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Natural Alternatives for Ailments of the Digestive Tract

Keeping your digestive tract healthy is essential to good health.  A healthy stomach produces  acid and is vital to digestion.  If the stomach doesn't produce enough acid, processing of food is slowed down.  This leads to heartburn as the food, mixed with acid, is pushed back up into the esophagus.  The esophagus is not protected with a lining of mucus like the stomach.

Excessive acid production is not usually the cause of heartburn.  Up to 1/3 of bleeding ulcers is caused by taking ibuprofen and aspirin. 

Antacids and prescription drugs, such as Tagamet and Zantac, can cause vitamins and minerals to not be absorbed into your body correctly.

After your food leaves the stomach, it moves into the duodenum.  Both the pancreas and small intestines secrete enzymes, amylase and protease, to break down the food so that your body can use the nutrients.  Enzymes play a major role in all bodily functions.  If you are lacking in any one enzymes, you can have serious problems such as cramping or diarrhea after you drink milk (lack of lactase).

Digestive enzymes are created from cofactors or coenzymes.  Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals will insure that you have the digestive enzymes needed.

The food then moves on to the small intestine where most of the nutrients that have been broken down are absorbed into the bloodstream and liver.

Once your food reaches the large intestine, vitamins A, B12, D and E are absorbed.  If your previous digestion was not adequate, you will have some undigested food in the large intestine.  This will cause gas, constipation or diarrhea, cramping and bloating when the colon starts to work on it.  This is the cause of Irritable Bowl Syndrome.

Probiotics are the bacteria in the large intestine that break down this food.  Prescription drugs and antibiotics can kill this good bacteria.  This will lead to a growth of yeast who can reproduce easily without the probiotics to control it.  If you are treated with antibiotics, you should follow them with probiotic supplementation.

By keeping the toxins that are passed on into the colon at a minimum, you can reduce your risk of colon cancer in the future.  Eating fiber helps you to avoid constipation which is tough on the colon.  Fiber absorbs toxins and flushes them from your body in the form of feces.  If constipation occurs, it is possible for the toxins to absorbed into the bloodstream.

Selenium is excellent for your colon.  Colon cancer rates are significantly lower in areas where the soil is rich in selenium.  Folic acid deficiency is also thought to lead to several types of cancer.

If you would like to Cleanse your digestive system, ask your doctor if he feels you are healthy enough to go through cleansing process.  Some cleanses can be tough on your system.  You may go through withdrawals if you frequently have an intake of caffeine.  Make sure you study the steps in the cleanse you choose and make a list of the groceries you will need BEFORE you get to the store.

Cleansing your body can flush toxins and waste from your digestive system and make you healthier.  But, you will need to improve your diet to keep the progress going.  If you go back to an unhealthy diet, your problems will come back.