Disclaimer: This article is not designed to provide medical advice or professional services. It is intended to be for educational use only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem you should consult your doctor.

And obviously the quality and purity of your drinking water is of highest importance. You can imagine that drinking polluted water is not going to help your body to improve its health. I am going to emphasize the benefits of drinking pure or – as it is in reality – of purified filtered water by pointing out the negative health impact of common contaminants in tap water. Although water companies are regulated and have to control the quality of the water they supply to your home, there are limits in how the water companies have to treat the tap water, resulting in residual contamination.

Sediments and Turbidity

Often considered more a nuisance than a health threat, sediments and turbidity, very small particles, in your tap water can spoil the enjoyment of drinking water. Turbidity can come from various origins and can make the water taste ‘metallic’ or ‘foul’. It can also stain the sink or bath tub.

Chlorine

This is the main chemical that water companies add to your tap water to kill micro-organisms and bacteria to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. The same chlorine is the active ingredient in bleach, a very aggressive chemical. Also, you may remember the smell and feel of chlorine in water from the public swimming pool – and also how it made your eyes itch. Now, it is interesting that chlorine is not even the most effective chemical to treat drinking water – but the cheapest. The reaction of chlorine with other contaminants in tap water can cause the generation of chloroform and other trihalomethanes THMs, a group of chemicals suspected to cause cancer and are linked to a higher rate of birth defects. Your body is particularly exposed to the chlorine, when your are taking a hot shower, and when your skin and lungs open up to the the hot water and the vapours.

Heavy Metals

Recent surveys found lead in the tap water of over nine out of ten households. Lead is a heavy metal that accumulates in the body and leads to nervous defects. Lead pipes have been used in the past for house plumbing systems, and may still be installed if you have a house more than 20 years old. Copper from the water pipes is less dangerous and will only get into the drinking water in areas with soft, acidic water supplies.

Cysts and Other Microorganism

The most dangerous micro-organisms in tap water are Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These micro-organisms are just 4 microns small, so they can pass through the filter systems of the water companies, and they can survive the chlorine desinfection of tap water. They can cause severe stomach upsets and diarrhea. An infection can be fatal for someone with a weakness to the immune system, i.e. the very young or the elderly.

Chemical Contaminants

Pesticides, herbicides, volatile organic compounds VOCs, pharmaceuticals, solvents, and others, are also found in tap water. They come from run-offs from farms and industrial operations. Over 2000 contaminants have been found in tap water, and many of these are carcinogenic. Of course, usually the levels of these chemicals are quite low – below the legal levels – but nobody really knows what effects so many chemicals at the same time can have on the human body. The filter systems of most water companies are not fully equipped to remove all of these chemicals.

What Can You Do?

Just be aware of the whole list of substances that can be in your tap water. They all can have negative effects on your health. To filter these out before you drink the tap water, you have to use a state-of-the-art multi-stage water filter system, like the ones you can read about in www.domesticwaterfilter.com. These filter systems leave the healthy minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and also sulfates and carbonates, in the water, as they can be found in natural clean spring water. These minerals not only contribute to the good taste of clean water, they are also vital for many bodily processes.

A domestic water filter is a must for any health conscious person.

Please consider those who are less fortunate to have clean drinking water available:

Roughly one sixth of the worlds population – 1.1 billion people – do not have access to safe water.
water charity: wateraid
and
water charity: justadrop

The first part of the article deals with the symptoms and general treatment of IBS, i.e. through dietary changes.
The second part introduces a less well known cause and possible treatment of IBS, the adjustment of the ileocecal valve.

Disclaimer: This article is not designed to provide medical advice or professional services. It is intended to be for educational use only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem you should consult your doctor.

Part one

Quite a few people suffer from IBS – irritable bowel syndrome – and if you are one of them you will know that the symptoms can be very incapacitating.

These symptoms can include

• abdominal pain, which may be relieved by passing wind
• discomfort, bloating, gas
• constipation, with cramping and difficulties to eliminate stools
• diarrhoea, often with an urgent drive to use the toilet
• or both of them alternating
• mucus present in the stools
• nausea, but without vomiting.

The symptoms can vary between patients, and also over time.

IBS gets triggered through a variety of stimuli, and IBS symptoms may get made worse by:

• large meals;
• fatty, fried foods
• beans and cabbage, that cause gas in the colon
• bran, wheat, rye, barley;
• dairy products, large amounts of fruit;
• coffee, tea, or drinks with caffeine;
• alcohol;
• stress, conflict, or emotional upsets.

There is no cure for IBS and the conventional treatment usually aims at controlling the symptoms and at lessening the frequency of the occurrence.

IBS generally reacts very positive to changes in the diet. The main treatment is to eliminate the foods that trigger the symptoms. It is helpful to write a ‘food diary’ to learn from experience what helps and what doesn’t. Regular eating habits, eating small portions more often, chewing well, stress management, and exercise are other central parts of the IBS treatment.

The following list of foods is a general advice – individual persons can react different to some of the included foods.

FOOD to PREFER and EAT MORE:

• foods with high contents of soluble fibre, as basis of every meal;
• white poultry meat; seafood;
• for example:
  rice, brown rice, pasta, oatmeal, barley, fresh white bread, rice cereals, corn meal, corn flour, soy, quinoa, carrots, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes; parsnip, beet, squash, pumpkin, mushroom, chestnut; avocado, banana, mango; small portions of cooked fruit;
• small amounts of essential, unsaturated oils.
• Drinks: herbal teas: fennel, chamomile, peppermint; warm water.

The preferred cooking method should be: steamed, boiled, baked, grilled.

NEUTRAL FOOD:

• foods rich in insoluble fibre, to be eaten after and together with food from the first column, and in small portions;
• raw foods at the end of the meal;
• for example:
  whole wheat, brown bread, whole grain cereals, muesli, popcorn; beans, lentils;
• berries, pineapple, melon, most fruits in general, oranges, lemons, dates, prunes;
• lettuce, peas, green beans, peppers, corn, cucumber, tomatoes;
• seeds, herbs;
• Careful with: garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, Brussels sprouts;
• Drinks: try controlled amounts of fruit juice.

The preferred cooking method should be: boiled, mashed, raw.

FOOD to AVOID and EAT LESS:

• Avoid known trigger foods:
  red meat; dairy; fatty foods;
• rough fibre;
• caffeine; alcohol;
• for example:
  red meat, hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, beef, salami, pork, ham, bacon, sausages, and meat from sheep, goats, deer;
• dark meat and skin from chicken, turkey, ducks, goose;
• dairy products, cheese, butter, cream cheese, milk;
• fats, oils, shortening, ghee, mayonnaise, salad dressing;
• deep fried food, chips, fish finger, chicken chips;
• nuts and nut butters;
• croissants, doughnuts;
• Avoid drinking: coffee, caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages.

Avoid the cooking methods of deep frying and microwave.

Helpful supplements may be soluble fibre in powder or tablet form; minerals calcium and/or magnesium; and omega-3 and omega-6 oils.

Remember: Nutrients from supplements are general less effective than those from fresh foods.

Supplements cannot replace a balanced intake of healthy foods.

Check the following list:

• flu like symptoms
• headaches, migraines
• tinnitus
• diarrhea, constipation
• bladder infection
• lower back pain
• right shoulder pain
• unexplained thirst
• nausea
• excessive gas
• dark rings under the eyes
• depression, low energy

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms for any period of time, there is a chance that you are suffering from a dysfunction of your ileocecal valve, the intestinal valve that separates the small intestines from the colon.
This dysfunction is quite common, and is also dealt with under the name Ileocecal Valve Syndrome.
The ileocecal valve is a sphincter muscle in the lower right abdomen very close to the spot usually associated with the appendix. It separates the end of the small intestines – the ileum- from the first part of the large intestines – the cecum.
Acute painful stress of the ileocecal valve can sometimes be confused with an inflamed appendix.

The valve is controlled by three sources: the digestion process, the nervous system, and the hormone system.

Let’s look how the ileocecal valve works during digestion.

A healthy valve would stay closed to hold the food in the small intestines until the digestion and absorption of nutrients is completed. It will then open up and let the digested food remains enter into the large intestines, the colon. Afterwards, it will close again and prevent the stuff from the colon to reenter the small intestines. In its proper function, it is designed as a one-way valve.

The working of the ileocecal valve can be disrupted in two ways:
- first, it could stay open most of the time. As a result, the food to be digested would pass through the small intestines too fast, too few nutrients would be absorbed, and the mostly undigested food would enter the colon, where bacterial processes could cause a lot of gas; and you might experience diarrhea.
- Second, the ileocecal valve could be shut most of the time. Food would the stay for too long in the small intestines, and could start to rot and cause gas in the small intestines; toxins from the rotting food could be absorbed into you system and force the liver to work overtime; you could feel bloated, and experience constipation.

Contrary to common belief, more roughage and fibre could do more harm than good, because the raw fibres can be very abrasive to the gut lining and the ileocecal valve, so that an already stressed valve can get even more irritated.
This does by no means imply that you should stop eating foods with fibre (see later). It may sound contaradictionary – but fibre is still very important for your digestion. The fibre you should avoid comes from raw uncooked food.

Here is a summary of all the foods that can irritate an ileocecal valve and worsen its dysfunction:

• raw fruits and vegetables
• beans, lentils
• grains, seeds, nuts
• popcorn ! – the skins act like razor blades !
• fermented foods, like vinegar, pickles, soy sauce
• acidic fruits, like lemons, oranges
• onions, garlic, leeks
• hot spices, like chili powder, curry, cayenne, ginger, pepper, cinnamon
• caffeine, chocolate, green and black tea

If you experience ileocecal valve problems, it might be the best to avoid these foods for a period of at least two weeks. This will allow your ileocecal valve to relax, and the inflammation to heal.

To get enough fibre in this time you can eat soft cooked vegetables and fruits. Dark green leafy vegetables are the best for this diet.
The diet should consist out of five parts of cooked vegetables and fruits with two parts of protein. Meat, eggs, and dairy are OK. A few table spoons full of omega-3 rich oils are recommended (walnut oil, hemp oil, flax oil).
Ideally, you should see a trained practitioner who can readjust the working of the ileocecal valve, and give you advice how to reduce any situations that could trigger any new ileocecal valve dysfunctions.

Disclaimer: This article is not designed to provide medical advice or professional services. It is intended to be for educational use only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem you should consult your doctor.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This post is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services. It provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and should not be used in place of a consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. If you believe you have any health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should consult your physician or other healthcare provider.

Treatment for Diabetes type 2

General, the first step to treat diabetes type 2 is through changes in the diet and increased exercise. If these measures are not enough to normalise your blood sugar levels, you might have to take oral medication or in some cases inject insulin. If you are overweight, loosing extra pounds will help with the treatment of your diabetes.

Nutritional choices for people with diabetes type 2

The aim of the diet is to avoid fluctuation of your blood sugar levels, and for some, to reduce your weight. That means to eat regularly small meals with comparable amounts of carbohydrates every day.
The advice given here can also help to lower high blood pressure which can be a dangerous side effect of diabetes. It is known that foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can very quickly push the blood sugar up to high levels.

Foods with complex carbohydrates on the other hand raise blood sugar levels more slowly and keep them constant for longer. This is defined by the so called glycemic index GI, whereby general foods with sugar will have a high glycemic index, and those with complex carbohydrates will have a lower glycemic index.

A glycemic index of less than 55 is considered low, 56 to 69 is considered medium, and above 70 is considered high. Overcooking can raise the GI of starchy foods. Sugar and alcohol are not forbidden in the diabetic diet, and can be eaten in small amounts. Other nutritional choices include all the foods general advised for good health: fruit, vegetables, lean meat, dairy, cereals, and unsaturated fats.

FOOD to PREFER

• General:
  5 portion of fruit and vegetable per day; whole grain products; high fibre foods; unsaturated fats and oils; nuts and seeds; lean protein;
• oats; natural muesli; porridge;
• wheat pasta; brown rice; buckwheat; white long grain rice; barley;
• sweet potatoes; new potatoes;
• whole milk; skimmed milk; yoghurt; soy milk;
• bread (whole wheat, sourdough rye and wheat); oatmeal crackers;
• hummus; peanuts; walnuts; cashew nuts;
• kidney beans; butter beans; chick peas; lentils; split mung beans;
• peas; sweet corn; carrots; aubergine; broccoli; cauliflower; cabbage; mushrooms;
• tomatoes; chillies; lettuce; green beans; red peppers; onions, garlic;
• cherries; plums; grapefruit; peaches; apples; pears; dried apricots; grapes; oranges;
• strawberries; prunes;
• Drinks:
  herbal teas; green tea; water.

FOOD to AVOID and REDUCE

• General:
  salt, saturated fats, trans fats, processed foods, simple carbohydrates;
• Foods with a high glycemic index:
• cornflakes; bran flakes; and other; sugar coated brands of breakfast cereals;
• watermelon; dates;
• white bread; bagel; baguette; rice cakes; donuts;
• syrup;
• pumpkin; parsnips;
• short grain white rice; tapioca;
• baked or mashed potatoes; French fries; chips.
• Drinks:
  alcohol, soda; coffee.

SUPPLEMENTS

The body’s metabolism is very complex, and deficiency in any essential nutrient can upset the fine balance. Therefore it is important to make sure that you are getting these nutrients from your food or from supplements.

For diabetes type 2 consider taking supplements with magnesium, potassium, zinc, and the vitamins E and C.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This post is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services. It provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and should not be used in place of a consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. If you believe you have any health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should consult your physician or other healthcare provider.

Food gets put into the mouth. Chewing breaks the food mechanically into smaller particles. The salivary glands produce saliva, which moistens the crushed-up food. Saliva also contains enzymes which begin to break down carbohydrates. The chewed food is swallowed, using the action of the tongue. The food gets moved down the esophagus into the stomach. Stomach acids and the enzyme pepsin break down proteins. After the food leaves the stomach and enters the small intestines, gall from the gall bladder and enzymes from the pancreas are added, emulsifying the fats in the food and breaking them down into fatty acids. The proteins are enzymatic broken down into peptides and amino acids. Enzymes break carbohydrates down into sugars. The fats, proteins, and sugars are absorbed in the small intestines. In the large intestines, a host of bacteria ferment undigested foodstuffs. Water and minerals get absorbed. The indi­gestible remains are stored in the rectum for egression, ‘bowel movements’.

In more detail, the individual stages and processes of digestion are:

Mouth

The teeth cut and grind the ingested food into smaller particles. Salivary glands excrete saliva, consisting mainly out of water, mucus and the enzyme amylase. Amylase starts to turn the starch contained in the food into maltose. This explains the sweet taste that we can experience when chewing grains or rice. The food gets softened and formed into a ball shape, called a bolus. The tongue then pushes the bolus toward the throat to be swallowed.

Thorough chewing facilitates better digestion in all following stages, and allows time for hormones to be created which control the feeling of satiety.

Esophagus

When we swallow, a skin flap prevents food travelling into the trachea (windpipe) and guides it into the esophagus. The bolus moves down the esophagus to the stomach, transported by a muscular movement called peristalsis. Not much digestion takes place in the esophagus. The food passes then through the hiatal valve, also called esophageal sphincter, at the top of the stomach. The hiatal valve prevents the acidic chyme from the stomach to re-enter the esophagus. Malfunction of the hiatal valve, hiatus hernia, leads to reflux, acidic heart burn, or GERD.

Stomach

Depending on the composition, foods will stay in the stomach for less than 2 to more than 4 hours, whereby fatty foods stay for longer than mainly carbohydrate foods. When food enters the stomach, its walls start secreting a mix of diluted hydrochloric acid and enzymes, particularly pepsin. Contractions of the stomach walls churn and mix the food and the acid, and reduce the size of food particles even further. This mix is called chyme. The enzyme pepsin breaks proteins into smaller particles, i.e. peptides and amino acids. It works optimally in the acidic environment (pH 1 to 2) of the stomach. The strong stomach acid also kills bacteria.

Enzymatic digestion of carbohydrates is interrupted in the stomach, because the enzymatic action depends on a specific pH value (acidity).

A strong lining of mucus protects the stomach wall from being ‘digested’ (if this protection fails the stomach can develop gastric ulcers).

The pyloric valve, another sphincter muscle, controls and regulates the exit of the chyme into the small intestines.

Small intestines

The small intestine consists of the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. It has a total length of about 7.5 meter. Its walls are lined with finger-like protrusions, called villi (singular: villus), which in itself are covered with even smaller protrusions, called microvilli. This results in a very large surface area of the intestinal tract for optimal absorption of nutrients.

The duodenum is the first, 30 cm long, part of the small intestines. It is lined with a layer of mucus to protect it from the acidity of the chyme. The pyloric sphincter releases small amounts of chyme into the duodenum. Here, the chyme gets neutralized by alkaline bile salts from the liver and gall bladder, and by pancreatic juice containing bicarbonate. The pancreas also excretes enzymes into the duodenum, particular amylase, trypsin, and lipase.

Most of the absorption of nutrients from the food takes place in the jejunum and ileum which have both a similar structure, whereby more absorption of fats (lipids) takes place in the ileum.

Processing of carbohydrates in the small intestines

Carbohydrates in food are starch, cellulose (both polysaccharides), and sugars – particular sucrose, lactose (both disaccharides) and fructose. Most carbohydrates are too big to be absorbed directly and have to be broken down by enzymes. This can involve several steps.

Cellulose cannot be metabolized by human enzymes, but, as insoluble fibre, has positive effects on the colon. Cellulose gets fermented by bacteria in the large intestine.

The enzyme amylase breaks down starch into the sugar maltose (a disaccharide).

Maltose, lactose, and sucrose are split into monosaccharides, which is done by enzymes on the walls of the microvilli (called ‘brush border’ hydrolases). The enzyme maltase, for instance, splits maltose into two molecules of glucose. Lactose is split into glucose and galactose. Sucrose is split into glucose and fructose. Glucose and galactose get actively transported away from the inside of the small intestines, through the cell walls of the microvilli, together with one sodium ion. Fructose gets absorbed differently. The monosaccharide then gets absorbed by the blood capillaries which run through the microvilli.

The blood from the capillaries gets transported to the liver. The liver is the main regulator of the blood sugar levels and processes the glucose into glucagen for intermediate storage, which the liver can break down later and release as glucose. Excess glucose is synthesized into fatty acids and glycerol, to make triglycerides for storage in fat cells.

The sodium transport through the walls of villi also facilitates water extraction from the small intestines. This transport depends on the presence of glucose. In case of diarrhoea, it is therefore important to supply the body with salt and sugar.

Processing of proteins in the small intestines

The enzyme trypsin from the pancreas digests proteins into small to medium peptides. Peptidase, an enzyme that hydrolyses peptides, is fixed on the walls of the cells of the microvilli, and splits these small peptides into amino acids. Sodium-dependent amino acid transporters, analogue to the sugar transport, move the amino acids through the cell walls. A sodium independent process brings the amino acids into the inner part of the villi in contact with the capillaries, to be absorbed by the blood.

Breaking virtually all proteins down into their building blocks, the amino acids, prevents any pathogens entering the blood through the digestive tract.

Processing of fats (lipids) in the small intestines

Lipids in the digestive tract are mainly triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol, and fat soluble vitamins.

Bile from the liver emulsifies the fat particles into microscopic droplets so that the enzyme pancreatic lipase can hydrolyse the fats (triglycerides) into two fatty acids and one mono-glyceride.

Assisted by bile, these products permeate into the cells of the microvilli. There, they are re-synthesized into triglycerides and combined with cholesterol and other substances to form particles called chylomicrons. These chylomicrons end up in the lymphatic vessels in the microvilli, from where the lymphatic system transports them into the blood stream.

Re-synthesis of the fatty acids into triglycerides allows the body produce lipids with more suitable properties.

Most of the bile is reabsorbed in the ileum to recycle cholesterol.

Absorption of water and electrolytes in the small intestines

Large amounts of water are absorbed in the small intestine, not just the liquid ingested with food and drink, but also the amount of saliva and the excreted digestive juices. As mentioned before, the absorption of water depends on the transport of sodium which only works together with sugar. The small intestines absorb also electrolytes as calcium, iron, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, chloride, and trace elements.

The small intestine are comparatively free from bacteria. This helps the food to get digested, and not fermented.

A shincter muscle, called the ileocecal valve, separates the small intestines from the large intestines, the bowels. A disturbance in the function of the ileocecal valve can lead to bacteria travelling back into the small intestines and can cause a lot of symptoms.

Large intestines

The parts of the large intestines are the cecum – a small dead-end with the appendix; the colon – ascending, traverse, and descending; and the rectum – leading to the anus. The task of the large intestines is to reabsorb more water and electrolytes from the digestion tract and to compact and store the residues of the digestive process, now called feces (faeces), until they get released from the body. The large intestines also contain large amounts of bacteria which ferment undigested remains of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Some of these bacteria produce vitamin K and certain B vitamins; other bacteria produce gases – flatulence or wind.

The colon excretes bicarbonate and mucus, to neutralize the effects of the bacterial fermentation, and to lubricate the movement of the feces.

At the end of the process, the body releases the feces, ideally at least once a day.

Back to the bowl again – the toilet bowl it is.