Digestive wellness

480 Pages·2004·1.83 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Lipski

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
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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
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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