Sort of explains why we are enzyme deficient, right?

Your body has many types of digestive enzymes. RAW food is abundant in digestive enzymes.

Enzymes help break the food down so we can actually use the nutrients in the food.

Real dairy is healthy and can be enjoyed by most people, but modern dairy practices have altered the type of product we now consume.

Do you enjoy dairy products but are concerned whether they are actually good for you?

Have you experienced lactose intolerance or other unpleasant side effects when eating dairy?

What if I told you, it’s not the cow’s fault- it’s the processing methods used today that may be affecting you, and that there is healthy digestible dairy out there?

The Problem with Industrialized Dairy

Dairy has received such a bad rap over the years and rightly so if we’re talking about milk, ice cream, butter and other products that you buy off the grocery shelf. These products have been so altered from the type of dairy that was enjoyed straight from the farm for many, many years and by many societies. The dairy our ancestors drank gave them great health, strong bones, vitality and longevity.

So, What Happened?

So what’s all the buzz about probiotics these days? Good bugs,  bad bugs, what’s the difference?

How do we get more of the "good" bugs?  Well, let’s start by looking at where the “not so good ones” come from.

A healthy body has a nice balance of microbes in the gut, but certain circumstances can cause either:

- An overgrowth of microbes that in a balanced system are harmless but out of balance they can cause dis-ease of the body

-  A decrease in the amount of good bugs decreases our  body's  ability to fight invading infectious organisms

Sadly, many of the common foods we eat and medications we use can be responsible for creating this digestive imbalance.  Some of these include:

• Antibiotic use

• Birth control pills

• NSAIDS (motrin, aleve, advil)

• Stress

• Poor Diet

This imbalance can make your body pretty unhappy with many unpleasant symptoms such as:

A very common yet under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed problem that we find in patients is parasites.

They can live in the body for many years without causing symptoms and when they do, the symptoms are often subtle or vague.

Parasites  can generally be divided into two groups:

• Helminthes which are multicellular parasites or worms and are most commonly found in the intestines, liver and pancreas and do not reproduce in the body. An adult worm (see photo credit CDC.gov/parasites) can range from 15-35 cm., or almost 14 inches!

• Protozoa which are single celled parasites that can infest the entire body causing serious infections. They rapidly multiply in the body. The most common in the U.S. are giardia and cryptosporidium.

Helminthes are contracted through exposure to feces, water or soil and tend to be more common in children, while protozoa can be found in food, water, insect and animal bites and contact surfaces. 

Parasites are ubiquitous and difficult to diagnose without the right testing as their symptoms are vague or mimic other illnesses.

Parasite Symptoms may include:

Daily Ways to Help Improve the Digestive System:

1. Probiotics

2. Digestive Enzymes

3. Breathe

4. Stretch

5. Self-Massage

6. Reflexology

7. Essential Oils

8. Soluble Fiber

9. Meditation, stress relief

10. Bowel Cleanse 

11. Liver Cleanse

12. Colon Hydrotherapy - Colonics

Sadly, colorectal cancer has become so popular that it has earned its own National Awareness Month. Among the cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is now the SECOND leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. [according to the Center for Disease Control]

Did you know that 70 -80 % of your immune system is in or around the digestive tract?

It’s true. Now consider what would happen to your health if the digestive tract were compromised.

Malnutrition and lowered immunity would become a real health concern.

There are several things that can compromise the bowel including:

• Parasites ( bacteria,  fungi, viruses, multiple cell organisms such  as pinworms)
• Food allergies-inappropriate immune response to foods causing inflammation
• Diverticula - herniations or pouches in the walls of the intestines that can trap foods and bacteria causing inflammation / infection of the bowel wall.
• Antibiotics- while they can clear infections, they also kill good bacteria necessary for the health of the gut
• Constipation- slow transit due to poor peristaltic motion can cause  the  bowel to become toxic due to bacterial overgrowth as well as tears in the walls of the intestines that easily become infected.