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Colon: Introduction
It's not a pretty subject.
But if you're serious about your health, it's a health topic you'll
eventually have to tackle.
What is it? Your colon. You may also hear it called the large intestine, even though the large intestine is only one portion of the colon. In either case, it's an essential part of your
health.
In order to stay healthy and vital, your body needs to effectively and
efficiently eliminate the food you eat and other bodily waste.
Your
colon, though, doesn't work alone. Working
in conjunction with your lungs, skin and kidneys, the colon eliminates
toxins that are found throughout your body including the intestines, blood
and your lymph system.
The
physical appearance of this organ is quite different from other organs as
the kidneys or the liver. It's
approximately five feet long and is, in fact, the last quarter of the
digestive tract that's nearly 28 feet long. The colon, moreover, is not a
single organ, but rather a collection of three separate organs � the large
intestine, rectum and the anus. The
main tasks of the colon are water and nutrient absorption and the formation
and elimination of feces.
This
organ contains a whole host of bacteria, both of the good and the bad
variety. With nearly 60
varieties of microflora or bacteria to aid digestion, the colon is vital to
the digestion and processing of nutrient production.
Good bacteria, the majority of which are bacillus coli and
acidophilus are essential in the processing of the B-complex vitamins and
folic acid. In fact, it's in
this area of the body that the B vitamins combine with bacteria that then
carries these vitamins, important for energy production, throughout the
blood stream and ultimately to all the organs.
The
entire process of elimination � in a healthy body � normally takes
between 12 to 24 hours from the time the food is ingested to the time it's
eliminated. Experts claim that
if your colon is healthy, you should experience two to three bowel movements
daily, one after each meal is eaten. Elimination, ideally, should be
complete and easy. And it
shouldn't hurt!
All
healthy stool has common characteristics � no matter your age or sex. The
stool in a healthy elimination is light brown in color and it should be
long, large and round. Contrary
to popular opinion, stools should not have an offensive odor.
Another characteristic of a healthy stool is that as it's flushed
down the toilet, it should break apart.
Colon:
What healthy should be
We've
all experienced occasional constipation. Perhaps that's the first problem
you think of when you think of your colon. The colon, however, is vulnerable
to a variety of other diseases,
disorders and problems. In fact, according to some experts, more than 70
million Americans at some point in their lives suffer from bowel problems.
At
least this is the number whose colon problems are so bad that they consult
with the health care practitioner. There
are untold numbers of people who struggle with bowel and colon problems who
don't seek professional help. They
either believe that the problem isn't severe enough or they don't even
realize a problem exists.
Constipation
is only one of many problems that can attack the colon. Diarrhea is another
health problem of the colon. Other more serious problems include cancer,
polyps, colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative
colitis and diverticulitis.
But
colon and bowel problems can be more than merely uncomfortable, but they can
also cause nutritional deficiencies, regardless of how great your diet is or
how many vitamin and dietary supplements you take.
When
your body cannot properly eliminate the food it brings in and the toxins
that accumulate, then fecal matter builds up either along the walls of the
colon or in the pockets of the organ. And
this is when even a mild case of constipation is serious.
These
deposits, as they sit in the colon, may not get eliminate for weeks, even
months. In fact, it's not
unusual some experts say that some may cling to the colon for even years.
Eventually this fecal matter becomes irritated.
When this happens it may manifest itself in a spastic or an inflamed
colon, both conditions that interfere with vital nutrient absorption in
addition to the healthy bowel function.
When
the fecal matter goes from merely being irritated to decaying, then real
trouble begins. The decaying
matter releases toxins and poisonous gases which seep into the blood and if
left untreated, eventually begin to poison all of your organs and tissue.
The bloodstream itself could get polluted which in turn poisons the
entire body.
This
just creates a domino effect. For
when the body is affected by toxins, the individual cells of your system
cannot take in the nutrients from the blood.
The fluid surrounding these cells is too congested with wastes from
the sluggish lymphatic system to allow anything inside the cells.
And
this internal poisoning can initiate a host of other seemingly unrelated
problems. It can cause a mental
depression accompanied by morbid thoughts.
You'll also feel sluggish because the B vitamins are being properly
processed. They're being
eliminated before they can become attached to the proper bacteria and get
carried to the bloodstream to nourish the body.
http://www.tuberose.com/Colon_Health.html
Note: Some statements in this article may not be
approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and
should not be taken as professional medical advice.
Compleat Mother
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