacteria take over. Over 130 types of parasites can live in the human colon. Colon therapy, or colonics, can help remove the toxic lining of the colon.

Digestive toxicity can also be caused by an imbalance of digestive flora. The gut is filled with friendly bacteria that aid digestion, but this balance can be disturbed by poor eating or by antibiotics. Antibiotics kill many of the beneficial organisms that live in our guts. (That is why eating yogurt and taking probiotics are advised after a regime of antibiotics.) lactobacillus bifidus helps create a strong immune system. Other helpful bacteria reduce cholesterol in the blood and aid digestion of proteins, fat and carbohydrates. Bacteria are also important for the assimilation of B vitamins, especially vitamin B12. Adding raw foods decrease the body’s receptivity to these and other hosts. Another way to restore balance is by taking supplements, such as enzymes,  that help build a healthy digestive environment and remove the toxins.

Digestive enzymes can help heal the digestive system. The body produces digestive enzymes and they can also be found in plants. The body’s digestive enzymes break down under stress. If the diet is deficient in enzymes, and the raw foods that we need for our digestion, the body is charged with producing more enzymes in the pancreas. Eventually, this can become too taxing for the pancreas and it can become enlarged or break down, and degenerative diseases set in.

Plant enzymes are found in raw food. Protease is needed to digest protein. Amylase is used in carbohydrate digestion, lipase for fat, and cellulase for fiber. Most foods contain the enzymes needed to digest them. For instance, avocadoes contain high quantities of lipase needed to digest fats and apples contain a lot of amylase that is used to digest starch. Food cooked at temperatures over 180 degrees no longer contain enzymes, as heating or steaming destroys them, however, freezing foods does not. Microwaves also destroy enzymes.

To insure overall health as well as digestive health, a diet high in fresh, raw food is recommended. Our bodies are able to handle a diet with as much as 74% raw food. If this is not possible, supplementation with enzymes is advised. This can reduce the load on the pancreas, heal the colon and reverse the aging process. Better digestive health leads to better absorption of nutrients from food. With better digestion, the amount of extra vitamins can be reduced, as proper assimilation will reduce the cost of vitamin supplementation, as less vitamin supplements will be needed, as more nutrients will be absorbed from smaller doses.