DigWeak

DIGESTIVE WEAKNESSES

Low Stomach Acid
Check the box for each symptom that applies to you. The more symptoms on the list that a person has – or the more intensely they are experienced – the more likely it is that these symptoms are caused by low stomach acid.

	Indigestion or sourness 2 to 3 hr. after meals.
	Abdominal bloating, distension.
	Full, logy feeling after heavy meat meal.
	Loss of former taste or craving for meat.
	Excessive gas, belching or burping after meals.
	Burning sensation in stomach., heartburn.
	Heavy, tired feeling after eating.
	Constipation.
	Stools poorly formed, pale, greasy, floating.
	Undigested food particles in stools.
	Ridges on fingernails, slow growing nails.

The above symptoms indicate that the stomach is not producing enough hydrochloric acid (HCl) and enzymes to digest food properly. Digestive complaints of this nature can often be eliminated by following one simple rule of food combining: Don’t combine sugars with proteins/fats at the same meal.

Examples of poor food combinations include steak and pie, orange juice and eggs, and sweet & sour Chinese dishes. Sugars are digested only in the intestine. If eaten alone, they pass through the stomach in 20 to 30 minutes. Proteins and fats, however, need to stay in the stomach for three or four hours. If sugars and proteins/fats are eaten at the same time, the stomach holds on to the entire mass, causing putrefaction, gas and bloating. A young person with ample hydrochloric acid may get away with unwise food combinations, because HCl sterilizes the byproducts of putrefaction. The older we get, however, the less HCl our stomachs produce and the more careful we need to be about combining our foods.

Consuming fruits, juices or other sweets one half hour before a meal (as an appetizer) or on an empty stomach three hours after a meal (as a snack) is sometimes all that is necessary to eliminate digestive disturbances. If not, then a broad spectrum digestive aid is needed. See Digestive Enzyme Formula.

Liver/Gall Bladder
Check the box for each symptom that applies to you. The more symptoms on the list that a person has – or the more intensely they are experienced – the more likely it is that these symptoms are caused by a mal/ low function of the liver/gall bladder.

	Low tolerance to alcohol or sugar.
	Skin oily on nose and forehead.
	Dark circles or bags under the eyes.
	Fats/greasy foods cause nausea, headaches.
	Stool appears yellow, clay-colored, foul odored.
	Pale, greasy stools that float.
	Foul-smelling bowel gas.
	Bad breath/bad taste in mouth, excess body odor.
	Pain on inside of right shoulder blade.
	Consistent gas & bloating from most foods, and especially from onions, cabbage, radishes, cucumbers.

The above signs indicate that there is not enough bile getting into the duodenum when needed. Bile breaks down fats into tiny droplets so that fat-splitting enzymes from the pancreas can work on them. Without enough bile, fats and minerals glob together in the gut to form insoluble soaps – often causing constipation and mineral deficiencies. The above symptoms can be corrected by taking supplementary digestive enzymes that include bile and pancreatin. This form of supplementation is highly beneficial for anyone who has had a gall bladder removed. See Digestive Enzyme Formula.

Lactic Bacteria
Check the box for each symptom that applies to you. The more symptoms on the list that a person has – or the more intensely they are experienced – the more likely it is that these symptoms are caused by a deficiency/imbalance of lactic bacteria.

	Indigestion, bloating after meals.
	Intestinal gas, especially after sugary foods.
	Diarrhea or constipation.
	Urinary tract infections.
	Yeast infections, candidiasis.
	Cold sores, canker sores.

Lactic bacteria are important to intestinal immunity. They also improve digestion by stimulating intestinal movement (peristalsis) and by hindering the proliferation of harmful microorganisms (yeast, fungi, pathogenic bacteria). Lactic bacteria are provided in the diet by fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, cultured buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh or miso.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most important and most stable of the lactic bacteria in the gut. It survives in both acid and alkaline environments and has the potential to inhibit at least 26 different kinds of harmful bacteria. L. acidophilus capsules can replace the beneficial intestinal flora that have been displaced or destroyed by antibiotics, candida (yeast) infections or diarrhea. These capsules are most efficiently utilized when taken with meals.

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