Traditional medicine focuses its efforts on addressing whatever symptoms you present with, and giving you a medication to address that symptom. This doesn't get to what is causing the problem in the first place, so the core dysfunction continues unabated. Many times new symptoms arise, and we are then given a different medicine for that symptom, continuing with the previous medicine for the previous symptom. This can go on and on indefinitely,while the original dysfunction may contine to worsen. Symptoms are our body's way of telling us that something is wrong, and it will keep throwing them out there till we finally pay attention to what's causing them in the first place, instead of just trying to shut the symptoms up with a new medicine.
I began to see this very thing happening an older beloved family member. Over the years, she was given more and more medicines to manage her ever-increasing symptoms, never having any of the previous medicines taken away. Eventually, she was no longer able to digest food properly, was becoming malnourished, had no energy, didn't feel like leaving her house, and in general, her usual effervescent spark was going out. I started to attend doctor visits with her and began to get more and more disillusioned with this process. Most doctors have to deal with "managed" care, and thus, have only a few minutes to spend with each patient. Everything is happening so fast in these appointments that, especially for an older person, who may not be able to hear well, half of what is said is lost. Doctors may mean well, but in this system, they often simply don't have time to do as well as they could.
Never one to leave not-well-enough alone, I started looking into all her medications, and how they were beginning to spiral her out of control. She was taking one medication to deal with the symptoms another one was causing, and so on, and so on, never getting to the bottom of the issue of what was causing the original dysfunction. I finally got her to see a non-traditional medical practitioner, and I am very hopeful about her future. The reason being that alternative, complementary, holistic, or natural medicine, or whatever name you want to give it, looks to find what's causing the body not to work properly in the first place, and tries to restore healthy functioning.
No Guts, No Glory
According to Hippocrates, all diseases begin in the gut. Our guts are filled with bacteria, and that’s the way it should be. These bacteria line our entire digestive tracts, and provide a barrier to keep invaders out and food particles in. They can also break down toxins, viruses, etc. The problem is that for many of us, the good bacteria get overtaken by the bad bacteria, creating a cascade of troubles. When this protective barrier is broken down, undigested food particles can slip through the wall and into the blood stream, where they were never meant to be. This activates the immune system, which tries to kill off the invader, and over time, it can begin to attack the body itself, causing autoimmune conditions.
When our gut bacteria get out of balance, the cells that help with digestion and the absorption of food can’t do their jobs properly. Though you might be taking in plenty of food, if it is not getting properly digested, you will not be able to get the nutrition out of it that you need. Also, you can begin to develop food intolerances when your cells cannot properly digest your food. The same is true of vitamins and other supplements: if you can't absorb their nutrients, it doesn't matter how many you take, you won't get the benefits.
One of the most important functions of the gut bacteria or “flora” is in the immune system. Gut flora help with the production of lymphocytes and immunogobulins, which protect the body from invaders. If gut flora is not healthy, then we are not well protected from infections. Additionally, if there is not enough beneficial bacteria in the gut, the neutrophils and macrophages can’t do their jobs of surrounding, cleaning up, and destroying viruses, toxins, etc. Finally, if the gut flora is not healthy, the production of interferons and other immune response regulators, the things which call the immune system troops to arms, and turn off the immune response when the invader has been killed, is interfered with as well. This can cause the whole immune system to get out of whack.
There are a number of possible ways our gut bacteria can get out of balance, and cause the rest of our bodies to get out of whack, too. Antibiotics, whether from medication we’ve taken or those given to the animals we later eat, can be devastating to gut flora. If you’ve taken oral antibiotics, you’ve probably experienced the nausea and/or diarrhea that can follow a few days after starting them. If so, you’ve experienced what happens when good bacteria in the gut are killed off. Your body can’t process your food properly without the good bacteria, so you are left with the aftereffects of undigested food trying to move through your system.
Some drugs, if taken over long periods of time, can cause the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in our guts. For example, birth control pills can cause an overgrowth of Candida, a yeast which can overtake your gut and become a systemic problem, where the Candida is carried around the body in the blood. Antacids kill of the stomach acids necessary to break down food, so the undigested food ferments in the system, causing an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. Certainly, the foods we eat in the typical American diet, lots of sugar, lots of starches, not many vegetables, etc., can cause an overgrowth of Candida. Candida thrives on sugars and starches, and puts the toxins from its own digestive processes right back into your system. So now you’ve got a digestive system that can’t do its job, which then has to fight even more toxins from the yeast’s digestion. It can become a very vicious cycle.
Probiotics can help restore balance in your digestive system. These are live microorganisms that can help restore healthy bacteria to your gut. There are many different types available, but they must be kept refrigerated to keep them alive. Check out Wikipedia if you are interested in learning more about the specific strains of good bacteria. The one I take is by Garden of Life and is called Primal Defense Ultra. If Candida has gotten out of control in your system, you may need to attack it directly. You can find many products online and in health food stores that will help in this process. It can also be helpful to use digestive enzymes every time you eat, to help your body break down foods more fully. The one I like is also by Garden of Life, and is called Omega Zyme. I should point out that I have no affiliation with this company, I just think they make high quality products.
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