by Glenn S. Rothfeld MD

1. Increase raw and lightly cooked foods, while decreasing processed foods.
2. Eat only when in a relaxed and conscious state.
3. Use digestive enzymes.
4. Take a probiotic supplement.

In my twenty-five years of practice, I’ve become more and more aware of the role that digestion plays in our physiology. I’m trained in both Western and Chinese medicine, and both systems emphasize the importance of the gastrointestinal functions. In Chinese Medicine the nutritive or digestive qi, or energy, is a prime source of our life force, along with breath and genetic material.

In Western medicine we have increasing evidence that digestive problems are connected with problems of other body systems. In nutritional literature, most auto-immune diseases are statistically associated with low production of digestive juices. Metabolic illnesses like diabetes and hyperparathyroidism have digestive components. The gastrointestinal illnesses including hiatal hernia, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease and, particularly, the functional problems known as Irritable bowel syndrome are widespread in our society, and make up perhaps the most frequent complaints to present to a primary care practice. Finally, the use of antacids and of H2-blockers such as Tagamet and Zantac speak to the almost-universal effects of modern medicine and modern life on the digestive tract.

Looking at how the digestive system can affect so many illnesses and so many symptoms, we are reminded that the intestines make up the largest surface area of the body, and a surface that is a barrier between us and the outside world. In fact, if the walls of the intestines were laid out flat, they would cover a football field! Such a large organ has several special functions. The intestines are lined with immune proteins, particularly secretory IgA, and the lower bowel is covered with bacteria that protect against foreign substances entering the body. The stomach is bathed in a hydrochloric acid solution to sterilize anything that comes through it, and the mouth, stomach, small intestines and pancreas all secrete digestive enzymes to help break down foods into individual building blocks. The intestinal walls are made to allow the absorption of these food molecules, and various nutrients, some absorbed passively and some requiring active transport into the body.

What interferes with these functions? The answer, in a word, is LIFE. Many studies have shown that stress suppresses secretory IgA, making our digestive tracts more susceptible to invasion by harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites. The reliance on medications to neutralize the hydrochloric acid in our systems takes away this important barrier to foreign invasion, as well as limiting the important role that hydrochloric acid can play in digestion. Antibiotics and common foods such as colas, coffee and fried foods can alter and diminish the helpful bacteria in the colon. And lowered amounts and potency of our digestive enzymes leads to undigested foods.

Poor digestion in particular causes many problems directly and indirectly, and may be the key that links digestion to many systemic illnesses. First of all, when a food is not completely broken down in the intestines, it may not be absorbed well. Instead, it stays in the intestines to the colon, where it feeds bacteria, not always the helpful kind. Bacterial digestion of food particles frequently causes gas, bloating, and the production of harmful toxins in the colon. Second, bits of protein in particular can cause problems if not fully digested. Looking very much like foreign viruses and other invaders, they can stimulate the immune system, leading to so-called food sensitivities or allergies. Bannerman’s textbook, Food Allergies, describes much of this in detail. There is also good evidence that bits of protein can absorb intact into the blood stream, where they look and act much like the messenger hormones put out by the neurologic and endocrine systems. This is probably why some foods such as wheat, can cause mental and behavioral symptoms if not well digested. Finally, many of the nutrients that are contained in foods are not absorbed when the foods that contain them are not digested, leading to multiple small nutritional deficiencies.

Which brings us to a discussion of enzymes. The body produces digestive enzymes, enzymes which make biochemical processes happen, and enzymes that control inflammation and reactivity. Dr. Edward Howell, an enzyme researcher, first articulated the Law of Enzyme Conservation, since proven in several venues. Simply stated, this says that the body produces a set number of enzymes, and if there is an increased need for digestive enzymes, there will be a decrease in production elsewhere. Now, Nature gave us all the enzymes we want, contained in raw fruits and vegetables. These are activated in the process of eating raw foods, and they are inactivated upon cooking or otherwise altering foods. If we eat a diet strong in raw foods, there is less need of the body to produce its own enzymes. However, most of us do not eat a diet of raw foods, if any. Furthermore, we eat complex, processed foods with very little resemblance to “live” foods. And if that’s not sufficient, we eat them at business meetings, or shovel them in while watching TV, or gobble them with one hand while we drive toward our next appointment with the other. No wonder there is an epidemic of poor digestion, underabsorption of nutrients, and deficient digestive enzyme function!

My strategy for combating this in my patients is several fold. First, I encourage an increase in raw and lightly cooked foods, and a concurrent decrease in processed foods, fried foods and “quasi-foods” such as colas, coffee, and carbo-laden snacks. Second, I try to emphasize the importance of eating in a relaxed state, and some concentration and awareness of what we’re eating. The digestive tract is too important to make it compete with everything else to do its job!

Third, I use digestive enzymes with just about everyone. Usually, this is the first thing I give when a patient comes in, that’s how critical they are to most people’s healing. I prefer plant-based enzymes to the pancreatic enzymes that are on the market. Plant-based enzymes are made from aspergillus, and have a much broader activity than animal-source or synthetic enzymes. That is, they are made up of a number of enzymes (proteases, peptidases, isomaltases, etc), each able to break a different bond. It’s analogous to using wild yeast, versus the stuff you get in the packets. The end result is a more completely digested food, not just the cleaving into small particles that you get with pancreatin. Furthermore, plant-based enzymes are more stable in acid environments, and thus can pass actively through the stomach, whereas pancreatin cannot.

My fourth suggestion takes us back to the intestinal bacteria which lines the colon and has so many important functions. You know, there are actually more bacteria in our colons than there are cells in our bodies, and damage to this bacterial cover can be due to antibiotics (given to us or to the animals that we eat), stress, alcohol, or other dietary indiscretions. Toxic bacterial overgrowth is implicated in problems such as auto-immune diseases and various cancers. And, as I said before, good bacteria are important in immune system function, in digestion and in absorption of nutrients.

To replenish the good intestinal bacteria, I give a bowel flora product This product contains DDS-1, a strain of lactobacillus acidophyllus which has been studied a lot for its positive effects on the digestive tract. It also contains other strains of bacteria, including bifidus, bulgaricus, and enterococcus faecium, all known to strengthen and build a healthy colon. This and other intestinal flora products usually also contain fructooligopolysaccharides, (FOS), a food used to nourish the healthy bacteria of the intestines.

So, in conclusion, let me say that we are not about to go back to the Garden of Eden, where Nature provided us with fresh enzyme-rich and nutrient-rich foods in an environment conducive to digesting it. But we can try to be conscious of what we eat and how we eat it. We can add plant-based enzymes to our regular diet, to help protect our body’s own enzyme activity and to prevent the ravages of poor digestion. And we can repair any damage to the bacterial layer of our intestines by taking intestinal flora supplements. It’s a good head start on any program toward better health.

To implement a program based on Dr. Rothfeld€™s recommendations, you may order the following supplements:

Similase(digestive enzyme) take 1-2 with meals
PB-8 (intestinal flora) 2 twice daily after meals
Other supplements that may be helpful for digestive problems are:
RF Plus (an herbal formula used to help the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome) 2 after each meal
NeutraGas (an herbal formula used to help the symptoms of intestinal gas) 2 after each meal
 

[Please notify your doctor that you are planning on taking these supplements. This program is not a substitute for regular medical care, and does not purport to treat specific medical illnesses.]