Continuing with the orchestra analogy, think of the score as the set of instructions that all have to follow to bring the song to life. The players have to rest when told to, play when they are told to, hold a note for a certain length of time. Same with our digestive organs. Each have a role and a set of instructions to follow to ensure that their part and the parts of the proceeding organs are succesful. We need to act in such a way to give our organs the opportunity to follow the score as written.
Hypothalamus: Typically, when you are watching the orchestral performance, the conductor is relaxed, makes eye contact with the musicians, slowly raises his hands, takes a breath, and then is off and conducting with enthusiam and emotion. The hypothalamus wants the same opportunity to communicate with the digestive organs. If you are eating in your car, in a rushed environment, in a sympathetic state (stressed) you are not allowing that communication to happen. Our ancestors approached a meal with thankfulness and appreciation for the food infront of them. It was ritual. We need to strive to get back to that place. Sit at the meal table, actually see what you are about to eat. Take in its beauty, smell the aroma, and then give thanks. In the meantime, your mouth can start producing saliva and your stomach has the opportunity to start producing some hydrochloric acid.
Mouth: The mouth is the first to start the breakdown of the food. If you don’t have enough saliva because you are rushing through your meal or you are eating in a stressed (sympathetic) state or if you are not chewing your food enough (30 chews) then you are not breaking down the carbohydrates and will put extra burdeon on your stomach. Undigested carbohydrates can cause issues further down the digestive line such as feeding unfriendly bacteria and yeast.
Stomach: In this environment, the key is acid. There are several reasons that one may not produce enough stomach acid for digestion. Often times, heartburn and acid reflux are attributed to too much acid. 90% of the time, the opposite is true and its actually a result of not enough stomach acid. This is a very involved topic for another post. But, for our discussion here, if there is not enough stomach acid several issues can occur. First, there is nothing to keep the parasites, undesirable bacteria and pathogens in check. The stomach uses the acid to prevent these unwanted buggers from getting further into the digestive track. Second, if the food hangs out in the stomach too long because there is not enough acid to efficiently break it down, it will backup into the esophagus which is not protected from the acidic mixture. This is the feeling of heartburn or acid reflux. Remember, the pH of the food mixture has to be between 1.5-3 in order for the mixture (chyme) to be allowed into the small intestine.
Small Intestine: As you might recall, once the mixture is allowed into the small intestine, the pH has to be raised to protect the lining. If the pH is not at the right level entering into the small intestine, there is no trigger for the sodium bicarbonate to be released and it could lead to duodenal ulcers. Low fat or “bad” fat diets (such as canola oil) cause the bile in the gallbladder to become thick. Its difficult for the gallbladder to squeeze out thick bile into the small intestine. Bile is responsible for breaking down fats, without it, any good fats that you may digest can not be broken down and absorbed. If proteins are unable to be broken down appropriately they can push through the intestinal lining causing a “leaky” situation. Typically, the lining only allows small molecules through. In a leaky situation, large proteins get through and cause issues with the immune system such as food allergies and sensitivities.
Large Intestine: Now instead of the large intestine being able to focus on recycling, capturing, and expelling, it has to focus on dealing with undigested food, parasites, bacteria, and undigested fats. YUCK! This overwhelms the good bacteria in the colon and weakens the cells. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions.
Lastly, we will explore how to keep the digestive system healthy…Keeping it Healthy – A Key to the Body’s Song