Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Digestion Keys to Lowering Your Toxic Burden, part 2

Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Digestion Keys to Lowering Your Toxic Burden, part 2

MASTERFUL MICROBES: YOUR VERY BEST FRIENDS

The term probiotic, a compound of Latin and Greek words meaning “favorable
to life,” is popularly used to refer to the helpful bacteria that populate your gut
(while technically the term refers to a supplement of these beneficial bacteria). Our
ancestors appear to have been well aware of the connection between beneficial
bacteria and good health, as we consider the number of age-old fermented foods,
rich in healthful bacteria, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi, that nourished
generations worldwide for centuries.

But every time you take an antibiotic or drink large amounts of chlorinated tap
water, you kill off billions of these naturally occurring beneficial bacteria, upsetting
the intricate balance of your intestinal terrain. Opportunistic organisms, such as
yeast and hostile bacteria, can then flourish, creating a state of imbalance known as
dysbiosis. The most common type of opportunistic yeast, Candida albicans, is a
glutton for sugar, which often results in cravings for carbohydrates, such as sugar,
pasta, and bread. Prescription antibiotics also modify the natural environment of
your intestines; what’s more, the abundance of antibiotics in the meats and other
commercial animal products we consume also contribute to this intestinal
imbalance. This makes the choice of organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free animal
products all the more vital.

GUT FLORA AND ESTROGEN

Recent research has shed intriguing light on the cancer-protective connection
between maintaining healthy estrogen levels and healthy gut flora (Boccardo et al.
2006), especially when you consume generous amounts of lignans. Lignans are a
group of phytonutrients found in seeds, legumes, grains, and vegetables. Flaxseed is
by far the richest source of plant lignans, found in the fibrous hull of the seed.
Researchers first noted the beneficial activity of flax lignans in the 1980s, when they
reported lower levels of lignans in breast-cancer patients than in cancer-free women
(Adlercreutz et al. 1986). While the puzzle pieces have not been entirely put
together, we do know that when we eat plant lignans, intestinal bacteria convert them
into enterolactones and enterodiol, compounds believed to lower estrogen levels
and exert anticancer effects.

AN OUNCE OF PROBIOTICS: A POUND OF CURE?

Making sure you have plenty of healthy bacteria in your gut is a wise investment.
If you enjoy fresh yogurt or other fermented foods, you’re already ahead of the
game. If not, check out Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That
Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, or Sandor Katz’s
Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, two
excellent books with step-by-step instructions for transforming your diet into a
probiotic powerhouse. An alternative is to take a probiotic supplement daily. Look
for one with several different strains of bacteria, such as L. acidophilus, L.
bulgaricus, L. brevis, and B. bifidum. (For a complete list, see Digestive Wellness, by
Elizabeth Lipski [2005].) If you must take an antibiotic, a course of saccharomyces
boulardii, a special probiotic yeast supplement sometimes known as “yeast against
yeast,” taken along with the antibiotic therapy will help restore equilibrium in your
gut, protecting it from the unhealthy form of yeast (Candida albicans) that
commonly plagues people who take antibiotics.

Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Digestion Keys to Lowering Your Toxic Burden

Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Digestion Keys to Lowering Your Toxic Burden

Once you’ve got a clearer sense of what may be getting in the way of optimal
digestion, absorption, or assimilation, you’re ready to go to work. Remember,
keeping your inner ecosystem clean is key to preventing cancer from rearing its
head.

Keep Things Moving

As with any complex system, your body needs to get rid of its waste on a regular
basis, from one to three times a day. Less-frequent evacuation “backs up the tank,”
leaving excess toxins behind. Remember, when it comes to helping keep cancer at
bay, staying free of toxins is key.

So what does a “perfect” stool look like? Think “The Story of the Three Bears,”
featuring Goldilocks: not too soft, not too hard; not too pale, not too dark. Eating a
varied Eating for Health diet, with plenty of fiber, should keep things running
smoothly. If your bowels still move more slowly than you’d like, try adding an
additional 500 to 1,000 milligrams of magnesium, a natural laxative, to your daily
regimen.

Get to Know the Bugs in Your Belly

As adults, we all have three to four pounds of bacteria and yeast living within
our intestines. This translates to hundreds of trillions of intestinal bacteria, a number
that many experts consider to be almost ten times the number of cells in the entire
human body (see, for example, Lipski 2005). In a healthy person, more than four
hundred species of beneficial organisms flourish in the intestinal tract, aiding in
digestion and in the production of B vitamins, vitamin K, and numerous enzymes
(Guarner and Malagelada 2003). When health-eroding, pathogenic bacteria get the
upper hand, however, we experience digestive distress, impaired detoxification, and
increased risk for all diseases, including breast cancer. Your goal is to make sure
the beneficial bacteria in your gut far outnumber the pathogenic freeloaders.

Assessing Your General Digestive Status to Lowering Your Toxic Burden

Assessing Your General Digestive Status  to Lowering Your Toxic Burden

Indications of poor digestion manifest in various ways, sometimes as symptoms that

seemingly have nothing to do with your gut. Here are just some of the signs to pay
attention to (Lipski 2005):

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Rectal itching
• Undigested food particles in stool
• Poor immunity
• Recurrent vaginal infections
• Iron deficiency
• Asthma
• Joint pain or arthritis
• Skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, or rosacea
• Fuzzy thinking and poor memory
• Chronic autoimmune disorders

Lab Assessments

To get a clearer picture of exactly what’s going on in your gut, you can get a
stool panel analysis by a lab such as DiagnosTechs or Metametrix. Simply order this
panel through a doctor, nutritionist, or other qualified health care provider who is
familiar with their use. This test offers unique insights into what is happening in
your gut from a functional perspective: Do you have an overgrowth of yeast or
other pathogens plaguing your small intestine? How robust is your supply of
friendly microbes? Are you producing sufficient stomach acid and pancreatic
enzymes to adequately digest your food? How healthy is your gut lining? Stool tests
that look at these indicators can also help determine sensitivities and allergies to
common dietary irritants, such as wheat, dairy, and soy. The great value of these
tests lies in their ability to help you and your practitioner pinpoint your digestive
problems to find more targeted solutions. And since so many health issues begin in
the gut, by repairing it, you are contributing manifestly to your overall well-being.