Digestive upset is notoriously recurrent in many people, because it is often triggered by adverse lifestyle. While symptoms of digestive disturbance can spell serious disease such as cancer or inflammation, most common digestive symptoms are due to altered function of the digestive tract. These disorders are called "functional digestive diseases".
The mechanisms that control digestive function are highly complex and they have to work in harmony. Drugs and surgery for digestive disease do not work generally to restore the harmony of the gut, but these approaches are necessary for diseases that alter the structure of the bowel, e.g. cancer, certain serious types of inflammation and other serious diseases. I propose that functional upsets of the digestive tract are a prime target for the use of remedies of natural origin. Natural substances may provide simple, gentle and safe first-line options, before an individual reaches for an over-the-counter drug or a drug prescription.
Traditional Use of Natural Remedies for Digestive Upset
Several approaches exist in natural medicine to attempt to rebalance digestive function. Many consumers believe in the benefits of body cleansing, the use of enzymes to promote digestion, attempts to detoxify the body. Friendly bacteria can grow in the lower bowel and promote health in a variety of complex ways (probiotics).
Conventional medicine has argued that colon cleansing may not be a valuable intervention. However, many people report a favorable outcome from the appropriate intermittent use of laxatives or colonic irrigation. There is a revival in interest in colon therapy and some studies are attempting to define the benefit of colon cleansing in a variety of circumstances. The idea that the bowel can be a source of toxins is a concept that is being increasingly accepted, even though it is often challenged in conventional medicine.
Seeding the Gut: Prebiosis and Problosis
The value of using healthy bacteria (probiotics) in dietary supplements for gastrointestinal and general health is well recognized in the practice of natural medicine; and in recent years it has become part of main-line, conventional medicine. The process of reseeding the intestines with friendly bacteria normally found in healthy intestines is called probiotic therapy.
One can assist the growth of friendly bacteria in the colon by using specific "foods" (often complex carbohydrates) that are used by friendly bacteria, such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. There are particularly, good sources of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). FOS promotes food for friendly bacteria and the growth of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria such as oats, bananas and onions, which contain (FOS). Also, good bacteria love dietary fiber. Friendly gut bacteria promote the normal structure and function of the lining of the intestines, and they prime the immune system in the gut. In this regard, some of the friendly bacteria are particularly important in enhancing the body's resistance to disease by simulating immune function and exerting interference with organisms that infect the bowel and cause infectious diarrhea (Table 1).
TABLE 1 |
Major Benefits of Probiotic Therapy |
| aaaAssistance with digestion
aaaAlleviation of digestive disorders, e.g. colitis, IBS, peptic ulcer aaaEnhancement of the synthesis of several vitamins (especially B complex) aaaEnhanced mineral absorption, especially calcium aaaProtection against pathogenic bacterial infections, e.g. E. coli infection aaaReduction of symptoms of lactose intolerance, permits aaa Reduction of yeast overgrowth (candidiasis), aaaImprovement in immune function, "primes" the gut immune system aaaAnti-carcinogenic effects, some good evidence aaaPrevention of Helicobador pylon infection and its aaaAcne prevention aaaCholesterol reduction, modest and unpredictable |
The supplementation of the diet with food enzymes has become a very popular part of natural medicine. There are many different enzymes that can be taken in supplements that may assist in the digestion of food, e.g., protease, amylase, lipase, cellulose, lactase, bromelain, papain, and pepsin.
Innovations In Dietary Supplements for Digestion
Many people have used probiotics (healthy bacteria), prebiotics (food for healthy bacteria), detoxifying herbs and enzymes in separate supplements. When these supplements are taken individually they can result in considerable expense.
New products, such as Digestion™, combine the four mainstays of balancing digestive function by providing probiosis, prebiosis, detoxification and enzymes together. This "one-stop digestive shop" is a cost-effective way of helping to provide natural balance for digestion (www.naturaldigestion.com).
In my book, "Natural Ways to Digestive Health," (M. Evans Publishers Inc., NY, NY, 2000), I reviewed the use of natural substances for cleansing, detoxification and renewal of the functions of the bowel. The principles are reinforced in my new book, "Digestion,".
Until recently, natural medicine had provided little in the way of effective natural approaches for upper digestive complaints, such as acidity causing heartburn. Natural substances exist that neutralize gastric acid in the same way as over-the-counter antacids (e.g. Turns", Maalox®, etc.). Studies show that fava bean flour is a useful way of neutralizing acid and certain extracts of berries inhibit the secretion of stomach acid by a mechanism similar to popular proton pump inhibitor drugs, such as Prilosec®, Nexium® and Prevacid®. While the mechanisms of action of these natual inhibitors of stomach acid may be similar, these natural substances are not drugs and these are not often as potent as drugs at inhibiting the acid-pumping mechanisms of the stomach. This may be an advantage because long-term, potent suppression of stomach acid is not considered healthy, especially in natural medicine.
Peptic ulcer is often caused by an infection with a bacterium (Helicobacter pylon). Several herbal and botanical agents or extracts have shown promise in fighting H. pylon, e.g. gum mastica (mastic gum, an ancient Greek remedy). Modern nutraceutical approaches to H. pylon infection stress the role of antioxidants in reversing the oxidative damage caused to the lining of the digestive tract. I believe that antioxidants can alter the clinical course of acid-related disease of the upper digestive tract in a beneficial manner, but conventional medicine may not agree.
A Step Towards Eradication of Much Digestive Upset
Much digestive upset occurs as a consequence of taking prescription or overthe-counter drugs. In some cases, the damage caused by such drugs is serious and even life-threatening. For example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), including aspirin, can precipitate life-threatening bleeding from the upper and lower digestive tracts and cause impairment of liver and kidney functions. These drugs include ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, suldinac, etc. Their side effects are so common that these issues have been described as a major public health concern. I believe that we can limit the use of these potentially dangerous drugs by examining natural methods for pain relief and the nutritional support of bone and joint health.