How Tough Is Your Gut
How Tough Is Your Gut
When we eat we are allowing external substances to pass into the internal world of the body – after all the body must have essential resources in the form of nutrients to keep it functioning. However, this invariably means ingesting potentially dangerous or damaging elements that come as part and parcel of the food source or attached to it, for instance in the form of bacteria. The gut is therefore heavily guarded by the immune system and protected by a strong cellular wall. The gut wall needs to be very strong to prevent harmful elements passing through but it also needs to be porous so that essential nutrients can filter into the system. In theory, in order for nutrients to pass through the gut wall, food must be broken up into minute particles. A healthy digestive system does this by subjecting it to powerful stomach acids and bacteria, and mechanically churning it and breaking it down as it moves through the system.
If the permeability of the gut wall is as it should be, then only small particles can pass through and the immune system will be ready and waiting on the other side of the wall just in case anything harmful does pass through. To stop the immune response reacting to nutrients as they pass through, and to stop it from reacting to every little tiny thing that sneaks into the body, the body has devised a system of recognition. The immune system is set up to react to alien elements over a certain size. This allows the small particles of nutrients to pass harmlessly into the body but enables the immune system to respond to the presence of larger molecules such as bacteria, a virus or unprocessed waste. This recognition process means that small particles of essential nutrients can pass into the body without creating an immune reaction, whereas larger harmful particles cannot and if they do, they become accountable to the immune system. This is a very efficient and logical process – so why do so many people have trouble with their digestive systems?
Excessive or prolonged stress, coupled with unhealthy lifestyle practices and poor diet, have the same effect on the digestive system as anywhere else in the body. The digestive system is powered by muscular action so wasting and fatigue will slow the system down and reduce its effectiveness. The digestive system is controlled by the brain and any instructions it sends out will also become slow, and possibly inaccurate, leading to dysfunctional processing. The digestive system is also a cellular structure and hence it suffers from the damaging effects of oxidation and toxins. Unfortunately, as cells weaken and energy and nutritional supplies drop, mistakes occur and a backlog of jobs builds up. As a result, a gulf emerges between the amount of work required to rectify the growing problems and continue effective functioning, and the amount of resource and ability available to do the job.