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Intestinal Health

In the Western World there is a thirty-foot pathway which is overlooked and at times ignored. The condition of this passageway plays and important role in an individuals quality of life and longevity. It is the gateway that guards us from invaders, which may lead to disease and eventual death. So where is this thirty-foot tract found? It is found in the abdomen region of every human called the intestinal tract. In Eastern medical practice the condition or health of the intestinal tract is extremely important. Ayurvedic medicine, which dates back some 5,000 years places great importance on cleansing and detoxifying the intestinal tract. A therapy called Shodan, is used to rid the body of toxins and aid in healing and restoring health. Ayurvedic medicine views toxins as the root cause of all disease and they are believed to stem from undigested and unabsorbed food, which builds up on the walls of the large intestine or colon and become breeding ground for bacteria and parasites. In Western medicine many of the antibiotics which some experts believe are over used to treat infection and rid the body of bacteria, may actually weaken intestinal health and compromise our bodies natural healing powers. Dr. Mark Pochapin director of Gastrointestinal Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital was quoted as saying, "Indiscriminate killing of good and bad bacteria is too drastic." Pochapin further stated that "In fact some doctors point to reduced bacterial counts in the intestines for the upsurge in intestinal dis-orders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn's Disease." It's time for East to meet West and to develop a system of health where its foundations are built on prevention rather than repair.

The intestinal tract transforms the foods we eat into macro (protein, carbohydrate and fats) and micro (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemical and fiber) nutrients, which provide the building blocks for cellular repair and energy for life. The intestines also remove the by products of waste and toxins from the transformed food which if allowed to remain in our system could lead to disease and possible death. The three functions of the intestinal tract are digestion, absorption and elimination. The first twenty-five feet of the intestines called the small intestine consists of three parts the duodenum, ileum and jejunum, together they perform the function of digestion and absorption. The cells in the wall of the small intestine called the mucosa, secrete

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