By Alejandro Junger, MD on August 12, 2009
When I was a little boy, my mother always said, “Do not go swimming after a meal. Your muscles will cramp and you will drown.” For a long time I laughed it off thinking it was a scare tactic so she could take a nap after eating without having to watch me in the pool. As soon as she nodded off, I would jump in and swim even more. I was lucky…
Throughout medical school I was secretly waiting for the moment when I knew enough that I could disprove my mom. Nothing.
Many years later, reading Runner’s Magazine, I found an article about a frequent experience common to women in training for a marathon. They stop menstruating. While training intensely. A rusty bell went off in my thinking brain. Here is another case of the body shutting off a function when another function is demanding it’s attention and energy. When we wake up in the morning, we have a full battery of energy to spend. At the end of the day, we fall asleep, recharging the now almost empty tank. This full tank of energy has to be distributed among the many functions of the body.
There are functions that cannot be shut off, or we would die. The heart is the prime example. It has to keep beating. The brain is next. And in order of priority, one by one of our body functions is funded. When one function is used more intensely, other ones, less important at the moment of increased energy expense, will slow down, or shut down. This is the case of the marathon running ladies. The body wisely realizes that it will not get pregnant while training hard, so it momentarily shuts down the whole cycle of preparing the uterus for a baby and then discharging all the work every month. Once these women stop running, they resume their periods.
In the case of my mom’s theory, it wasn’t that obvious, but it was the first clue to my greatest discovery about the workings of our body systems.. If her ‘folk culture’ advice is true (to this day I have never heard of anyone drowning from muscle cramping because of swimming while digesting), it would mean that digestion is given such importance that our muscles would be shut down to protect it, with the obvious risks. My instinct tells me my mom was right all along. And I have a theory of how this came to be.
When it rains in a desert that seems dead, life sprouts as if by magic. A closer look reveals how evolution resulted in plants developing very sophisticated roots to capture every molecule of moisture.
For thousands of years, humans did not know where or when their next meal was going to be. Life basically consisted of surviving while looking for the next meal. And we developed a digestive system that absorbs everything it can, in case the next meal takes a long time to arrive. For thousands of years our genes evolved in such a way that when a meal was thrown in the processing tube (your intestine) and other than the heart, everything else was put to sleep. Just watch what happens next thanksgiving. We stuff ourselves to the point of stupor.
But suddenly, everything changed. The conditions that shaped our genes for thousands of years changed overnight, from an evolutionary perspective. In just a hundred years we have food available 24/7. The amount of time we used to spend hunting, we now spend eating.
But our genes still act as if every meal was the last meal. So our body absorbs everything it can, and it stops or slows down other functions while doing it. Digestion and absorption became so sophisticated by necessity in the past, that it requires the body to put a lot of energy into it. It will take evolution thousands of years to adapt into simplifying our digestion and absorption systems to relax a little and know that the next meal is only a few minutes away and therefore not need to take everything in.
I never go swimming after a meal any more. But I picked up a much more useful tip for life. One that would completely transform my way of thinking and my approach with patients and their sufferings.
This is what I am talking about: “When digestion is happening, the detoxification systems slow down”. They cannot completely stop because we would die in minutes. But their slowing down creates damage and disease in the long run. And this is one of the most important reasons why human health is in such a critical state. At a time when we are exposed to more toxins than ever before in the planet’s history, at a time when we need our detox systems to work extra hours, we are putting these systems practically into hibernation because we are too busy digesting. And we don’t even know it.
Part II of Detox, is it real? coming tomorrow…!
Read More
By Brendan Brazier on May 25, 2009
The nutritional value of food as stated by the “label claim” is of course pertaining to what is in the food, not what the body actually gets from it. A more sensible way to assess the energy providing attributes of food is to consider its net gain. The net gain of food is the term I give to what we are left with once the food has been processed for energy by the body. We all know that the body gets energy from food in the form of several nutrients. However, the more energy the body has to expend to digest, assimilate and utilize the nutrients in the food we give it, the less we are left with.
An example would be the consumption of white bread. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that served French bread before the main course? In the past, I would wolf down the bread and though my stomach was physically full, I would still be hungry. Since white bread is basically void of any useful nutrients, my body wanted to continue eating despite the fact that my stomach was full. To digest, assimilate and then eliminate the white bread requires a large energy expenditure. As a result, the net energy gain from it is very low. In fact, if the bread is buttered or if a trans-fat containing spread is added, the result can actually be a net loss.
In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, we are inundated with nutrient lacking foods. Consumed mostly for convenience sake, processed and refined foods have led us to a decline in health and elevated medical costs. Having to consume more of them to “fill up” due to their absence of usable nutrients, yet high sugar and calorie counts, we have become an obese, energy depleted society.
Back a few years in my more conventional thinking days I would try to gauge my caloric intake requirements based on my activity level and body weight. Eating about 8,000 calories on heavy training days, I would usually need a rest day soon after. I realize now, a large part of my need for the extra rest day was not just to recover from the energy expended during training, but primarily from the energy expended digesting an inordinate amount of low net gain food.
By consuming more easily assimilated foods a large amount of energy can be conserved. Due to two main reasons, the first being that the nutrient rich easily digested foods can be assimilated with less expenditure. The second being that when more nutrient rich foods are present in the diet, the body does not have to eat as much as if it were fed “average” foods. As a direct result, not as much needs to be eaten and therefore digested. This is a huge net energy gain, to be spent as you please. If the body is left to decide it will likely choose improved immune function and quickened restoration of cells damaged by stress—essentially, “anti-aging” activities.
Once realizing the value in nutrient density, assimilation, and absorption of food, I began eating in terms of net gain, with no adherence to calorie consumption guidelines. Instead, I focus on consuming nutrient dense, easily assimilated foods. As a result my recovery rate has significantly improved. I no longer need an extra day to recover from eating copious amounts of conventional food. Enhanced by simple means of increased efficiency, my body now pools its retained energy resources to more quickly recover from muscle damage associated with training. Today, I consume about 30% fewer calories than I did just two years ago yet have more energy—by means of conservation, as opposed to consumption.
Instead of feasting on common refined foods, I now consume whole foods almost exclusively. Raw, alkalizing, enzyme intact, living foods have become the foundation of my diet. Switching my main carbohydrate source away from refined starches to whole fruits, vegetables and grains was my starting point. Raw nuts and seeds, with an emphasis on hemp and flax, as well as legumes supply me with protein and essential fatty acids. The majority of vitamins and minerals I require come from fresh, raw vegetables – dark leafy green ones in particular.
It’s easy to pack nutrients into liquid form thereby improving assimilation; basically allowing the body to get what it wants while expending less energy to get it. I have one or more nutrient-packed shakes daily to insure that I get all the nutrients I need to support my activity level. Also, since it’s important to eat several meals and/or snacks a day, making one or more of them liquid adds variety.
Ideally, a shake should contain all the nutrients that a compete meal does. First, make sure that the protein is an easily digestible one, such as hemp, which is packed with live enzymes that improve digestion and absorption. For essential fatty acids (especially Omega 3), I use ground-up whole flax seeds. Maca, as an adaptogen, adrenal tonic and a source of sterols and sterolins, is also a critical ingredient. Chlorella, for its detoxifying properties, naturally occurring vitamin B12, growth factor, nucleic acids and rich chlorophyll content, is another worthy addition.
Hemp, flax, maca and chlorella are the four primary ingredients in all my shakes. After adding them, I blend it all up with whole fruit and water or nut milk. Feel free to experiment with all kinds of fruit for variety. Berries are always desirable as they are loaded with antioxidants. Raw carob powder is also a nice addition. In fact, making this blender drink years ago lead me to formulating Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer.
Remember, when it comes to improving net gain, the key point to remember is if you don’t spend it, you’ll still have it. Think in terms of energy conservation when it comes to vital body functions such as digestion and assimilation to help you perform better at anything you attempt.
Read More
By Kris Carr on November 10, 2007
You asked for it, you got it, we’re talking poo and I don’t mean Winnie. LOL. The past few blogs have been about balancing the drive for perfection and the “I’m not better, fast enough – make it go away” blues. Elimination is the key to recovery and I don’t just mean wash room visits. What junk are you holding emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually? Junk is junk – whether it’s in your trunk, your noggin, or your bloodstream, it’s time to say adios! We’ll roll up our sleeves and chat n’ chew about ALL these topics over the coming months, but since I promised our posse gal AP Monkey the scoop on the poop, let’s start with my favorite topic – the toilet.
No matter how healthy our diets, if our inner sewer system is clogged we break down. Colon cleansing is another terrific tool to create a vibrant river (aka bloodstream) and cells. Ya know when your trash can is full of stinky stank because it hasn’t been emptied in a while? Picture it: there are leaks (maybe even holes from erosion), it’s a hot summer day, and there’s spoiled milk, rotten hot dogs, and cat litter involved. You open the lid and fall queasy. Nothing but the garden hose makes the smell and crusted crap go away. Well, the same thing goes on in your body.
Most of us have debris in our colons from years of eating too much meat, pasteurized dairy, processed foods, white stuff, breads, candies, cookies, bad oils, pesticides, fungicides, and suicides! When the pipes get backed up, the stagnant food rots and ferments causing a slew of problems like trapped toxic gas, lack of absorption, and an imbalance of the good/bad bacteria. The good guys and the bad guys (bacteria) share housing in our colons. But if we compromise the terrain through poor food choices, drugs, environmental toxins, chemicals, etc., the hooligans take over.
Get this, if you aren’t moving your bowels between one and three times per day consider yourself constipated. Now, I don’t know many people who have three successful “meetings” on the can Monday-Sunday. If it ever happens for me I’m gonna throw a bash complete with a DJ and a magician! So three may equal a party, but one groovy move per day is a must. When you begin the detox process the garbage that’s been swimming around in your bloodstream or stored in your organs gets kicked up and looks for an outlet to escape. Let’s do another little visualization exercise for clarity. Imagine a room that has been locked up for years. It’s loaded with dust and weird hair bunnies. You take a broom to it (fiber) and what happens? A dust storm is kicked up making it seem/feel worse before it gets better. If you don’t open a window and mop it all up you haven’t made a change. Bad breathe, weird-smelling sweat, break outs, all toxins movin’ out, headaches, and rash – these are all symptoms of the broom in your room. Your clean colon will provide the biggest outlet for the stored poisons.
Drum roll please… The best way to take out the trash is through an internal bath – an enema or colonic. Enemas are a great way to get the lower bowels moving and grooving. Enemas are a snap. Just follow the directions on the box, deck out your bathroom detox ashram, and go to town.
Colonics are even better because they access the ascending, transverse, and descending intestines. An average session lasts from forty-five minutes to an hour. In the beginning it’s best to do a series; the number of treatments you’ll need really depends on the condition of your colon. Don’t be shy, it’s ok, we all have a butt, even the colon therapist and they just want to help ya feel better so relax, let go, and drop your drawers!
Some people who oppose colon therapy claim that it’s unnatural, and that you can become dependent on it. The concern is that folks will overdo it, going too frequently. Another criticism is that it washes away good bacteria. First of all, it’s unnatural to be living in such a highly toxic time. We need to think outside the box, especially when we have something as unnatural as cancer to contend with. Next, colon therapy will not make you dependent. Think of it like a workout – the gentle pressure from the water actually tones and rebuilds your muscles by making peristalsis – the contraction of smooth muscles that propels stuff through the digestive tract – stronger. Once the initial cleansing process is complete, colonics need only be used for maintenance, upkeep, and spring cleaning. Lastly, good bacteria can only breed in a clean environment. When the balance is off, what difference does it make? A probiotic can be taken after cleansing to help repopulate the colon with good bacteria. Eventually the colon will rebalance itself, especially when all the debris is cleared away. Until the invention of laxatives (which only exacerbate the situation and can cause dehydration, addiction, weaken peristalsis, etc.), enemas were widely used in the medical community! One other doubt you may get from your MD or gastro is that they’ve done thousands of colonoscopies and have never seen the baked-on impaction that alternative practitioners discuss. Well, there are many schools of thought on that – all valid, several interesting. But the biggest question I have is what to drink before you have your colonoscopy. I had one – good grief, I felt like I was removing stuff from past lives as well as this one! Again, I am not an expert, just a curious gal with a good deal of education.
I recently became very interested in coffee enemas after a brilliant conversation with my new pal Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez. If you saw my appearance on the Mike & Juliet show, Dr. Gonzalez was their go-to expert. He is a pioneer in nutritional therapies, supplementation, and, most important, enzyme therapy for cancer patients. Dr. G is also a huge believer in coffee enemas. He even shared some funny trivia with me. Apparently the western doctor who created the colonoscopy machine (and is a gazillionaire) does daily coffee enemas! As I understood it in a nutshell, the caffeine that is absorbed safely stimulates the liver and bile ducts to empty stagnant toxins into the colon for elimination. Vibrant and clean liver ducts make room for poisons from the body to enter the liver for detoxification.
Before our chat I had only considered doing enemas with either distilled water and or/wheat grass implants, another highly effect way to cleanse. Wheat grass juice heals and detoxifies the colon walls, adding oxygen (aka chlorophyll) and energy to the body. It also helps balance the flora. Wheat grass is liquid sunshine! I was trained at Hippocrates and Wheat grass is king there; coffee is a no no. But hey, everyone has an opinion and now I’m obsessed with trying something new, as long as it sounds safe and valid, and will report my findings as they come. Sadly, not my favorite way to ingest a cup o’ Joe but maybe my tender little liver will feel differently thanks Dr. Gonzalez! By the by, the NCI gave my pal a landmark grant (never been done before for alternative therapies) for his research, so he must be onto something!
A few notes to guide you:
1. Only use purified or distilled water. Remember that most tap water is loaded with Chlorine – talk about a way to wipe out good bacteria!
2. Find a colon therapist that uses the gravity method. A good resource is the Colon Therapists Network.
3. For enemas, look for Fleet or Cara enema bags, both usually available at your local pharmacy. I have also just read that there is a new six-quart enema bag – whoa and possibly yahoo! You can find out more about it on www.therawfoodworld.com.
4. Eat lightly before and after your treatment. Best to drink greens drinks or a green blended soup or smoothie.
5. Wheat grass enemas – do a regular enema first, and then implant four ounces of wheat grass juice (with no water). Retain for 20 minutes.
6. Coffee enemas are different from drinking coffee. Enemas stimulate the liver to let go of toxins; the other inhibits the liver. Please buy organic.
7. Sorry gang, I need to learn more about coffee enemas before I say exactly how much and for how long. Want to bring you the best, not just a quick Google plug in.
8. Almost everyone, even if you are eating well now, still needs to clean out to deal with old waste. Colon therapists may recommend a series of up to eight depending on how toxic you are. Once you feel better you can do it once a month, once a season, whatever works for you. Remember to replenish with a probiotic.
9. Acceptable forms of natural laxatives – smooth move tea, natural calm (Google for where to buy), or cal/mag citrate. HHI also sells a great natural supplement.
10. If you are going to or three times a day, it doesn’t always mean that you are free of ancient waste, chemicals, gas, and pharmaceuticals in your colon. You may want to try it and see how ya feel. If nothing happens the first time, don’t assume you’re the king/queen. Some people need a few sessions before the exorcism. (That’s what my therapist calls it and we howl!)
* Remember we are what we eat but also what we don’t poop!
As I mentioned, I will be teaching a class at Hippocrates next week and will be blogging from the center. If you have any questions that I don’t feel capable of answering I’ll take them to my posse of experts and we’ll try to help sort ya all out.
Peace, veg, and smooth moves!
K
PS. I hope I didn’t make you all shy and freaked. We gotta go there – taking charge inside and out, no taboos or untouched landscapes.
Read More
