Digestion-The Full Story Part 1

Eating.  We've all been doing it for years.  Some of us faster, some slower.  Some messy, some clean, but- internally-we all do it the same.  Most of us don't even think about what happens after we swallow that cookie or bite of steak.  Once it is chewed, it is out of sight and out of mind.  Digestive issues are very common in our office and many people are amazed when they learn that their ailments are actually digestion related-eczema, for example.  In this series of posts, we are going to breakdown digestion to show how everything is connected and why our diet is so important.

Digestion actually starts in the BRAIN!  We have all been there.  Walking along a sidewalk and you get that whiff of a warm, freshly-made pizza.  That smell sends a signal to your brain to start producing enzymes and before you know it, your mouth is watering.  Salivary glands prepare to produce saliva when you begin to salivate after smelling that pizza, that is your body already starting the process of digestion!  Carb digestion actually begins in the mouth.  Amylase is an enzyme created specifically to breakdown carbs and it is secreted about this time.  Without proper amounts of amylase, that bowl of pasta you had for lunch would be sitting like a brick in your stomach.

FUN FACT

Humans do not produce adequate amounts of amylase until about 18 months old. 

This is why many doctors suggest not giving babies grain cereals as parents once did. 

Once your food has mixed properly with your saliva, it travels down the esophagus and into the stomach through the esophageal sphincter.  Many things can go wrong at this point.  Often patients come to us after being on acid blockers for years and are still suffering from acid reflux, indigestion, and other common digestive ailments.  The problem with acid blockers is that unless a doctor does an actual PH test on your stomach and verifies you have an overly acidic stomach, most patients do not have an issue with too much stomach acid, but actually it is an issue of too little.  That is why taking that Prilosec can give you some temporary relief, but in the long run you still suffer. 

Without proper stomach acidity, certain actions are not triggered in the digestive tract.   It is that acidity that triggers the esophageal sphincter to close and prevent reflux after the food enters.  The acidity breaks down fats and amino acids so our bodies can produce appropriate amounts of hormones and absorb nutrients properly.  It is also that acidity that acts as a first line of defense for our immune system.  Many patients are shocked to hear that 75-80% of our immune system lies within our gut/digestive system.

Just as Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.  Look for the next part in our discussion on digestion!

To Be Continued...
~Becca