Last week, we focused on evaluating stomach health as the first step in building our health. The key piece of information we were looking for was whether the stomach was able to produce enough of the super strong acid it needs to break apart the protein bonds that bundle it up into the complex shapes that turn protein into the tiny machines
the body uses to do everything it does. Once that acid has done its job, the protein will be left in long strands, kind of like spaghetti. Now it is time for the next job of chopping the protein down into individual amino acids – the building blocks of protein. We can then use these amino acid building blocks to create our own tiny protein machines inside our body that meet our needs.
What do we use to snip the protein spaghetti into individual amino acids? We use enzymes. Enzymes are like tiny scissors, snips, and clippers. They come in different shapes and sizes to fit into the spaces between different amino acid bonds. There are also different enzymes for breaking apart different types of sugar, starch, and fats. All these specialized clippers are
manufactured in the alpha cells of the pancreas along with a powerful fluid which neutralizes the acid from the stomach. So our next DIY focus is on the health of the pancreas. (This is distinguished from the pancreas beta cells which produces insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.) We don't have any simple at-home tests for pancreas function so we have to rely on symptoms to tell us if there is a problem with the pancreas. Take this
test - 0 means the least/or never increasing up to 3 means most/or always
Small Intestine (Pancreas)
Roughage and fiber cause constipation 0 1 2 3
Indigestion/fullness lasts 2-4 hours after eating 0 1 2 3
Bloating 2-4 hours after eating 0 1 2 3
Pain, tenderness, on left side under rib cage 0 1 2 3
Excessive passage of gas
0 1 2 3
Chronic nausea and/or vomiting 0 1 2 3
Stools poorly formed or contain undigested food 0 1 2 3
Stool foul smelling, mucous-like, greasy 0 1 2 3
Chronic diarrhea 0 1 2 3
Unexplained weight
loss 0 1 2 3
Score _______
Only
add up the 2’s and 3’s – ignore the 1’s. A score of 6 or more indicates a need for action.
A secondary set of symptoms might show up if there has been a problem for a long time. Since your body cannot absorb the foods you eat until they are completely broken down into their tiniest building block parts, if the pancreas is not working properly, you will become malnourished. Symptoms of malnutrition could start showing up. The
unexplained weight loss would be the first step, but then muscle loss, weakness, edema, hair loss, brittle nails, and a host of symptoms that result from the inability to absorb the vitamins A,D,E, and K. There are even weird kidney symptoms that can result because the tube from the left kidney to the bladder (the ureter) passes through the pancreas. Inflammation of the pancreas can spread to the kidney from this connection.
Unfortunately, the production of enzymes from the pancreas decreases as we get older. This is a natural byproduct of everything in the body slowing down because the energy factories in all our cells (the mitochondria) are getting weaker and produce less energy. Making enzymes requires a lot of energy. As our energy levels go down, we make fewer enzymes and are less able to
digest our food. The less we digest our food, the fewer replacement building blocks we have to repair our tissues, including rebuilding new mitochondria. This forms a vicious cycle of less and less that we come to know as aging. You can begin to appreciate why I start with digestion as the basis of rebuilding our health.
Besides age, what decreases our enzyme production from our pancreas? The number one biggest damage to the pancreas comes from drinking alcohol. Chronic pancreatitis is a common result of excess consumption of alcohol, so keep the alcohol consumption down to a maximum of one glass of wine or equivalent per day. Alcohol tends to poke holes in the gut anyway, creating a leaky gut.
This produces all sorts of immune system problems such as allergies and autoimmune conditions. So I avoid alcohol altogether. Any sort of inflammatory condition of the gut can end up damaging the pancreas, so situations like irritable bowel, celiac disease, and a bunch of long-named diseases can mess with the pancreas.
So what can we do about not producing enough enzymes to digest our food? Our first line of action is to replace the missing enzymes with supplemental enzymes so we can digest our food. We need to use a wide spectrum enzyme product since we will be affecting not only protein digestion, but carbohydrate, sugar, and fat digestion. In the old days, the approach was to extract the
full set of enzymes from cattle or pigs by harvesting their pancreases when they were slaughtered for food. This helped a great deal, but it was not a complete solution as neither of these animals normally eats as much protein as humans do. Consequently, their pancreases don't produce the level of protein enzymes we need. Other sources of enzymes had to be found. One particular class of protein digesting enzymes can be found in pineapple and papaya. Many people use these sources to improve their
digestion.
When using supplements, it is important to remember that the enzymes need to be waiting for the food when it gets down to the duodenum, the part of the small intestine just below the stomach. This is where the pancreas attaches to the digestive tract and injects its load of enzymes into the food. Sol you must take enzymes before a
meal. It does no good at all to take enzymes after a meal. A similar reasoning is applied to supplementing with betaine hydrochloride for low stomach acid. This supplement needs to be mixed into the middle of any meal that contains protein. Taken before the meal, it will pass out of the stomach before it has a chance to act on the food. Taken after the meal, it will sit on top of the meal in the stomach and do little good.
Some people are concerned that taking supplements will cause the body to stop producing its own enzymes or HCl. This can happen with hormone replacement therapy. But in the case of enzymes and HCl, the lack of sufficient quantities is because the system is broken or old. The only choice is to use replacement therapy, at least while trying to repair the problems. Unfortunately
for us over the age of 60 types, that means supplementing our digestion at most meals in order to stay healthy. It helps to eat small meals several times a day to not overrun the system. As stated in last newsletter, we need to be sure that our zinc levels and B12 levels are good to enable us to repair our stomach acid production. But with the pancreas, there is no common magic nutrient to repair its problems. We might talk about protomorphogen therapy, but that would be the subject of a
different newsletter. Generally, we are looking at improving our general health on all levels to address pancreas issues.
That should cover enough for DIY Health #3. We have one more piece to look at for upper GI and digestion health next time – gallbladder and liver concerns. We will catch you next week.
Take care,
David
Ellen
Ellen has been working on creating a supplement test kit for use with her patients. Sometimes their concerns involve nutritional imbalances that affect their feeling states. She used to have a complete test kit for Standard Process products, the oldest vitamin company in existence, but it was stolen several years ago. However I won such a test kit last month at a relicensing seminar and Ellen is using mine to
replicate one of her own.
How junk food makes you dumb
Diets high in fat and sugar are being found to attack the parts of your brain for memory and for spatial navigation. So basically you end up not remembering who you are and how to get home. This was studied with college students while using a virtual reality headset.
"Nothing risked, nothing gained. If you do not “show up” in life by risking and being vulnerable, you do not get to play…"
~David DeLapp
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Pets decrease loneliness and improve health
This study found that even a robotic pet improved feelings of connectedness and improved health. Participating with a pet also made it easier for participants to connect with other humans.
"You pay in some way for everything you ever get, there is no free ride. You can not take more than you give or the resources runs dry."
~David DeLapp
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What is the best kind of protein for muscle building?
In a study that more closely reflects real world activities, the astounding results are that it does not matter what the protein source is as long as you are getting enough of it and the full range of amino acids are present. It also does not matter if you eat it all at once or spread out in tiny bits across the day.
Our address is 9725 Fair Oaks Blvd. suite A Our hours are M, Tu, Th, F 10 to 3:30
Finding our location is very easy. Coming from highway 50 up Sunrise Blvd, you turn left and go up a block. We are on the right hand side - the building just past the Subway Sandwich shop. If you are coming down Sunrise from the Mall area then just turn right on Fair Oaks Blvd and up a block on the right.
If
you are coming from the Roseville area you could come down Sunrise Blvd, but that is a long trek. It is probably shorter time wise to come down Auburn Blvd - San Juan Ave like you have been for the Sunset office, but instead of turning left at Sunset, keep going straight 3 more lights to Fair Oaks Blvd and turn left. Go down 2 lights to New York Ave, go through the intersection, and immediately turn into the turn lane once the center divider ends. We are on the left.
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Referral doctor for when we are
out of town: Jennifer Webb DC
6216 Main St. suite C1 Orangevale 988-3441
Or Dr. Lily
Dr. Hongtruc Lily Nguyen, DC Carmichael Disc Center
5150 Fair Oaks Blvd, Suite 104
Carmichael, CA 95608 Phone: (916) 680-9989 Fax: (916) 680-9977
