Backup Enzyme Production and Bugs!

It's truly amazing how each organ in your digestive system works together to create enzymes, with backup measures in place to ensure that every last bit of food is properly digested.

And did you know that the final destination for any undigested food is actually bacteria? Yep, it's true! These little guys, totalling in at around three pounds, are mostly hanging out in your large intestine and they're actually pretty helpful.

They help you digest all kinds of food, from pizza to broccoli. But that's not all - these microscopic stowaways also play a big role in helping you mature, keeping your immune system strong, and even helping your body breakdown excess sugar. Yes, that's right - these little helpers are there to ensure that nothing goes to waste, and that your body receives all the necessary nutrients from your food.

What happens if you do not fully digest your food?

Prepare yourself for a nightmare scenario when it comes to digestive issues!

What starts as foul-smelling gas and heartburn can quickly escalate into frequent and urgent bathroom trips, constipation/diarrhea and gallstones.

If your stomach fails to activate and create enzymes, the task falls on your pancreas, which can quickly become exhausted, leading to blood sugar balancing problems.

But that's not all - if your pancreas is unable to produce enough fat-digesting enzymes, your liver is forced to create more bile, putting it under immense strain.

And if all three - the stomach, pancreas, and liver - are exhausted, the task of enzyme creation falls to the intestines, where bacteria is all too happy to take over.

Fail to digest your food properly upstream and you'll find yourself facing a host of downstream issues, including bacterial overgrowth, which is an all-too-common problem.

Understanding Functional Digestion Nutritional Strategies

It's time to rebuild your gut!

We are incredibly fortunate to have gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise over the years! Through decades of attending accredited seminars, countless nutritional consultations, and regular literature reviews, we have honed our skills and become experts in our field. And it doesn't stop there - we have also had the pleasure of conversing with the brightest minds in herbal formulations, learning from their years of experience and insights.

Based on symptoms and lab results, six nutritional/herbal strategies have emerged as the most effective for bolstering digestive processes.

Let’s review our top 6 ways to improve digestion:

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Weening Protocol - By using a titration schedule of herbs and nutrients, to reduce or eliminate dependence on acid-stopping drugs and OTC calcium buffers.

Stomach Acid + pH Balance - Proper hydrochloric acid (HCL) production is key in protein digestion and mineral assimilation. Helpful in cases of low stomach acid where a person experiences regular constipation and heartburn.

Pancreatic Enzyme Supplementation - Providing pancreas gland support and specific enzymes to help restore digestive function. Extremely helpful in cases of uncontrolled blood sugar.

Bile Acid + Bitter Supplementation - Supplementing bitter herbs, bile-forming foods like beets, and bile acid extracts to help restore fat breakdown and absorption. Especially useful if the gallbladder was removed and the ability to digest fat has been severely reduced.

Weed + Feed Protocol - By using a weekly schedule, balance the microbiome with herbs that weed out bad bacteria and pre + probiotics that feed the good bacteria. Very helpful in cases of bacterial overgrowth and poor biome diversity.

Stealth Pathogen Protocol - A clinical plan will be recommended to remove parasitic and pathogenic organisms using clinical herbal formulas. Helpful in rooting-out old infections.

Digestion Quiz and Key

This does not have to be complicated! Let's review our top presenting symptoms:

Common Digestive Symptoms

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Heartburn
• Gas + Bloating
• Foul Smelling Gas
• Loose Stools
• Abdominal Cramping
• Eczema + Psoriasis Skin Issues
• Gastric Reflux
• Hemorrhoids
• Light Colored Stool
• Painful Bowel Movement
• Itchy Anus

Use the key to get an idea of possible solutions to your underlying digestive issues.

You'll notice a bunch of overlapping strategies, so do your research and dig deeper if in doubt.

Where to start?

If you are like us, then you probably tend to overthink things a bit. That is why instead of chasing every single symptom, we suggest looking to undigested macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) for quick answers.

Let's review what happens when food does not digest fully:

Putrefaction of Protein

When protein does not fully digest, then you experience foul smelling gas, inflammation and invite bacterial overgrowth. We like to start with Zypan to help support stomach acid production.

• Foul Gas
• Bloating
• Bad Breath
• Slow Healing

Rancidification of Fats

Fat breaks down into smaller and smaller particles that help with inflammation, cell wall integrity and a multitude of benefits.

If they do not breakdown, then they can get caked to the wall of the intestines, leading to colon issues.

Because of the relationship of fat to the liver, gallbladder issues are closely related. A-F Betafood is popular because it contains constituents that help bile mobility along with vitamin A and essential fatty acids.

• Burping
• Nausea
• Fatty Stool
• Pain behind your right shoulder

Fermentation of Carbs

Intestinal gas is the byproduct of poor carbohydrate digestion. The same way that a brewery releases CO2 during bacterial fermentation... something, your body does too—only this kind of gas isn't smelly but can be very uncomfortable. Learn more about Enzycore that contains pancreatic enzymes along with L-glutamine and lactase.

• Constipation Alternating with Diarrhea
• Excessive Lower Abdominal Gas
• Bacterial Overgrowth
• Leaky Gut Issues

Summary

According to Dr. Bill Hemmer of Tuscola Pain and Wellness Center, “Digestion is like a river. Fix your upstream and downstream will take care of itself.”

Improper digestion can create a range of unpleasant and uncomfortable symptoms for your digestive system. These can include heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, gallstones, and even foul-smelling gas.

When your stomach, pancreas, and liver fail to produce the necessary enzymes for digestion, bacteria in your intestines can take over and lead to bacterial overgrowth. To avoid these issues, it's crucial to ensure proper digestion and maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria.

Luckily, we have six nutritional/herbal strategies that can help improve digestive processes based on symptoms and lab results.

Readers are encouraged to use the key to identify possible solutions to their digestive issues, and to do research if necessary, as many strategies overlap.

Next, let's take a deeper dive into part 2 of this series where we look at the stomach, the place for primary protein digestion.

Helpful links and references

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