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Articles - Michael McEvoy

Building Health Inside of the Intestines

By Michael McEvoy

Many people who are looking to achieve good health frequently ask me where to begin. My answer: begin in your intestines.

Most people, including many doctors are unaware of the significance behind maintaining health in the gut. It should be understood that 80% of the body’s immune system is found in the large intestine.

Your large intestine contains 3-5 pounds of necessary bacteria and yeast which serves as the immune system’s first line of defense. There are over 400 different strains of “healthy” bacteria that live inside of you. Your large intestine also contains some amount of putrefactive bacteria. It is of fundamental importance that we keep a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria.

Ideally the balance in the gut should be 70% healthy bacteria and 30% putrefactive bacteria. Most people, however have these percentages backwards. This is due largely to an imbalanced diet, anti-biotic usage, environmental toxins, ingesting or bathing in chlorinated water, a weakened digestive system and the use of prescription medications.

A diet that includes pasteurized dairy, sugars and excessive grains can wreak havoc on your gut. Sugars are food sources for yeast over-growths. While yeast is an important part of your intestines, it must be kept in check or else it will over-populate your intestines. This can lead to bloating, flatulence, constipation, irregular bowel movements and other more harmful symptoms. Due to the pasteurization of dairy, enzymes such as lactase have been destroyed during the heating process. This results in your body’s inability to breakdown the lactose in the milk, causing the production of mucous. A diet that is rich in raw vegetables is one that promotes healthy colon function. Animal proteins are also important because they build bacteriological competition inside of the gut. The “good” bacteria needs something to compete against otherwise it will over-colonize and your gut will become too alkaline. The PH of your large intestine should be acidic.

Anti-biotics will literally kill all of the bacteria inside of your intestines. Unfortunately the use of anti-biotics has become almost recreational in this culture. If you have an interest in your body’s health, it is imperative that you eliminate the use of anti-biotics. Anti-biotics and other medications act as “crutches”. They provide the appearance of health but they are actually destroying it. They do nothing to support your body’s primal defenses.

Chlorinated tap water will also destroy healthy gut flora. Bathing in chlorinated water is just as harmful if not worse. Chlorine and other harmful chemicals are absorbed into your bloodstream right through the skin. Enviromental toxins such as toxic metals, PCB’s, dioxins and petro-chemicals will also impede organ function as well as reduce peristaltic movement of the intestines. Many of these toxins are found in food, water, air and the environment.

A weakened digestive system will also debilitate the health of the gut. If food is not properly digested then harmful bacteria, fungus, viruses, and parasites will enter into the body. A diet that is rich in sugar, grains, alcohol, excessive cooked foods and processed foods will weaken your digestive system. If food is not properly chewed and digested it will rot and putrefy inside of your intestines causing a build-up of unhealthy bacteria.

Performing a thorough colon cleanse should be the first step to rebuilding health inside of the gut. This may include powerful organic herbs and/or colon hydrotherapy. It is necessary to break down the intestines before re-building them. Once the gut is properly detoxified, you should re-build the colonies of beneficial micro-flora. Pro-biotics are an excellent way to do this. However many different types of pro-biotics with different delivery systems work with varying results for each person. It is important that the oral supplement make it to your colon intact. Enteric coated acidopholous and bifidus is usually a good way to ensure the bacteria makes it to your colon. Foods such as onions, cabbage and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kim-chee, tempeh and miso are excellent food sources for your gut flora. They help the bacteria to populate inside of the gut.

Balancing and maintaining healthy intestinal flora is probably the most important part of one’s health. Gut flora is responsible for the breakdown and elimination of waste, the production of vitamins B and K, digestive enzyme production as well as immune system function.

A normal, healthy colon releases 2-3 bowel movements per day. The feces should be moist and not hard. Hardness of feces indicates that they have putrefied. Remember that an overgrowth of putrefactive waste is undesirable. If you do not have 2-3 normal bowel movements per day, chances are good that your colon is in need of a cleaning.