Digestion
Ferment Your Way to a Healthier Gut with Homemade Sauerkraut
Teeming with life and full of bubbly deliciousness, sauerkraut is digestive vigor in a jar.
When made at home, sauerkraut is inexpensive and simple to prepare. One head of cabbage yields about a quart of sauerkraut and trillions of beneficial bacteria to supplement your gut flora.
Reduce Microbiome Damage from Antibiotics with Probiotics and Prebiotics
Antibiotics are lifesaving but have significant negative health consequences, reducing populations of beneficial gut flora along with the pathogenic microbes they are prescribed to target. This side effect can be hedged while on a course of antibiotics, and restorative strategies can be employed to more quickly repopulate native gut flora.
Living with a Small Bowel Obstruction
In February 2015 I was diagnosed with a small bowel obstruction (SBO), secondary to lymphoma. An enlarged lymph node was encroaching into the luminal space of the intestinal wall, causing an intussusception whereby the small bowel starts to telescope into itself. This blocks the passage of food and drink, resulting in severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Bentonite Clay: Eating Earth for Optimal Gastrointestinal Health
The practice of consuming clay is prehistoric, with references to its medical use documented by Hippocrates.
Bentonite is the most common form of medicinal clay available and is used as a base for some prescription medicines. Although bentonite can be used externally as a poultice, it is most commonly recommended as a gentle therapy to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract.
The Apple Cider Vinegar Cure?
You may have heard anecdotes about apple cider vinegar treating just about everything except death. Though not a miracle remedy, raw and organic apple cider vinegar does have a lot of therapeutic applications. It is inexpensive, readily accessible, and has a long shelf life, so no kitchen cupboard should be without it.
Breaking Down Digestion
Digestion is a magnificently complex process requiring extensive interactions among several organ systems, yet one need not be a physiologist to garner an appreciation of the basics of the human digestive system. Knowledge of the inner workings of one’s gut can be an enlightening area of study, engendering thoughtful consideration of the old adage “You are what you eat.”