Body Systems

Building Better Health

Part 2

Body Systems Concept

Functions and Biochemical Therapies

by Jay Constant PHD

This lesson is to provide a greater insight into the human body as to its mechanics and chemistry. Any so-called disease involves several systems simultaneously, thus restoring efficiency to any system, benefits all systems. Notice the basic nutritional requirements listed for each system, and if a deficiency of a particular vitamin or mineral exists in one system, it will exist in all systems. When a deficiency occurs, the body system or part cannot perform its function properly, and thus will produce a symptom in an attempt to correct itself.

In this lesson, I will cover the basic body system of importance. It all begins in the stomach and the digestive system. Many people I see have been led to believe their problem is simply that they are old, and science seems to have us getting old younger and younger all the time. It’s supposedly around 40 years now. The digestive system includes the stomach, the pancreas, the liver, the gall bladder, the small intestines, and the saliva glands. These organs produce something called enzymes, and enzymes are what break the food down to its chemical state. All food has built in enzymes that cause it to decompose. If you peel an apple or banana, you will see it turn brown almost immediately. Right around the age of 21, the body is at peak performance as far as enzyme production. Right around the age of 50, the body only produces half the enzymes it did at 21. At age 70, the body only produces about 25%, and at age 80, only around 20%. Without enzymes, the food we eat is not properly broken down, and we cannot benefit from the food’s nutriment. In a nutshell, old age is simply a digestive problem. This ensures we don’t live forever and over populate the planet.

A basic understanding of many of these enzymes is required to understand their importance. Keep in mind it is the body itself that produces these enzymes, however supplementation of enzymes is possible and probably good for anyone over the age of 50. If we don’t digest our food properly, we produce more waste, and more waste products are what many people refer to as toxins. (I refer to it as goo). The stomach requires hydrochloric acid to break all food down into almost liquid form. From the stomach, the food goes into the “factory”, the small intestines where enzymes such as pancreatin, protease, lipase, pepsin, papain, bromelain, and bile break the food down to its smallest component to be absorbed into the blood stream and delivered to the rest of the body. Thus, if our digestive system is running inefficiently, it will affect all body systems. Thus, any and all attempts at natural healing always have to begin with the stomach and digestive tract. If we can’t improve digestion, numerous deficiencies will occur, producing numerous symptoms. For example, the liver secretes a very rugged enzyme called bile. The bile is responsible for breaking down fats specifically. The liver is constantly producing this bile, and it is transferred to a gland called the gall bladder. Here the bile is stored until a meal is eaten, and is required to digest or break down the fats in the meal. (Later, we will learn that type ll diabetes can fundamentally be defined as the body’s inability to break down fats and oils properly. This may be of special interest to anyone without a gall bladder). Without enough bile, the fats cannot be broken down, and simply end up someplace else.

Without a doubt, the most important mineral for the stomach, the bowels, the joints, and the lymphatic system, is “sodium”. Yes, “sodium”. I will often refer to the pathway of disease, where a deficiency of a particular mineral or vitamin will produce a symptom. If not corrected, deficiencies of the same nutriment begin to produce symptoms in other systems. Let’s look at the multiple roles of sodium in the body. This is an extremely important lesson, because if we can’t get our stomach working, the rest of our body begins to fall apart, and we end up with multiple specialists for multiple diagnoses that require multiple medications.

So, digestion is the key to building better health, and sodium is the key mineral for the digestive tract. However, before you run to the saltshaker and begin pouring it on all your food, keep in mind that salt is a compound, NaCl, or sodium chloride. The sodium I refer to is “food sodium”, or naturally occurring sodium in food. Food sodium is crucial or very serious ailments in the body will occur. The first place we find sodium is in the walls of the stomach, where it is stored to buffer hydrochloric acid. Without enough sodium in the stomach walls, the hydrochloric acid would burn, resulting in heartburn or worse, an ulcer. Medicine has many names and pills for this, however none actually deal with this simple fact. Most medications actually suppress the stomach from producing the hydrochloric acid, which as mentioned earlier, is crucial for breaking down our food and minerals, such as calcium. Without enough hydrochloric acid, calcium is not useable, and when we look at calcium's true role in the body, we’ll begin to see a bigger picture as to cause and effect in the body based on deficiencies.

Sodium is first stored in the walls of the stomach and secondly in the joints. Sodium is what gives us elasticity, limberness, and youthfulness in our joints and tissues. Sodium is necessary to normal chemical balance not only in the walls of the stomach and joints, but also in the walls of the intestine. It is necessary to the regulation of the fluid content and to normal flora in the intestinal tract, and is crucial for proper bowel evacuation. Sodium greatly affects the fluid balance throughout the entire body. Thus, when I refer to a pathway for disease, a basic example goes like this: A sodium deficiency today creates stomach problems. If this deficiency is not corrected, one can expect joint pains in 2 to 4 years, followed by bowel complaints in 5 years, and major lymphatic issues in 10 to 15 years. Another way to put this is doctor A, a specialist, will prescribe Nexium for acid reflux this year, and doctor B, another but different specialist, will prescribe Celebrex for arthritis pain in a couple years, and doctor C, still another specialist, will prescribe a harsh laxative for irritable bowel in about 5 years, and doctor D, another specialist will begin treating weakened immune system with still more medication in about 10 years. All the while, the patient is under the impression that the meds have cured all his complaints.

It is regrettable, therefore, that everyday modern living habits impose such a drain on our sodium reserves. We have electrical lighting that encourages much overwork, television that demands close attention causing eye-strain and mental strain, and computers that create even more concentration and mental strain. Add a diet of processed devitalized food that is acid producing and, therefore, require alkaline elements such as sodium to neutralize the acids. The waste acids produced in the body are irritating to the tissues. This interferes with the alkaline balance. Amazingly, when this balance is disturbed, the stomach wall cannot properly secrete hydrochloric acid and digestion is greatly impaired; thus, the true burning in the stomach is not a result of excess hydrochloric acid, rather the result of food rotting in the gut from not enough.

In an attempt to maintain chemical balance, if stomach sodium is overdrawn it will borrow it from the organ or system with the next highest concentration of sodium which will begin to suffer from a lack of sodium in the blood. Those tissues whose sodium storing capacity is next highest to the stomach are the joints. When sodium is withdrawn from the joints, a serious imbalance is created, and calcium is left behind. Keep in mind that calcium is a hardener, so the joints become hardened. This makes the joint immobile. The joints become rigid unless ample sodium is present to keep calcium in solution. Such disorders such as neuritis, neuralgia, rheumatism, and arthritis soon follow. In fact, any condition ending with “itis” refers to a catarrhal condition, a discharge, and would greatly benefit from sodium.

Many people make the mistake of trying to neutralize excess acids and gas with baking soda. The sodium in this compound is inorganic, and like salt, cannot be properly used. Instead of relying on short-term alkalizers or medications, we should turn to natural foods alkalizers such as those found in vegetables, juices, and some grains. The food with the highest sodium content is goat milk. Apples and apple cider vinegar are also excellent choices. In the herbal kingdom, okra and dandelion root are best. Black mission figs are tremendous. All tree-ripened fruits are high in sodium, but non-tree ripened fruits are extremely acidic.

Thus, to sum it all up, if I had digestive problems, which can also be noticed by bad breath or gas, weight gain, or burning in the stomach, I need sodium. If I don’t supply this crucial mineral, then I can expect joint problems real soon, bowel problems, and finally some immune type problems. All the specialists and all the testing and names for my various conditions will only lead to more medications which won’t fix the problem. We should all strive to constantly replenish our sodium reserves by consuming foods high in the mineral. We then will have better digestion, assimilation, and elimination. The very things we use to prevent the problems can also be used for their correction, as they are simply caused by deficiencies.

Other minerals needed by the digestive system include magnesium, potassium, iron, and copper. Vitamins required are vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, Vitamin D, folic acid, niacin, and pantothenic acid, most found in a simple B complex vitamin. Today there are also many products called digestive enzymes that contain ample amounts of enzymes to break down almost anything we eat. The enzymes are taken before meals to help break the food down. We have to digest our food to benefit from it. The less we digest, the more waste we produce, and the greater the deficiency of nutriment. I take enzymes with every meal, as well as a particular product called goat whey to maintain my “youthful, slim, and flexible” appearance. The majority of all diets fail because none address the body’s ability to digest the food and eliminate the waste. The less we digest, the more waste is left behind.

In conclusion, the rule is digest it and get rid of it. Old age is simply a digestive problem that is relatively simple to correct.

Next time, the body system covered will be elimination. All nutriment enters the body via the stomach, but from there goes to the intestines for processing and finally elimination. From the intestines, the blood picks up the nutriment for delivery to the rest of the body.

Happy Eating, j.

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E-mail: DrJay@GFCN.biz

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