Digestive Disorders

What Conventional Medicine OffeRS

• Ulcers

Some of the most popular drugs prescribed to treat digestive complaints are Prilosec or Prevacid. These drugs are known as gastric acid-pump inhibitors because of the unique way in which they block the final metabolic step in the production of stomach acid. These drugs are quite expensive but are more effective in suppressing disorders associated with excess stomach acid production than the older class of histamine-2 receptor antagonist drugs sold under the trade names Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid, and Axid. Drugs such as Tagamet inhibit stomach acid secretion whereas Prilosec and Prevacid suppress virtually all stomach acid secretion.

Most stomach ulcers are now considered to be caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. Special antibiotic regimens are now the therapy of choice in treating ulcers. The use of drugs that reduce stomach acid are therefore more frequently prescribed to treat esophageal reflux, where stomach acid regurgitates into the esophagus to cause heartburn. If left untreated, chronic esophageal exposure to stomach acid can cause esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

Some people with mild esophageal reflux may be able to use natural therapies to promote youthful peristaltic action and push food more rapidly out of the stomach, thereby alleviating reflux back into the esophagus.

If You Suffer from Ulcers
The medical community has discovered that H. pylori bacteria cause most stomach ulcers. Blood tests can reveal the presence of the H. pylori antibody. Special antibiotic combinations can be used to eliminate H. pylori bacteria from the stomach within a matter of weeks. Those who fail to eradicate H. pylori are at a far greater risk for contracting stomach cancer.

Benefits of PhosphatidylcholiNE

Extracellular phospholipids, synthesized on gastric mucosa, assist in the hydrophobic, or nonwettable, characteristics of epithelium, yielding protection from stomach acid and injurious materials. The nonwettable status of the epithelium is extremely important to the health of the GIT. This valuable protection is, however, vulnerable and can be transformed by aspirin or NSAIDs from a nonwettable state, resistant to harmful substances, to a wettable epithelium. The mucosa is now susceptible to injury from caustic substances.

Once the gastric mucosa has been disturbed, ulcers loom as an ongoing threat. Polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PPC) has been shown to reduce the incidence of gastric ulcers, even after aggressive experimental ulcer inducement. Individuals at high risk for gastric ulcers, such as those taking high doses of either aspirin or NSAIDs, have lessened the injurious nature of the drugs when phospholipids are bound to the anti-inflammatory drugs (Leyck et al. 1985).

As noted earlier, the basic cause of many ulcers is the spiral-shaped bacterium H. pylori (Axon 1993). To investigate the effect of H. pylori infection on the gastric musocal barrier, phospholipids and fatty acid composition of the gastric mucosa were analyzed in healthy volunteers with and without H. pylori infection. The gastric phosphatidylcholine content of H. pylori-positive healthy volunteers was less than that of H. pylori-negative healthy volunteers (p < 0.05) (Wakabayashi et al. 1998). These findings suggest that H. pylori infection results in changes in the gastric mucosal phospholipid contents and their fatty acid composition, causing the gastric mucosa to be weakened. Attempts to increase the worthiness of the gastric mucosa appears indicated, particularly in individuals with a history of gastric ulcers or individuals who are on medicinal protocols known to impact the reliability of the mucosa.

Beyond the functions of gastric protection, polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine assists in the digestion of fat. The presence of luminal phosphatidylcholine is important for the normal lymphatic transport of the absorbed digestion products of triglyceride, the major dietary fat (Tso et al. 1981; Richmond et al. 2001). Assisting in the metabolism and transport of fat may explain why some individuals find value in using lecithin in conditions of hypercholesterolemia.

PPC stimulates collagen breakdown in experimental models of liver cirrhosis. As important as this finding is relative to liver health, it also has pertinent implications regarding the integrity and maintenance of the GIT. Bowel strictures, abnormal temporary or permanent narrowing of the bowel, are characterized by excess deposition of collagen in the intestinal wall. A study was conducted to determine the effect of PPC in the prevention of bowel strictures. Three groups of rats were assessed: a control group, a confirmed colitis group, and a group of rats diagnosed with colitis, but receiving phosphatidylcholine. In conjunction with the study, collagen deposition and collagenase activity in colonic tissue were measured in all of the groups. None of the control rats, but 12 of 16 rats with colitis, developed colonic strictures.

In contrast, only two of 15 phosphatidylcholine-fed rats with colitis showed strictures. Collagen content was much higher in the rats with colitis than the phosphatidylcholine-fed rats with colitis and the control rats. Collagenase activity in colonic tissue was, also, much higher in the phosphatidylcholine-fed rats (Mourelle et al. 1996). Phosphatidylcholine appears to enhance collagen catabolism, restricting collagen buildup in inflamed intestinal tissue and the resulting stricture formation.

Individuals wishing to enhance the integrity of the GIT or to gain assistance in fat metabolism may wish to consider the use of unsaturated phosphatidylcholine. Unsaturated phosphatidylcholine is deemed well tolerated and without major risk factors.

ConclusiON

Aging is a critical factor that negatively impacts the digestive system. As we age, we become acutely aware of the limitations placed on our diets. Foods that were part of our carefree eating styles in younger years have become the culprits in our declining years. The variety of products marketed for digestive problems is astounding. Looking for relief, consumers purchase a myriad of remedies and yet continue to suffer.

The natural supplements mentioned within this protocol may prove to be new potent and cost-effective treatments in helping halt the digestive disease epidemic. Here are some natural approaches to treating digestive disorders and improving overall health:

• Digestive Enzyme Supplements
  
  Choosing the right enzyme supplement can be difficult. Enzymes are very delicate, and if not properly manufactured, they can easily lose their potency. Commercial enzyme supplements are often neutralized by varying pH levels of stomach acids. A digestive enzyme supplement should be broad-spectrum so that it can facilitate the digestion of protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and milk lactose. The use of acid-protected enzyme formulas can enhance efficacy. One such formula that obtains its enzymes from fungus (but has no fungal residue) is called Super Digestive Enzyme Caps. This product is formulated to be effective in a broad spectrum of stomach acid pH conditions. Each capsule of Super Digestive Enzyme Caps contains a pancreatin and fungal enzyme concentrate that provides the following digestive activity:

Two to four dosages of an enzyme supplement with these potencies should be taken before or during meals. Digestive enzymes are quite reasonably priced compared to other supplements.

• Bile Acid-Stimulating Agents
  
  While digestive enzymes facilitate the breakdown of food in the stomach, the impact of bile acids secreted from the liver into the small intestine may be even more important. A healthy liver makes about 1 quart of bile acid a day, and this bile should freely flow into the small intestine to digest fat and protein. European doctors believe that inadequate bile acid flow is a major cause of most digestive disorders.
  
  Artichoke extract facilitates the free flow of bile acid and also improves the overall health of the liver. The suggested dose is to take 300-600 mg of a standardized artichoke extract before, during, or after a heavy meal. The extract from artichoke used to measure pharmaceutical standardization is caffeoylquinic acid. Supplements can be found that contain as low as 3% and up to 15% caffeoylquinic acid. Higher concentration artichoke extracts are recommended. Artichoke extracts are quite affordable and provide many ancillary health benefits in addition to improving bile acid flow and, hence, overall digestion. Those who want to optimize digestion should consider taking 2-4 digestive enzyme capsules before a meal along with 300-600 mg of a standardized artichoke extract.
  
  A slightly more expensive way of stimulating bile acid flow is to use the European pharmaceutical preparation named Digest RC. Two to three tablets of Digest RC taken with meals provides standardized extracts from black radish and artichoke along with peppermint, cholic acid, and other digestive aids. Digest RC has a proven 45-year track record in Europe in treating a variety of common digestive disorders. After 3 weeks of using 2-3 tablets of Digest RC before every heavy meal, the dose can be reduced if symptoms of digestive discomfort dissipate.

Those with gallstones or gallbladder disease should not take bile acid-stimulating agents such as artichoke or Digest RC.

SUMMARY

1. Super Digestive Enzyme Caps contain standardized potencies of protease, amylase, and lipase to aid in the breakdown of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. These enzyme caps are effective in a broad spectrum of stomach acid pH conditions. Two capsules at the beginning of each meal is recommended.
2. Digest RC accelerates the digestion of fats and meat proteins and treats a number of digestion-related disorders. One to two capsules before high-fat meals are suggested.
3. Artichoke Leaf Extract taken with meals (one or two 300-mg capsules) will help improve bile acid flow and overall digestion.
4. HepatoPro (formerly GastroPro) containing polyunsaturated phophatidylcholine (PPC) protects gastric mucosa, aids in fat digestion, and helps to prevent bowel strictures. Two 900-mg capsules daily are recommended.

For more informatiON

Contact the Digestive Disease National Coalition, Chicago, IL, (202) 544-7497; or the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House, Bethesda, MD, (800) 891-5389, http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Product availabiliTY

Digest RC, Super Digestive Enzymes, HepatoPro, and Artichoke Leaf Extract are available by calling (800) 544-4440 or by ordering online.