Olwen Anderson's Blog

"Diverticuli – what's that?" is a frequent question I'm asked by someone who has just undergone a colonoscopy and received the diagnosis of 'diverticular pockets' or 'diverticulitis'. Here's what its all about:

The walls of your intestine are layered with muscle and connective tissue, to enable the contents to be moved along the intestinal tube. Peristalsis in motion looks rather like a caterpillar when it moves. When all is going well the faeces that are being moved along are soft and bulky, easy for your bowel muscles to handle. But if those faeces become hard, or there's not enough bulk, the muscles have to strain, and the bowel wall 'blows out' in a small area to compensate.

There's a great picture here that explains it well http://colondoc.ca/diverticulitis.htm  Each diverticuli creates a small 'outpouching' that can sometimes have a small entry and a large balloon-like cavity. 

Problems can develop if food particles or faeces become trapped in the diverticuli. The pouch may become infected, bringing on diverticulitis. This is painful and can become a medical emergency if the infected pouch bursts into your abdominal cavity.

Many adults already have diverticuli, as most of us have experienced an episode of problematic bowels at least once in our lifetime. The important thing is to manage those diverticular pockets so they don't become infected.

1. Maintain a high fibre intake of at least 25g per day, particularly soluble fibre from oats, fruit and legumes, plus plenty of water. This keeps your faeces soft and bulky.
2. Ensure you have a good bacterial balance in your bowels. A couple of dessertspoons of fresh plain yoghourt every day or so can help. (Extra flatulence and a sense of bloating is a sure sign of bowel bacteria out of balance).
3. Keep an eye on your bowel health. If something appears to be amiss, it probably is.

If you suffer from recurring attacks of diverticulitis, you may need to do a complete bowel cleanse and re-feeding with good bacteria, plus develop a plan for maintaining better bowel health in the future. (If you feel that you would benefit from assistance in managing your bowel health better, I'd love to help you. Give me a call.)

Would you like me to write in more detail about diverticulitis and bowel health in general? Leave your comment below.

Happy browsing!  Its at www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/animations.asp 

Your child can easily be experiencing bowel problems without you noticing until the problem is well advanced. Here are some signs to look for and some possible solutions.

Everyone has a population of good bacteria in their gut that plays important roles in digestion and immunity. Young babies will receive their first dose of good bacteria during a vaginal birth, where they ingest good bacteria lining the birth canal. Babies who have been born by caesarean section require a probiotic supplement to ensure their bowels grow the right bacteria. Young babies require a baby-specific probiotic mix.

Once junior is toilet trained, it’s a good idea to continue monitoring their bowel movements from time to time. Constipation can easily occur, particularly in children who become very fussy with their foods and don't eat much fibre as a result. Some children complain that their 'tummy hurts', even though a check by the doctor has revealed nothing sinister is occurring. If your child complains that having a bowel movement 'hurts', if they are producing small pellety bowel motions rather than one long smooth sausage, or if they continually have to return to the toilet for a second bowel movement after the first, professional investigation is called for.

I've notice that some children hold tension in their abdominal area, particularly when they are challenged by events such as starting school, or disruption to the family routine.  Flower essences may help release the tension and return their bowel motions to normal.

After a dose of antibiotics, a course of probiotics is essential to restore normal bowel flora. Different age groups require different varieties of probiotics.

In all children, encouraging daily fresh fruit consumption is an ideal way to help promote good bowel health. Colourful fruit salad is ideal, as they can pick out individual pieces to enjoy. Yoghourt is good too, although they need only a couple of dessertspoonfuls, and preferably unsweetened. 

“Oh, you’ve got leaky gut” is a statement you’ve probably heard from others. But what is ‘leaky gut’ really? And how is it treated? If you suspect you’ve got ‘leaky gut’ read on for all the details:

Your bowel is really just a long muscular tube, lined on the inside and criss-crossed with blood vessels and nerve endings. The bowel wall is both a barrier and a filter; a barrier to all the substances in your gut that you don’t want in your bloodstream; and a filter to let in valuable food and water molecules only.

The inside of your bowel looks rather like a shag-pile carpet covered with a thick layer of protective mucus. The technical name for the shag-pile carpet is ‘villi’. It greatly increases the amount of surface area available for absorption. The mucus is there to help the contents slide along, and also to protect the sensitive villi.

Although your stomach does the best it can to ensure that what enters your bowel is just food, sometimes nasties get through – like undigested protein molecules, bugs or parasites.

When you are under stress, production of this protective layer of mucus slows or stops, leaving your villi bare and unprotected. The front-line cells are the epithelial cells that make up the outer layer of the villi. Although they are completely replaced every few days, they are sensitive. Cells making up the villi are normally held together by ‘junctions’. In your bowel these are ‘tight junctions’, reflecting the need to maintain an integral barrier. Selected food molecules are passed through the epithelial cells and everything else should remain within the bowel tube.

If something irritates or damages the epithelial cells, they become inflamed. Imagine for a moment when you last grazed your knee. The area became red and swollen almost immediately. This happened because blood vessels and other cells deliberately moved apart to allow healing materials from your bloodstream into the wound area. When the inflammation and debris was cleared, the cells moved back into place again and the blood vessels sealed up.

A similar thing happens when your bowel wall is inflamed. The cells swell and move apart. Alas, by doing this, they’re going to allow non-food particles into your bloodstream, and set up a new immune reaction in your bloodstream. This is why its called ‘leaky gut’.  

Your body may show signs of this in its own individual fashion; for some people its skin rashes, for others mood swings, or just feeling blah.  Some people find their bowel motions are affected, some not.  

You can now test whether you have a leaky gut by asking your naturopath for an ‘intestinal permeability’ functional pathology test. This will tell you scientifically whether you really do have a leaky gut, and if so, how serious it is.

To seal a leaky gut, you need to replenish that protective mucosal layer inside your bowel wall, and give the epithelial cells on the villi a chance to heal. The methods for achieving this depend on your symptoms, but treatment always includes stress management, and excludes any foods that you might be intolerant of. A treatment plan is always devised based on your individual symptoms.

(By the way, I run an 8-week gut rehabilitation program for my clinical clients, offering guaranteed results – drop me a line at office@olwenanderson.com.au or phone 02 6672 6255 if you would like details about the program)

I use the term 'function food' to describe the sort of food that's usually served up at parties and some large group dinners: Often prepared a day or so beforehand, high in fat and sugar, low in fibre, and often high in additives and presevatives. The opposite of what most of us eat to stay healthy.

Yoghourt – The Probiotic In A Tub

Yoghourt has been used for centuries in many ancient cultures both as a food and as a medicine. Our ancestors realised that the good bacteria really boosted their health, as well as giving them a new way to enjoy dairy food. Here's how you can use yoghourt to benefit your health today:

That tub of sour-tasting milk is actually a fermented brew of healthy bacteria for your gut. We all have many varieties of bacteria in our bowels, both healthy and unhealthy varieties. They compete for passing nutrients, and some of the good ones help us absorb vitamins and prime our immune systems too.

By enjoying yoghourt, you are actively replenishing the good bacteria in your gut, and making life harder for the bad bacteria.

When you visit the supermarket to buy some health-giving yoghourt, follow these simple steps to get the result you want.

- Choose plain unsweetened yoghourt, and add fresh fruit at home to sweeten if you need to. The extra sugar in flavoured yoghourt can really expand your waistline!

- Avoid flavoured 'low fat' yoghourt for the same reason. Extra sugar has often been added to compensate for the reduced fat. Plain low fat yoghourt though is great. 

- Remember that the fresher the tub, the more friendly bacteria it contains: Check the use-by date.

- You don't need to eat much yoghourt to get a benefit. 100g, or four dessertspoons, will give you the right dose of friendly bacteria for the day.

- Choose a different brand of yoghourt every time you shop. Different brands contain different friendly bacteria varieties. Each of these varieties will have a different benefit for your gut.

Here's a tip to help you adjust your palate to the more 'sour' taste of real yoghourt: Mix some plain yoghourt with pineapple or orange juice. Use it as a 'dip' for pieces of fresh raw fruit. As you become accustomed to the taste, reduce the amount of fruit juice. The kids will really enjoy this as a treat if the fruit pieces are threaded onto skewers first.

Yoghourt can also make a great dip mixed with fresh raw minced garlic and finely diced cucumber. Use carrot sticks as dippers rather than crackers. Very refreshing on a hot day!

NOTE: If you have diarrhoea or have been taking antibiotics, you need probiotic capsules for a really big dose of good bacteria to reinoculate your gut.

Talk about ‘enough’ fibre in your diet, and many people imagine struggling through mounds of chaff-like grains, and unappetising quantities of beans and vegetables. In reality its easy to maintain a good intake of fibre, and enjoy the benefits. 

The presence of fibre in food enhances your well being in many ways. It helps form soft, bulky stools, which are easier for the intestines to move along and pass out of the body without strain. By slowing down bowel transit time, nutrients like vitamins and minerals have a better chance of being absorbed into the bloodstream. 

The bulkiness of foods that are naturally high in fibre makes them more satisfying, so you don’t have to eat so much to feel full. You’re less likely to snack on high fat, sugary foods if you’re feeling quite satisfied from your last meal.

There’s basically two different kinds of fibre in food; ‘insoluble’ and ‘soluble’. Insoluble fibre passes through the gut mostly unchanged, just absorbing water as it travels along. Humans don’t possess the digestive enzymes to be able to break these tough fibres down, so its main role is to create bulk.

Soluble fibre forms a soft gel-like substance during digestion. This variety of fibre has the ability to slow down the absorption of cholesterol and glucose, so is of particular interest to people interested in managing their cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

You need 25-35g of fibre in your diet every day. The best sources are whole grains such as oats, legumes and fruit.  To check, look at what you ate in the last 24 hours. Did you choose whole grains or white, processed grains? Did you eat at least two pieces of fresh fruit? Your bowels will show you too – a person with adequate fibre intake has large, bulky stools, and daily bowel motions.

It might seem easier to just reach for a fibre supplement, but there’s not much in them beyond fibre. By eating whole foods, you get the benefit of the vitamins and minerals in the food as well. 

Any one of these food choices will supply you with 20% of your minimum daily fibre intake: Four vita brits or weetbix; 50g popcorn; 100g canned baked beans; two large apples; 150g carrots; 50g almonds. 

For example, a diet with a high fibre cereal or baked beans for breakfast, some nuts, three pieces of fresh fruit every day, plus a salad will see you well on the way to an adequate fibre intake.

Remember that drinking water is essential – aim for two litres of pure water every day. 

If you want to improve the amount of fibre in your diet, start slowly and increase gradually over a week or so. A ‘bloated’ feeling or pain may indicate an underlying food intolerance. Increased levels of flatulence may indicate too much bad bacteria in your bowel. If increasing your fibre consumption causes discomfort or pain, you should consult with your health professional.

We are all carrying some extra passengers in our intestines: Friendly bacteria, over 400 species in fact. As we have evolved, these bacteria have evolved with us to result in a mutually beneficial relationship.

These friendly bugs help us absorb vital minerals and nutrients, and boost our gut immunity. They compete with pathogenic (bad) bacteria for space and resources, and actually produce substances which help keep the population of bad bacteria in check. If you're stressed or run down, your gut environment changes, making it easier for pathogenic bacteria to take over.

Antibiotic medication will kill the good bacteria in your gut as well as the pathogenic ones. You can often tell when the bad bacteria have taken over – they produce lots of toxic gases, bringing on abdominal bloating, discomfort and some very anti-social levels of flatulence. The toxins they produce can inflame your gut wall too, which makes it harder for you to absorb nutrients from your food. Sometimes they're active enough to bring on feelings of queasiness too, as your liver struggles to cope with the high level of toxic byproducts from their intestinal party antics.

 If you are taking antibiotics, here are some important steps you can take to re-populate your intestines with good bacteria and improve your well being at the same time. 

- Start taking a probiotic supplement, and continue for a few weeks after you have finished the course of antibiotics. Buy a small bottle, and choose a different brand every time as each brand will supply a different blend of friendly bacteria. You can buy probiotics at your local health food store.

- Take your probiotic supplement in the evening, with a fibre-based food like fruit or legumes, as more bacteria will survive the trip to your intestines when they can hitch a ride on fibre. Ever noticed that advertisements for probiotics boast of the high numbers of bacteria in each dose? That's because some of the bacteria won't make it past the very acidic environment in your stomach. 

- You should take your probiotic supplement in the evening, as your gut is more active overnight.

- If you are not dairy intolerant, 100g of plain yoghourt every day is a great probiotic supplement, and has been used in many cultures for centuries, along with other fermented foods, to promote bowel health. Make sure the yoghourt is young (fresh) and enjoy several different brands for the best effect.

The probiotic bacteria will start to elbow out the bad bacteria, and help calm any bowel inflammation they've caused. Now that you know how important those good bacteria are, remember to pick up a bottle of probiotics when you pick up your antibiotic prescription.

Here’s a new habit that’s going to help you manage your health better. Next time you have a bowel motion, turn around and actually take a good look – your faeces can give you some valuable clues about your bowel health.

 

Here are nine signs that can alert you to problems. Some disorders are minor, some can drain you of energy and nutrients, and some can be signs that something more sinister is happening in the abdominal area.

1. Changes in form one day to the next can be indicative of a range of disorders. An extreme example is hard lumpy stools one day, and watery diarrhoea the next. The ideal form is soft yet firm.

2. Can you see undigested food particles in your faeces? This may indicate a shortage of digestive enzymes, or that your food is zooming through your intestines too quickly to be digested properly.  Without adequate time for digestion, important nutrients may not be absorbed, leaving you malnourished in the long term.

3. Pale, clay coloured stools may indicate problems with your liver. It’s the bile produced by your liver that gives stools their brown colour. Generally speaking, the more bile produced, the darker the stool. Its normal for stool colour to vary between mid brown and dark brown depending on what you’ve eaten.

4. Thin, ribbon-like stools indicate bowel inflammation of some description. Remember that the intestines are a tube. With inflammation comes swelling, so thin stools are a sign that all is not well.

5. Faeces streaked with blood calls for immediate professional attention.

6. Explosive diarrhoea can be the result of a parasite infestation. Is your water supply from a rainwater tank? Our delightful subtropical climate is also ideal for breeding parasites, like Giardia and Blastocystis Hominis. When did you last worm yourself and your family? Or clean out your rainwater tank?

7. Persistent constipation for over three months may alert you to a problem, particularly when you know you’re already eating 25-35g of fibre every day.

8. Feeling bloated can indicate a food intolerance. Identifying the culprit food group yourself is tricky, particularly as symptoms may occur up to four days after eating the problem food. Food allergies, in comparison, tend to produce immediate and rather unpleasant, sometimes even life-threatening symptoms.

9. Persistent pain in the abdominal area occurs in a range of conditions, and should not be ignored.

Some of these symptoms are collectively known as ‘irritable bowel’ although the causes behind them can vary from person to person. Fortunately, there are a host of remedies available to successfully address this condition, and natural therapies excel in addressing bowel disorders.

As humans, we tend to forget just how long a problem has been going on. If you’re unsure, try keeping a diary of your bowel movements for a week – frequency, form and colour - to get a clearer picture.  Just remember to keep looking before you flush!

It’s the problem even your closest friends have trouble mentioning.  Excuse me ………but your breath ……well ………..it’s not too sweet!

Bad breath can originate from several places in the body, but wherever it comes from, its all about bacteria.

Teeth or gums in bad condition, particularly teeth that need filling, are a breeding ground for some very odorous bacteria. If you haven’t had a dental check up for a while, or don’t floss regularly, this is the place to start your investigation.

One of the most common causes of bad breath however is what’s happening in the intestines. 

People with bad breath are often constipated. Generally speaking, you should have a bowel movement every day. If you don’t, take a look at some aspects of your diet:

- are you drinking enough pure water? (You need at least two litres every day)

- are you eating enough fibre? (You need 25-35g every day, from a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains.)

- Are you relaxed? Muscle tension from stress, particularly emotional stress, can affect the bowel muscles, and the production line that is our digestive process comes to a halt.

An effective way to check your bowel transit time is to eat some cooked beetroot – about 200-300g. The beetroot will colour your faeces, but won’t harm you. Ideally, you’ll see the results within 12-24 hours. Less than 12 hours means your bowels are too fast, more than 24 hours is too slow. (Keep in mind that beetroot will colour your urine temporarily red too.)

Intestines are heavily populated with bacteria – some are good, actively helping the digestive process along. Some bacteria are not so helpful. In an unhealthy bowel, the conditions are right for bad bacteria and fungi can grow unchecked. If digested food remains too long in your digestive tract fermentation starts, creating some very unpleasant smells.

Naturopaths approach the treatment of bad breath originating in the intestines like you would approach an overgrown garden – where there are unwanted weeds all over the place, and the conditions aren’t right for the good plants to grow. But get rid of the weeds, and improve the soil and feeding, then the good plants will bloom. The right herbs and probiotics bacteria are the tools we use.

A final test – have a look at your tongue in the mirror. Is it heavily coated with fur, particularly yellow fur?  If so, it’s probable that your metabolism is out of shape and your liver is struggling. This can contribute to bad breath too.

A cup of peppermint tea can help mask any bad breath, but if you’ve developed this unfortunate condition, its time to start investigating where it has come from.