Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Immune Health Starts in the Stomach

One of the primary ways that macro and micronutrients assimilate into the body is through the mouth. Through the processes of eating (and breathing to a smaller extent), we receive our dietary needs and quite a bit more. Trapped in with the food are also viral and bacterial particles which must be filtered. Located throughout the digestive tract is an estimated 3 to 5 pounds of 'good' bacteria which live synergistically in our body, the primary intent of which is to immediately detect and eliminate those outside invaders which can be the source of so much discomfort to us.

While it is not the intent of this blog to go into extensive depth on the topic, suffice it to say there are a number of things which can compromise this delicately balanced system. Among them is consuming a diet of refined carbohydrates, sugars, high-fructose corn syrup and trans-fat laden meats. One of the most destructive elements is a course of antibiotics, which systematically can wipe out the core of our 'good' bacteria, allowing the balance of disease-causing bacteria to flourish. When this happens, not only are the nutrients in our food not properly broken down (leading to a host of digestive ailments and autoimmune response diseases), but our innate immune system becomes dramatically desensitized. Bacterial invay would be extinguished are not allowed to pass, or reacted to at a lower level, making us much more prone to acute and chronic illness.

In order to ensure that our 'good' bacteria are populated in our digestive tract, it is necessary to take a good organic-based probiotic, especially after age 50 when the immune response tends to diminish as stomach acid levels decline. for this same reason, it is essential to take digestive enzyme support which provides for the proper breakdown of foods, relieving the burden placed on the pancreas to release excessive amounts of enzymes and insulin to accomplish the digestive goal.

It is important to take a digestive enzyme before going to bed on an empty stomach. When there is no food to break down in the stomach, the enzymes are released directly into the blood where they have been demonstrated to act as a sort of 'de-cloaking' mechanism. When used this way, the protein covers which encapsulate the early stage cancer cells which are naturally flowing through the blood supply are broken down, allowing your heightened immune system to quickly detect the cells and engulf them for processing out of the body.

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