Bowel movements are the result of the digestive/eliminative process. Think of it as a finished car coming off the production line. Inspecting it will show whether the process met the manufacturer’s specifications.
Bowel health is not often enough talked about. One doctor, giving a lecture at age 91 was asked what was the secret of his health and strength. He said, “take care of your stomach for the first 40 years and your stomach will take care of you for the next 40 years.
Dr. Bernard Jensen has a very good book on bowel health that everyone should read called “Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management”. In it he presents a good description of the digestive and eliminative process and the problems associated with poor eating and improper bowel management. The types of toxins released from improperly digested food is also covered as well as a cleansing diet.
What is necessary for Bowel care :
1.Fibre
The body uses insoluble fibre (ruffage) to clear the walls of the intestine and between the small villii as it passes through. Fibre also assist in the slow release of nutrients as it is processed through the system. It is not good to go too long on programs with reduced or no fibre as it progressively weakens the tone of the digestive system.
2.Water
The bowel needs to have a good supply of water to assist in easy and smooth peristaltic action to move material from one end to the other. Deep breathing gently massages the colon and exercise helps to keep the muscles in tone. When the body lacks a good supply of water, water is taken from the intestines for the blood and the bowel activity is slowed. Keep the body well fed with water.
3.Bacteria
as with all living matter, bacteria breaks down matter and produces other useful by products and waste. The good bacteria produce B-12 internally. Material which stays too long in the intestinal tract decays and produces many harmful and toxic gasses. We get insoluble fibre from God’s good grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, More from the vegetables and fruits since these items should be of larger servings in our meals. Fruits assist greatly in building the intestinal bacteria. The types of foods (Acid/Alkaline) and the alkalinity of the small intestine determine the quality of the environment the bacteria will live in. We have both friendly and unfriendly bacteria. When their environment becomes more acidic the unfriendly bacteria proliferate and grow more than the friendly bacteria. Candida is the result of such an imbalance. Worms and parasites will thrive and multiply in a more acidic intestinal environment that is favorable to unfriendly bacteria.
A diet rich in fruits and following the principles of eating (time, composition, complexity, quality) play a very important role in bacteria health.
4.Exercise
good deep breathing and exercise massages the muscles in the stomach area and the intestines. This helps them to keep toned. Light exercise such as a brisk walk after meals will improve digestion.
5.Rest
The stomach performs it’s activity and must be given time to rest and repair the mucus lining and to replenish digestive juices for the next meal. Inter-digestion time is important to long term health. Eating meals too close together, snacking between meals and chewing gum are dangerous in the long term. Chewing is a signal to the brain that food is entering the system and the digestive process begins.
A study was done with a group of nurses who were given snacks, ice cream and frequent meals. It was found that digestion was interrupted and sometimes extended as much as 9 hours longer if as much as a raisin was taken between meals.
A camera placed inside of a cats food was used to assist in tracking the digestion process through relaxation and fright/stress. The cat was played with until it was purring happily then fed it’s meal. Digestion began. A few minutes after digestion began the cat’s tail was yanked so that it got scared and ran from the meal, digestion stopped immediately.
As the process of ingestion, digestion and assimilation are both muscular and chemical processes the mind must be relaxed for proper digestion to take place. When stressed out, it is better that you rest first before eating, even 15-20 minutes or a short nap. An occasional fast will also provide the system with rest and allow it to complete the digestion, absorption and elimination of any food material still in process.
6. Transit Time :
The time required to complete the digestive process (from food entering the mouth to emptying the bowel) is called transit time.
A study was done some years ago that showed Africans on their original diet having transit times of 18-24 hours on their high fibre diet. Americans were shown to have transit times in the order of 48-72 hours and longer. I personally have tested one young woman that showed a transit time of almost 4 days. Even though you go to the washroom each day it does not mean you have a good cycle time. A good transit time is about 24 hours providing the person is in good physical health and has a good high fiber diet and adequate daily water intake. Regularity in eating or rather consistent meal times assist in training the bowels and improving the regularity of bowel emptying. What supports a good transit time are listed in the five (5) points above.
How To Test Transit Time :
Using some type of food material or colored material (I use a teaspoon of Charcoal or 2 capsules with water) since it will color the food material and therefore cannot be mistaken) check the day and time it is put into the mouth with a regular meal. Monitor the fecal matter until the material (charcoal) shows in the stool. All the material should be out of the system. If there is still material showing in the next stool it also signals a problem of the bowels which is, delayed emptying.
7. Fecal Matter Analysis:
This is a good practice for yourself and it is also good to observe in your kids. If it is embarrassing, tell them what to look for and from time to time you can ask them. Make it a brief discussion.
Fecal matter analysis is just as the name says. Examining one’s fecal output to get an idea as to the quality of the work done internally. The natural stool will take the form, diameter and length of the passage from which it came if the first five (5) points above are in good balance.
Since each section of the large intestine is 2 feet and the diameter is approximately 2 – 2.5 inches, the normal stool should be 1-2 feet long, less than 2 inches diameter and somewhat ribbed because of the peristaltic action of the colon muscles to move the material along. With good fiber and water it will not break up and would be of an earthen color without a strong overpowering odor.
Therefore, small, pencil like emissions of a yellowish color, sticky, smooth, foul heavy odor all tell of different problems and need some investigation.
Good Habits :
- Keep consistent meal times as far as possible. With sufficient fiber a 5 hour meal spacing is ideal and can be achieved
- Eat a diet full of God’s natural foods and avoid all white products (white flour, white rice, white sugar) as they are void of fiber. There are many other things that could be added to the list like white flour pastries and cheese but it is preferred that you read and discover for yourself. This way you will understand what you are changing and why. Use fruits with your breakfast, vegetables and legumes with your lunch and add grains, nuts and seeds to both.
- Find good replacements for the foods you are removing from your diet
- Water, Water, Water. See the post in the Lifestyle section on Water
- If you feel an urge to eliminate, do like the animals in the wild and go immediately. Do not be like house bred animals waiting for approval or walk time or other appropriate time to do so. Just go. Delaying this action places an undue pressure on the system and the absorptive process which follows the eliminative process re-absorbs toxic waste back into the blood and surrounding tissue. For example, in the case of Prostate Cancer examine the health of the bowel.
- Use a stool to place your feet when sitting on the toilet. This brings the knees up and places the colon in a more natural posture for elimination.
- It is good to do a high fiber colon cleanse program to assist in the elimination of parasites and worms once in a year if on a good vegetarian diet.
This is a summary of information which I have studied, including Fecal Matter Analysis. I would recommend that you do further individual study and suggestbooks such as “The Itinerary of a Breakfast” by Dr J. H. Kellog and Dr. Bernard Jensen’s book, “Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management” since I have found it to be quite concise on the topic.
Author: Curt de Gourville, Lifestyle Counselor
Copyright © Neoteric Natural Health Consultants 2015
