Ease indigestion the natural way

Better Nutrition (1989-90), August, 1989 by Caroline Mure, Nancy Saltmarsh

Ease Indigestion The Natural Way

Health food stores offer a wealth of natural digestive aids. Reach for one next time you suffer from indigestion.

Life in the fast lane often leaves us too busy to cook nutritious meals at home, or pack a low-calorie lunch for work or school. Indigestion, heartburn, constipation and diarrhea are some of the immediate results of high-fat, high-sodium meals grabbed on the run, while more serious diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease can result from years of such a diet.

Even people who normally eat a well-balanced diet suffer from an infrequent bout of indigestion and for those occasions your health food store offers a variety of natural remedies, among them herbs, activated charcoal, digestive enzymes and bacterial aids. For chronic digestive complaints, however, a reconsideration of diet and lifestyle may be in order.

How Healthy is Your Diet?

Is your diet as healthy as it should be? Do you exercise? Do you smoke, drink or work at a high-stress job? Any of these factors can have a profound impact on digestion.

"Digestion is a complex process," said Dr. Jack Soltanoff, author of Natural Healing. "Heavy smoking, heavy drinking, over-consumption of fats, and sugar addiction are only a few of the habits that not only interfere with but actively inhibit the action of the digestive system."

Dr. Ross Trattler, author of Better Health Through Natural Healing, adds refined carbohydrates, overeating, insufficient chewing, hurried meals, strong spices, salt, coffee, tea and alcohol to the list. Dr. Trattler recommends the elimination of these substances, following an initial fast which is complemented only by diluted apple juice, water with a twist of lemon or slippery elm tea. Dr. Trattler also addresses the issue of proper food combining, which many doctors believe is essential for good digestion.

"Always keep meals simple and never combine fruit with vegetables, fruit with starches and liquids with solids," he said. He also recommended avoiding large meals and drinking with meals.

Other doctors also recommend eating fruit on an empty stomach, since combining fruit with other foods slows the absorption of nutrients and the elimination of waste. Sugar should not be eaten with other foods since the combination can ferment in the digestive system and form toxins and gas. Yes, this means no dessert!

Dr. Soltanoff often prescribes tomatoes for his patients with intestinal problems. "Ripe tomatoes are one of the best detoxifiers we have," he said. "Tomatoes act as a catalyst and neutralize harmful uric acid found in animal proteins."

Avoid Synthetic Antacids

To complement these dietary measures, you might try one of the many natural remedies available at health food stores in the form of herbs, digestive enzymes, "friendly" bacterial agents or activated charcoal. Try to avoid over-the-counter antacids, which contain ingredients that may be harmful, especially when used regularly over a long period of time.

"Indigestion, heartburn and gastritis are not really diseases in themselves, but are symptoms of abnormal digestion," said Dr. Trattler. "The usual treatment for these common problems is the prescription of antacid medications aimed at removing unpleasant symptoms without attempting in any way to treat the cause. Sodium bicarbonate preparations are the most frequently used antacids. Used on a regular basis, however, [sodium bicarbonate] disturbs the body's acid/alkaline balance, creating a condition of alkalosis. Sustained alkalosis combined with heavy milk-drinking can cause irreversible kidney damage."

Another ingredient commonly found in antacids is aluminum, a toxic metal which has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier and is thought by some researchers to contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Some doctors forbid their pregnant patients from taking aluminum-containing antacids, according to The United States Pharmacopeia Drug Information for the Consumer. Although neither human nor animal studies have been conducted demonstrating a direct relationship between aluminum and side effects in babies, antacids reportedly have caused side effects in babies whose mothers took antacids over a long period of time, especially in high doses.

In large doses, aluminum-containing antacids may cause bone pain, chronic constipation, loss of appetite, and mood swings.

Some commercial antacids also have a high sodium content, which can cause fluid retention and high blood pressure.

Activated Charcoal

One useful alternative to antacids is activated charcoal. "The charcoal is processed from pure vegetable ingredients and can adsorb many, many times its weight in irritating gases and toxins," wrote Jeanne Rose in Jeanne Rose's Modern Herbal. "It also ... reduces cramps. For a stomachache, diarrhea or dysentery, take 2 or 3 of these charcoal tablets and drink a cup or two of Papaya leaf tea. Activated charcoal ... is simple and cheap and should be kept in everyone's home. It never enters the blood-stream but works entirely in the digestive tract."