The Digestive System
If you think about the Gut from start to finish - Mouth to Large Intestine and The Bowel..............food has a long journey. The Gut uses a delicate balance of bacteria hormones and enzymes in order to maintain an optimum
process...............when this balance is disturbed, the Gut can no longer function perfectly and begins to compensate by trying to redress the balance........This is where stress on our gut begins
How Your Digestion Works (brief outline)
Our Digestion starts when we feel hungry and think of food.
In the Mouth we produce Enzymes to break down the food and send signals to our stomach and rest of the body that food is coming.
The stomach produces more Enzymes and gastric juices including Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) to break down and prepare food for the Small Intestine.
The Small Intestine is where we absorb all the nutrients and goodness from the food. At the beginning is the Duodenum, where the Pancreas secretes more Digestive Enzymes and Hormones including Insulin. There, it also produces a Neutralizer to Alkalize the Acid from the Stomach and the Gall Bladder produces Bile to break down fat.
Nutrients are carried into the Bloodstream from the Small Intestine via the Intestinal Walls and Fat is diverted into The Lymph system, the rest of the undigested food moves on into the Large Intestine.
The Digestion (in depth)
The Stomach
The Stomach is affected by many things..........Stress, Medication, Happiness, Eating Habits, Food Content, Breathing, Thinking, Movement. It is like a Barometer for how well Life is going and it's very sensetive to changes. I have mentioned how thoughts govern our Life Path and it is the same with our Stomachs. Stress causes the Stomach to 'cramp up' and 'shut down' with reduced Hcl production. Maybe you feel a 'Knot' in your Stomach at times of stress, so eating and breathing calmly, while sitting in a relaxed environment really does help a lot...............Love your Food, Love your Stomach
The Small Intestine
The Small Intestine is like an enormous extractor/processing unit,constantly churning the partially digested food (Chyme) around. It's made up of folds and covered with millions of tiny finger-like projections called 'Villi', with each Villi having Microvilli. If it were stretched out, It would spread the size of a tennis court - this large surface area is needed to enhance maximum absorption. Here, after the food from the Stomach has been alkalized and the Hormones, Enzymes and Bile have been added to the mix, the nutrients split into two groups. The first contains Glucose and Amino Acids and these via the Villi are taken through the Intestinal Wall into the Bloodstream. Within each Villi is a Lmyph Channel and here the Fat is filtered through to the Lymph System which is part of our Immune System
The Pancreas
Often overlooked, the Pancreas is a 'two in one' organ. As an essential part of the Small Intestine, after neutralizing the Chyme passed through from the Stomach, it secretes with perfect accuracy, the necessary Enzymes into the Duodenum to help digest Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins. These Enzymes are extremely powerful and especially necessary for the break-down of Protein. The second function of the Pancreas is as part of the Endocrine System. the Pancreas stimulates the release of the Hormones Glucagon and Insulin - these help metabolise Carbohydrates and furthermore regulate blood sugar levels. After eating - Insulin is secreted to help remove the amount of sugar in the blood via the cell walls and into the cells themselves. When blood sugar levels drop, eg when you are hungry, the Pancreas secretes Glucagon and this sends a message to the Liver to release some sugar supplies that it has stored ready for release back into the blood.
The Kidneys
The Kidneys rid us of toxins by acting as a filter for our Blood. They also regulate our body fluids and maintain our salt levels. The Blood is cleansed by being filtered through channels called nephrons: here, vital elements eg water, salt, potassium, glucose and minerals are separated and recycled back into the blood. The remainder of waste and toxins are eliminated from the body via a duct called the Ureter which then flows into the Bladder. If the kidneys have enough water to allow the system to be flushed through properly, Blood cleansing will be more efficient, Salt levels will be balanced and your Kidneys will function more perfectly.
pH Balance
Also vital to our Blood System is a perfect Acid/Alkaline (pH) Balance which the Kidneys achieve through their special regulatory ability. Whilst the process of re-absorption is controlled by Hormones from the Pituitary and Adrenal Glands the Kidneys also produce their own Hormones. These help control Blood Pressure, stimulate production of red blood cells in Bone Marrow and activate Vitamin D.
The Liver
The Liver is our chemical factory and storage facility. The Liver has the capacity to regenerate itself, even if 90% of it is damaged or removed. It stores Sugar, filters Chemicals and eliminates Poisons and Toxins. It breaks down red blood cells when spent, and also breaks down, and recycles essential nutrients back around the Body. For all of this, like the Kidneys, it needs water to fulfill the function. The Liver stores sugar for energy reserves. Insulin converts Glucose to Glycogen which can then be stored and converted back when there is a dip in energy, thereby stabilizing the body's blood sugar levels. It can also make its own sugar by converting Amino Acids or Fat. And........it can turn sugars and fats into Protein. Vitamins A B D E and K are also stored in the Liver - all but B is fat soluble, which means all these essential vitamins need Bile and a free-flowing Lymph System before they can get into our Bloodstream and do their job.
Gall Bladder
The Gall Bladder's sole function is to produce the Bile needed to break down fats - some say we dont need it, as we can function without it - if the Gall Bladder is removed in an operation, Bile will still find its way to fat (which is a brilliant example of how the Body can adapt). Stones can build up in the Gall Bladder - these are basically Calcium deposits, and sometimes can be dissolved. One of the reasons we may have excess Calcium not being processed through our body is because Calcium must have Magnesium to synthesize. Also, when the GallBladder stores Bile, it becomes a concentrate and this may remain thick and unable to release properly causing a 'sludging' effect, allowing build-up and blockage.
The Large Intestine
The Large Intestine is made up of the Colon and the Rectum, with a one way valve leading from the Small Intestine. As the Chyme reaches the Large Intestine (bowel), most of the nutrients have been absorbed except for water. The water is then finally absorbed through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream and the end product consisting mainly of any undigested food, roughage and bacteria is bound with mucus ready to enter the rectum as Faeces.
The Bowel
The Bowel is an an important 'barometer'. A lot can be told from the consistency/size of faeces. The 'Perfect Poo' should be medium length, not too hard or too soft. It should not smell rotten and it should be regular - twice a day.................And, it should not have whole bits of food in it, like peas, nuts, sweetcorn, carrotts, or cereal grains.
By the time the waste products are waiting in the rectum to be expelled, there is a constant action of multiplying bacteria all fighting it out for their place - we need this bacteria, but only if it consists of the right kind. In a perfect bowel, smell should be minimal and functon be optimal, but as we know there are many symptoms relating to the bowel - it is the last part of the process and the result of the rest of your digestion. If just one part of any of these processes does not go according to plan..................you can imagine, after 20/30/40 years why it might show in the large intestine.
process...............when this balance is disturbed, the Gut can no longer function perfectly and begins to compensate by trying to redress the balance........This is where stress on our gut begins
How Your Digestion Works (brief outline)
Our Digestion starts when we feel hungry and think of food.
In the Mouth we produce Enzymes to break down the food and send signals to our stomach and rest of the body that food is coming.
The stomach produces more Enzymes and gastric juices including Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) to break down and prepare food for the Small Intestine.
The Small Intestine is where we absorb all the nutrients and goodness from the food. At the beginning is the Duodenum, where the Pancreas secretes more Digestive Enzymes and Hormones including Insulin. There, it also produces a Neutralizer to Alkalize the Acid from the Stomach and the Gall Bladder produces Bile to break down fat.
Nutrients are carried into the Bloodstream from the Small Intestine via the Intestinal Walls and Fat is diverted into The Lymph system, the rest of the undigested food moves on into the Large Intestine.
The Digestion (in depth)
The Stomach
The Stomach is affected by many things..........Stress, Medication, Happiness, Eating Habits, Food Content, Breathing, Thinking, Movement. It is like a Barometer for how well Life is going and it's very sensetive to changes. I have mentioned how thoughts govern our Life Path and it is the same with our Stomachs. Stress causes the Stomach to 'cramp up' and 'shut down' with reduced Hcl production. Maybe you feel a 'Knot' in your Stomach at times of stress, so eating and breathing calmly, while sitting in a relaxed environment really does help a lot...............Love your Food, Love your Stomach
The Small Intestine
The Small Intestine is like an enormous extractor/processing unit,constantly churning the partially digested food (Chyme) around. It's made up of folds and covered with millions of tiny finger-like projections called 'Villi', with each Villi having Microvilli. If it were stretched out, It would spread the size of a tennis court - this large surface area is needed to enhance maximum absorption. Here, after the food from the Stomach has been alkalized and the Hormones, Enzymes and Bile have been added to the mix, the nutrients split into two groups. The first contains Glucose and Amino Acids and these via the Villi are taken through the Intestinal Wall into the Bloodstream. Within each Villi is a Lmyph Channel and here the Fat is filtered through to the Lymph System which is part of our Immune System
The Pancreas
Often overlooked, the Pancreas is a 'two in one' organ. As an essential part of the Small Intestine, after neutralizing the Chyme passed through from the Stomach, it secretes with perfect accuracy, the necessary Enzymes into the Duodenum to help digest Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins. These Enzymes are extremely powerful and especially necessary for the break-down of Protein. The second function of the Pancreas is as part of the Endocrine System. the Pancreas stimulates the release of the Hormones Glucagon and Insulin - these help metabolise Carbohydrates and furthermore regulate blood sugar levels. After eating - Insulin is secreted to help remove the amount of sugar in the blood via the cell walls and into the cells themselves. When blood sugar levels drop, eg when you are hungry, the Pancreas secretes Glucagon and this sends a message to the Liver to release some sugar supplies that it has stored ready for release back into the blood.
The Kidneys
The Kidneys rid us of toxins by acting as a filter for our Blood. They also regulate our body fluids and maintain our salt levels. The Blood is cleansed by being filtered through channels called nephrons: here, vital elements eg water, salt, potassium, glucose and minerals are separated and recycled back into the blood. The remainder of waste and toxins are eliminated from the body via a duct called the Ureter which then flows into the Bladder. If the kidneys have enough water to allow the system to be flushed through properly, Blood cleansing will be more efficient, Salt levels will be balanced and your Kidneys will function more perfectly.
pH Balance
Also vital to our Blood System is a perfect Acid/Alkaline (pH) Balance which the Kidneys achieve through their special regulatory ability. Whilst the process of re-absorption is controlled by Hormones from the Pituitary and Adrenal Glands the Kidneys also produce their own Hormones. These help control Blood Pressure, stimulate production of red blood cells in Bone Marrow and activate Vitamin D.
The Liver
The Liver is our chemical factory and storage facility. The Liver has the capacity to regenerate itself, even if 90% of it is damaged or removed. It stores Sugar, filters Chemicals and eliminates Poisons and Toxins. It breaks down red blood cells when spent, and also breaks down, and recycles essential nutrients back around the Body. For all of this, like the Kidneys, it needs water to fulfill the function. The Liver stores sugar for energy reserves. Insulin converts Glucose to Glycogen which can then be stored and converted back when there is a dip in energy, thereby stabilizing the body's blood sugar levels. It can also make its own sugar by converting Amino Acids or Fat. And........it can turn sugars and fats into Protein. Vitamins A B D E and K are also stored in the Liver - all but B is fat soluble, which means all these essential vitamins need Bile and a free-flowing Lymph System before they can get into our Bloodstream and do their job.
Gall Bladder
The Gall Bladder's sole function is to produce the Bile needed to break down fats - some say we dont need it, as we can function without it - if the Gall Bladder is removed in an operation, Bile will still find its way to fat (which is a brilliant example of how the Body can adapt). Stones can build up in the Gall Bladder - these are basically Calcium deposits, and sometimes can be dissolved. One of the reasons we may have excess Calcium not being processed through our body is because Calcium must have Magnesium to synthesize. Also, when the GallBladder stores Bile, it becomes a concentrate and this may remain thick and unable to release properly causing a 'sludging' effect, allowing build-up and blockage.
The Large Intestine
The Large Intestine is made up of the Colon and the Rectum, with a one way valve leading from the Small Intestine. As the Chyme reaches the Large Intestine (bowel), most of the nutrients have been absorbed except for water. The water is then finally absorbed through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream and the end product consisting mainly of any undigested food, roughage and bacteria is bound with mucus ready to enter the rectum as Faeces.
The Bowel
The Bowel is an an important 'barometer'. A lot can be told from the consistency/size of faeces. The 'Perfect Poo' should be medium length, not too hard or too soft. It should not smell rotten and it should be regular - twice a day.................And, it should not have whole bits of food in it, like peas, nuts, sweetcorn, carrotts, or cereal grains.
By the time the waste products are waiting in the rectum to be expelled, there is a constant action of multiplying bacteria all fighting it out for their place - we need this bacteria, but only if it consists of the right kind. In a perfect bowel, smell should be minimal and functon be optimal, but as we know there are many symptoms relating to the bowel - it is the last part of the process and the result of the rest of your digestion. If just one part of any of these processes does not go according to plan..................you can imagine, after 20/30/40 years why it might show in the large intestine.