Digestive Wellness Completely Revised and Updated Third Edition Elizabeth Lipski, Ph.D., CCN Copyright © 2005 by Elizabeth Lipski. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-146008-X The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-144196-4. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. 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DOI: 10.1036/007146008X Contents Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Who Can Benefit from This Book? xv 1 The American Way of Life Is Hazardous to Our Health 1 Food and the Environment 6 Food Preparation and Technology 7 Food Additives • The Microwave • Genetic Engineering • Food Irradiation The Changing American Lifestyle 12 Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers • Antibiotics • Pollution and Environmental Toxins The Will to Change 14 2 A Voyage Through the Digestive System 17 You Aren’t Only What You Eat 18 A Guided Tour Through the Digestive System 21 The Brain • The Mouth • The Esophagus • The Stomach: The Body’s Blender • Small Intestine • The Pancreas • Gut- Associated Lymphatic Tissue (GALT) • Gut Serotonin • The Liver: The Body’s Fuel Filter • The Gallbladder: A Holding Tank for Bile • The Large Intestine or Colon iii iv Contents 3 The Bugs in Your Body: Intestinal Flora 37 The Many Benefits of Intestinal Flora 40 Probiotic Bacteria Help Us in Many Ways Not All Intestinal Bacteria Are Friendly 48 Prebiotics 48 Foods and Herbs That Enhance Intestinal Flora 50 Probiotic Supplements 52 Dosage 4 Dysbiosis: A Good Neighborhood Gone Bad 55 What Causes Dysbiosis? 62 Patterns of Dysbiosis 65 Putrefaction Dysbiosis • Fermentation Dysbiosis • Deficiency Dysbiosis • Sensitization Dysbiosis Candida: The Masquerader 68 5 Leaky Gut Syndrome: The Systemic Consequences of Faulty Digestion 81 What Causes Leaky Gut Syndrome? 86 Chronic Stress • Dysbiosis • Environmental Contaminants • Overconsumption of Alcoholic Beverages • Poor Food Choices • Use of Medication Restoring Gut Integrity 88 Food and Environmental Sensitivities 89 Lectins 93 Elimination-Provocation Diet 94 6 Functional Medicine and Functional Testing 97 Acid-Alkaline Balance and pH Testing 98 Home pH Testing Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) 106 Contents v Parasitology Testing 107 Elimination-Provocation Food Sensitivity Testing 114 Food Allergy/Sensitivity Testing 115 Leaky Gut Syndrome or Intestinal Permeability Testing 116 Heidelberg Capsule Test 116 Functional Liver Profile Testing 117 Indican Test 119 Lactose Intolerance Testing 119 Hair Analysis 121 Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth Test 121 Electrical Acupuncture Voltage (EAV) Testing 122 Organic Acid Testing 123 7 Moving Toward a Wellness Lifestyle 125 8 First Things First: Detoxification 131 Detoxification Programs 134 Fruit and Vegetable Cleansing 134 Metabolic Cleansing 136 Vitamin C Flush 137 Low-Temperature Saunas and Steams 138 9 Diet Means “A Way of Living” 145 Clean Out the Pantry 146 Rules for Eating, Cooking, and Shopping 148 Eat Local Foods in Season • The Life in Foods Gives Us Life • Plan Ahead: Carry Food with You • Eat Small, Frequent Meals to Sustain Even Energy Levels • Eat When You Are Hungry; Stop When You Are Satisfied • Relax While Eating • Choose Organically Grown Foods Whenever Possible • Eat as Many Fruits and Vegetables as Possible • Eat Lean Protein Including High EPA and DHA Fish One to Two Times a vi Contents Week • Drink Clean Water • Respect Your Own Biochemical Uniqueness • Increase High-Fiber Foods A Guide to Buying Food 160 Cereals and Grains • Eggs • Fish and Seafood • Seaweeds • Meat and Poultry • Oils, Nuts, and Seeds Shopping List 164 Fruits and Vegetables • Legumes (Beans and Peas) • Whole Grains • Whole Grain Breads • Breads and Pastas • Cereals • Dairy Products and Eggs • Fish and Seafood • Meats and Poultry • Beverages • Oils, Nuts, and Seeds • Condiments 10 Natural Therapies for Common Digestive Problems 171 Mouth 173 Bad Breath or Halitosis • Cheilosis or Cracks in the Corners of the Mouth and Lips • Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease • Mouth Ulcers or Canker Sores • Thrush • Tongue Problems Esophagus 183 Belching or Eructation • Heartburn or Gastric Reflux and Hiatal Hernia • Barrett’s Esophagus Stomach 190 Gastric Hypofunction or Hypochlorhydria • Gastric Ulcers and Gastritis Liver 203 Hepatitis • Cirrhosis Pancreas 218 Gallbladder 220 Gallstones Small Intestine 226 Flatulence or Intestinal Gas • Parasites • Celiac Disease, Sprue, or Gluten Intolerance Contents vii Colon or Large Intestine 240 Constipation • Diarrhea • Diverticular Disease • Irritable Bowel Syndrome • Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis • Hemorrhoids 11 Natural Therapies for the Diverse Consequences of Faulty Digestion 279 Arthritis 280 Osteoarthritis • Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) • Psoriatic Arthritis • Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) Asthma 300 Behcet’s Disease (BD) 305 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 311 Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis 321 Fibromyalgia 329 Food and Environmental Sensitivities 337 Migraine Headaches 343 Psoriasis 351 Schizophrenia 358 Scleroderma 362 Appendix: Resources 371 References 375 Index 439 This page intentionally left blank. Foreword I ’ve had the pleasure of having a professional exchange with Liz Lipski for nearly nineteen years and have been impressed with the way that she has kept abreast of the latest knowledge and information in nutritional sciences—and how it applies to nutri- tionally related chronic health problems. Her book, Digestive Well- ness, opens the door to a new chapter in nutritional science. The result will be the alleviation of a number of health problems that many people have experienced for years, not knowing what to do about them. We now recognize that the intestinal tract plays an important role in determining our health other than just digest- ing our food and getting rid of waste products. We are not “what we eat” but rather “what we absorb from what we eat.” It is this aspect of our digestive system that may, in fact, determine our immune function, glandular activity, and neurological function. I believe that Dr. Lipski’s book identifies these relationships well and gets the reader to understand the complex interrelationships of our digestive process—and the bacteria living in our digestive tract that are in constant communication with us. It may come as a great surprise to many readers of this book to learn that the bacteria that live in our digestive tract are the largest organ of the body, even though they’re not tied directly to the body through the blood supply. Bacteria in our intestinal tract weigh nearly three and a half pounds and are metabolically active, releasing many substances into our blood that are absorbed across the intestinal barrier. A number of these substances, such as vitamins and amino acids, may be beneficial to our health, and others, which come from harmful bacteria, may, in fact, alter our ix