Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Large Intestine, Pt.2

The large intestine. We meet again. As I mentioned last time, even though the large intestine is much shorter than the small intestine, apparently it’s still big enough to warrant more than one post. So here we are, tackling a few more issues before we’re officially done with digestion. Actually, we were pretty close to being done with digestion before we even got to the large intestine. Like I explained in the previous post, almost no further breakdown and absorption of nutrients occurs in the large intestine. Those are really the jobs of the stomach and small intestine. But there is some food breakdown here in the colon. We’ll get to that in a bit. Before we do, we’ve got some unfinished business on constipation from last week. (Get it? Unfinished business! Indeed, I’ll try to pepper part 2 of large intestine function with a little humor the way I did part 1. ‘Cuz let’s face it: poop jokes never get old. And with that in mind, let’s get started with “number two on number two!”)

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Large Intestine Pt.1

We’ve come to the end today! Literally and figuratively! Ha! You can tell right from the start here this post is going to be full of colon-related double entendre. (You're welcome.)

Yes, here we are, finally, at the last stop on our long train journey north to south through digestion and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. If you’re just tuning in, you might want to check out the previous entries in this series. We’ve covered the major organs and glands involved in breaking down the foods we eat into the amino acids, fatty acids, and simple sugars our bodies can absorb and do something with, and some of the snags that can happen along the way when those organs and glands aren’t performing at their best.

I ended the most recent post by saying that the colon, or large intestine, is large and in charge. And I said I would explain. So here goes. (Note: I will use the terms colon and large intestine interchangeably.)

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Healing a Leaky Gut

We’re in the home stretch, everyone, I promise! Just a couple more posts and we’ll be done with digestion. If you’re new here and want to catch up, you can find the previous posts in this series on digestion here. We’ll finish up our whirlwind tour of the small intestine today, and then all that’s left is the cool, classy colon, also known as the large intestine.

We’ve talked a lot about the small intestine so far: how it works, and all the awful things that can happen when it’s not working properly. So now that we’ve covered compromised intestinal permeability (i.e., a leaky gut), let’s cover some ways to help repair it. ‘Cuz let’s face it: it’s all well and good when your GI tract is functioning well and everything’s going smoothly from top to bottom, but antacids, probiotics, and laxatives wouldn’t be nearly the zillion-dollar moneymaker$ they are if untold numbers of people weren’t experiencing some kind of digestive distress.

The most widely recognized strategy for healing a leaky gut is the “4-R” protocol:

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Small Intestine Pt.3 - Gluten & Leaky Gut

Show of hands: who’s been anxiously awaiting the next post in this series on digestion? (*Crickets.*) Whether you’ve been on the edge of your seat hoping I’d get around to it soon or not, here it is.

Last time, we talked about the concept of increased intestinal permeability, aka “leaky gut,” and all the gnarly health problems that can result when bricks start crumbling in the fortress walls of the small intestine. We mostly talked about autoimmune conditions, but that’s barely scratching the surface. A leaky gut can cause all kinds of havoc on our bodies and our minds.

I left off last time saying that we should dedicate an entire post to gluten, because it’s one of the things responsible for causing leaky gut. So here we go.

DFNSD: Book Review

Hey Everyone,

 

Recall from the first and second posts about digestion in the stomach that, contrary to the endless stream of commercials for over-the-counter antacids and prescription proton pump inhibitors (acid-suppressing drugs), sufficient stomach acid is a normal, healthy, and absolutely essential part of good digestion.

I mentioned that I would post a review of the book Why Stomach Acid is Good for You, but I was holding off until we had covered enough of the details that the review would actually make sense. And considering we’re on to talking about the small intestine now, I’d say we’re there.

The review I wrote appeared in print a few months ago in Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation. It took them a while, but they’ve finally gotten around to posting the online version. So instead of me posting it here, if you want to check out the review, hop on over there and take a look. There probably isn’t a whole lot there that I didn’t cover in better detail on the blog, but if there’s someone in your life who’s popping antacids like they’re candy and can’t understand why: 1) they’re still getting heartburn all the time, 2) they have a bunch of other health issues as well (but have no idea they might be connected to low stomach acid), or 3) you want them to “get this stuff,” but they’re not likely to read my entire series on digestion, please send them this link. There’s a better chance they’d be willing to read one book review than 8 or 9 different posts.

Here it is: Book review of Why Stomach Acid is Good for You

Have a great weekend!

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Small Intestine Pt.2 - Leaky Gut

Hey Everyone! We’re in the home stretch now! It’s taken us a while in this series on digestion, but here we are, covering a few more key things about the small intestine, then it’s on to the large intestine, and we’ll be done! In previous entries, we’ve done some troubleshooting to help digestion in the stomach, the pancreas, and the gallbladder. Today, let’s get into one of the most common—but least recognized by conventional medical and nutrition professionals—consequences from poor digestion: Leaky gut!

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Small Intestine Pt.1

The main event! Finally!

I’ve been saying for weeks that we’d get to the small intestine, and we’re finally here.

In our north-to-south journey through digestion, we started in the mind, then went south to the mouth, the esophagus & stomach, and also talked about the importance of sufficient stomach acid, and what to do if you don’t have sufficient stomach acid. Last time, we did reach the small intestine, but before we could talk about the incredibleness that is this very long, convoluted tube, we had to cover the roles of the gallbladder and pancreas.

So today we’ll start tackling the role of the small intestine (SI) itself. It’s gonna take some time, though—and definitely more than one post—because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here, and I mean that figuratively and literally. Some sources say that if you unfolded the SI and laid it flat, its surface area would cover a tennis court! This isn’t only because it’s long—about 20 feet long, in fact. (It fits inside your abdominal cavity because it’s got lots of turns and sort of folds up on itself. See the illustration above or another good one here.) The reason the surface area of the SI is so huge is because it is exquisitely designed to suit its function. The SI is the site of absorption of almost all nutrients into the bloodstream. Remember: the GI tract is a hollow tube that connects to the outside world at both ends (mouth at the top and anus at the bottom). Until food is actually absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream, some people consider it to still be outside the body. So the SI is really the point of connection between outside and inside, “us” and “them.” This is an extremely important point, and we’ll come back to it for sure.

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: GPS

(Note: This post is part of an ongoing series. For previous entries, click here.)

In the certification program I recently completed to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, our instructor said that the abbreviation GPS is a good way to remember three of the main organs of digestion: the gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach. Since we’ve already beaten the stomach to death (not literally), I guess that means it’s time to talk about the those other two. If you think your pancreas is only good for blood sugar regulation, and you have no idea what your gallbladder does, keep reading. It’s time to give these two underappreciated organs their due.

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: Increasing Stomach Acid Naturally (a.k.a. MOAR ACID!)

(Note: this is part 6 of an ongoing, multi-part series. Here are links to Part 1 [Intro], Part 2 [Brain], Part 3 [Mouth], Part 4 [Stomach 1], and Part 5 [Stomach 2].)

We’ve spent a lot of time so far going over how important good digestion is. In our train ride along the north-to-south route of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, we started at the brain, which is not anatomically part of the digestive system, but is arguably one of the most important organs of digestion. After that, we had pit stops at the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Today, we’re still at the stomach station. What can I say? It’s got a neat gift shop and we’re still looking for the perfect souvenirs to bring with us to the small intestine. In the last two posts, we talked about how important it is to have strong and plentiful stomach acid. But enough talking. It’s time now for action. So today we’ll cover concrete steps you can take to ensure you produce good stomach acid and ways to help yourself when, despite your best efforts, your digestive train is still derailing here.

As we laid out in part 2, digestion starts in the brain. You’ve got to be calm in order to produce stomach acid (HCl). If you’re worked up, stressed out, or otherwise not in a good frame of mind, your body’s got more pressing things to take care of than digesting your food. In part 3, we stressed the importance of eating slowly and chewing thoroughly. Eating slowly gives your stomach time to realize that food has come down the hatch and that it had better start making some acid, pronto. Chewing well eases the stomach’s burden by breaking the food up into very small pieces, thus allowing the stomach to do a little less mechanical breakdown and giving HCl more surface area to work on.

So let’s say we’ve got those things in the brain and mouth mastered, but we’re still feeling symptoms of indigestion. It’s time to go right to the heart of the matter: inside the stomach. 

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: The Stomach, Pt.2

MOAR acid!

Since so much can happen in the stomach—or not happen, as we’re starting to see—our digestive train is still sitting here at the nice, cozy stomach station. The café at the small intestine station is waiting for us with hot coffee and fresh-baked cookies, but we’ve got business to finish here first. In the previous post, we uncovered the surprising truth that acid reflux/heartburn is usually the result of too little stomach acid, rather than too much. I left off saying that in this next part, we would talk about ways to naturally increase stomach acid. And we will. But first, let’s look at some other, more serious consequences of insufficient stomach acid, because after that, we’ll all be in agreement that we are not kidding around about this, and we really do want to make sure we have strong stomach acid, and lots of it. (To quote the stupendous Dave Barry, “I am not making this up.”)

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies: The Mouth

All aboard!

Yes, folks, it’s that time again: time for another stop along the route of the digestion train. You’ll recall that last time we departed from the brain’s station, so today we’re scheduled to arrive right on time at the mouth. (Digestion is a north to south process, remember?) The mouth is probably the most underappreciated part of the GI tract, which is hard to believe, considering it’s the very first place where any actual digestion occurs. With that in mind, it should be obvious that what happens in the mouth sets the stage for the entire rest of the digestive cascade. So in case you thought your mouth did its best work over the phone (or perhaps in the bedroom, but we won’t go there ‘cuz this is a family show), keep reading. It’s time to stop underestimating the importance of the mouth in digestion.

Digestion for (not-so) Dummies

Acid blockers, anti-gas meds, probiotics. Pills to make you “go” more often, and pills to make you go less often. If TV commercials, print, and online advertisements are any indication, we, as a population, are experiencing a massive epidemic of digestive distress. And for once, the ads are right! Good digestion is absolutely fundamental to good health. You cannot expect to have one without the other, and it’s usually the former that begets the latter. You can consume the highest quality foods that are all organic, biodynamic, grassfed, pastured meats and poultry, wild-caught seafood, and allow nary a single molecule of questionable food into the temple that is your body, but if you aren’t properly digesting, absorbing, and assimilating those pristine, blessed-by-the-gods foods, you won’t reap the benefits and you might as well hit up the nearest fast food joint. (Well, no, it's not that extreme, but you certainly won't be getting all the bang you could for the extra few bucks you're spending on the good stuff.)  

So, since I am, for once, in agreement with the mass media machine that’s telling us we’ve got serious issues with our digestion, I offer this series as a primer on our digestive systems. Over its course, we’ll cover the anatomy and physiology of our gastrointestinal (GI) tracts (what the parts are and how they work), how things are supposed to go from point A to B to C, what happens when they don’t go the way they’re supposed to, and how to fix it.

‘Cuz let’s face it: popping pills is a nice, short-term solution to the acute discomfort caused by things like acid reflux and constipation, but it does nothing to address the underlying causes. And most of these causes can be fixed with—you knew this was coming—simple diet and lifestyle modifications that require no prescriptions, no doctor visits, and no shelling out money to the corner drugstore. They do require slowing down a bit, calming down, and paying more attention to what we put in our pieholes. But wouldn’t you rather do those things than kill time in some sterile waiting room reading three-year-old People magazines only to see a doctor who has a whopping five minutes to spend with you and then sends you off with a pill to alleviate your immediate symptoms without trying to help you find an actual solution to the problem? (/endrant.)

Okay, that’s enough railing against the modern medical establishment. I’m not here to bash doctors; they’re mostly just victims of the insurance industry meat grinder and I imagine most of them wish they had more time for patient care and lifestyle coaching. So rather than focus on problems and shortcomings, let’s get started on solutions.