Digestive Basics

The digestive tract is a tightly controlled structure spanning from the mouth to the anus. It is inside the body, but is between the outside world and our inner self. It is structured this way to protect us from potentially damaging microbes, and to tightly control what is absorbed.

Since the goal is to utilize good stuff, and to eliminate bad stuff, one of the stomach’s responsibilities is to kill any pathogens in our food. This is why it is so acidic. Many practitioners believe the root of most chronic health issues begins with impaired stomach acidity. If a pathogen does get past the stomach, the body has a second line of defense in the large intestine, called the Microbiome.

The stomach’s acidity also prompts many digestive functions which begins with the sensoral organs. The eyes see food, the nose smells food, and the mouth tastes food, all signals to the brain that food is coming. This cues the secretion of stomach acid and digestive enzymes to kill any potential pathogens and begin the breakdown of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The stomach contents are moved into the small intestine to continue the breakdown process and begin the absorption of nutrients. The remaining contents continue down into the large intestine to feed the inhabitants of the microbiome, or to be discarded as waste.