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Digestion
Digestion, or the change that food undergoes, takes place in a long tube like canal
called the digestive tract. (alimentary canal) The whole canal is lined with a mucous
membrane.
Accessory organs like the liver and gallbladder which empties bile into the small
intestine to emulsify fats and the pancreas which empties pancreatic juice into the
small intestine also aid digestion.
From the time a meal is eaten, it takes 10 to 24 hours for food to travel the length of
the alimentary canal.
Emotions & Digestion
In 1822 Alexis St. Martin, a 19 year old fur trapper was accidentally hit at close range
by a shotgun - which left a permanent open hole in his stomach. The attending Doctor,
William Beaumont was surprised when St. Martin lived and saw the accident as a
unique opportunity to learn about digestion. His years of experiments discovered many
of the basic facts of gastric physiology taught today, including the first direct
observations of the relationship between emotion and digestion.
When St. Martin was particularly distressed, Beaumont noted little digestion occurring
- as we now know, the sympathetic nervous system inhibits digestive activity, which
affects all organs of the area, including the colon.
The Mouth: The start of the process
The mechanical action of chewing breaks food down into small pieces that are more
easily attacked by digestive juices. The chemical actions of salivary enzymes which are
produced by the salivary glands in the mouth begin to digest carbohydrates.
The Esophagus: On the way to the Stomach
Once swallowed, the food enters the long tube that runs from the mouth to the
stomach called the esophagus. It uses rhythmic, wave-like muscle movements (called
peristalsis) to force food from the throat into the stomach. Peristalsis is an automatic
action that takes place throughout the digestive tract.
In the Stomach
The stomach is a large, sack-like organ that bathes the food in 2-3 litres of strong
gastric juices for up to an hour. The stomach blends the food into a thick liquid, called
chyme, before it is passed on by peristalsis into the small intestine.
In the Small Intestine
The small intestine is about 6 to 7 meters long. Most nutrients (90%) are absorbed
into the bloodstream through the small intestines during a 3 to 6 hours transit time.
In the small intestine, bile (produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder),
pancreatic enzymes, and other digestive enzymes produced by the inner wall of the
small intestine help in the breakdown of food.
The lining of the small intestine contains many folds and many microscopic finger like
projections called villi. The digested food is passed through the cell membranes of the
villi into the blood and lymph, which carry it to the cells. The body can then use the
food for energy and growth.
In the Large Intestine
Also known as the colon or bowel, the large intestine is a muscular tube approximately
1.5 meters long. Here most of the water that was mixed with the food is removed
through the walls of the large intestine. The waste is turned into solids that are passed
from the body by Peristalsis over 3-12 hours.
The colon, along with skin, kidneys, lungs and the liver is a major eliminatory organ in
the body.
The muscles on the outer wall of the colon create wave-like contractions (peristalsis)
which move the stool along.
Food travels from the first part of the large intestine, the cecum (the appendix is
connected to the cecum) upward in the ascending colon. Then travels across the
abdomen in the transverse colon, goes back down the other side of the body in the
descending colon, and then through the sigmoid colon. Solid waste is then stored in
the rectum until it is excreted via the anus.
In the Anus
It is lined with tender tissue like the inside of your cheeks. The lining contains glands
like saliva glands that secrete lubrication, allowing smooth passage of stool.
The large intestine is colonized by bacteria like Lactobacillus Acidophilus which aid in
the digestion process. We have a symbiotic relationship with them; they eat the
cellulose we can't digest, make B and K vitamins and make methane gas and hydrogen
sulphide which is smelly. Every time you have a bowel movement 30% of the solid
matter is bacteria.
The primary function of the colon is to prepare and store waste materials for
elimination. The colon also absorbs water, electrolytes and some vitamins back into
the body for use by cells.
If bowel movements are irregular or hampered in any way, elimination becomes
incomplete and waste products can build up in the colon, dehydration and stagnation
occur, toxins and unfriendly bacteria can accumulate, weaken the colon and impair its
function.
Every day our bodies are exposed to toxins and pollutants in the air we breathe, the
water we drink and the food we eat. Our modern lifestyle has taken its toll on our
digestive and eliminatory organs.
Refined, processed and low fiber foods, too little exercise, lack of water, not enough
rest and stress all contribute to digestive and health problems.
Colon inefficiency and toxicity may be the underlying cause of many commonly
reported problems.