A Simple, Inexpensive Method to Improve Your Health

How do we break the inflammation cycle and encourage the body to operate at a heightened level of efficiency?

Toxic substances stimulate the immune system to go into action. These substances can range from foreign chemicals to bacteria, viruses, fungus, or parasites.

The immune system’s response to toxins generates free radicals which create inflammation throughout the body. A healthy body can clear this inflammation in a short period of time. However, our day to day food, lifestyle, and environmental milieu hammers on our bodies. These assaults erode the efficiency of the body's anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Thus, inflammation builds up in various parts of the body leading to a degeneration of health and vigor.

Throughout the history of natural medicine, cleansing has been a mainstay - or at least beginning - for optimizing health. A variety of techniques have been used, for instance:

★ Fasting.
★ Modified fasting using fruit and vegetable juices.
★ Eating raw foods.
★ Following a mucus-less diet.
★ Supporting the blood and liver in their cleansing activities.
★ Using herbs, plant fiber, or salt water to purge the colon.
★ Colonics
★ Enemas.
★ Charcoal.
★ Stimulating the kidneys.
★ Sitting in a room or shelter which encourages profuse sweating.
★ Application of hot and/or cold water baths.

From the Aruvedic tradition of India comes yet another tool to add to this arsenal: oil pulling. It is mentioned in the ancient Ayurvedic text, Charaka Samhita, where it is called Kavala Gandoosha or Kavala Graha. It has been brought to the attention of modern practitioners by a Dr. F. Karach. He presented oil pulling in a paper before a meeting of oncologists and bacteriologists belonging to the Academy of Science of the USSR.

Oil pulling is a traditional Indian folk remedy for strengthening teeth, gums, and jaws. It helps to prevent tooth decay, bad breath, bleeding gums, dryness of the throat, and cracked lips. It is also used to reduce enamel wear from stomach acid in hangovers and bulimics.

Other systems of the body benefit from oil pulling as well. Dr. Karach lists these examples of ailments which are alleviated by oil pulling:

★ head-aches.
★ bronchitis.
★ tooth pain.
★ thrombosis.
★ eczema.
★ ulcers.
★ diseases of stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver, and lungs.
★ women’s diseases.
★ diseases of nerves.
★ paralysis.
★ encephalitis.
★ prevents the growth of malignant tumors, cuts and heals them.
★ chronic sleeplessness.

The procedure is simple, inexpensive, and uses readily available ingredients. First thing in the morning (and before meals, on an empty stomach), oil is swished around in the mouth for 15 to 20 minutes, then spit out. That is all there is to it. No fancy equipment or complicated techniques are required.

Cold pressed sesame oil is regarded as the best oil for this use. Extra Virgin coconut oil or Sunflower oil also comes highly recommended. If these are not available, you may try refined oils or another pure vegetable oil that does not have genetically modified sources. However, oils other than sesame or sunflower have not been shown to be as effective.

Sesame oil is derived from the plant Sesamum indicum of the Pedaliaceae family. The seeds of the plant are known as benne, 'gingelly' or 'teel'. It is often used for cooking and as a flavor enhancer in Indian, Chinese, Korean, and to a lesser extent Southeast Asian cuisine. Due to the natural antioxidants present in the oil, it is least prone among cooking oils with high smoke points (its average smoke point is 420°F) to turn rancid when kept at room temperature. Still refrigeration is recommended for optimum freshness.

Sesame , one of the first crops processed for oil, is considered the queen of the oil seed crops because of its nutritional qualities and many desirable health effects. Few people have allergic reactions to sesame. If you have a mild allergic reaction, try a different brand of oil, as manufacturing practices vary from one to another.

Sesame oil has a high concentration (41 percent) of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is a good source of vitamin E. Among six edible plant oils tested, sesame oil had the highest antioxidant content. The antioxidants present in it are mainly sesamol, sesamin, and sesamolin. Sesamin has been found to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol as well as limiting cholesterol production in the liver. It reduces the formation of fat cells and acts to lower blood pressure. Sesame oil is said to generally fortify the constitution during recuperation from severe or prolonged illness.

As with most plant based condiments, sesame oil contains magnesium, copper, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin B6. Copper provides support for the nerves which regulate heart beat and provides relief for rheumatoid arthritis. Magnesium supports muscle, blood vessel, and respiratory health. Calcium helps prevent colon cancer, osteoporosis, migraine and PMS. Zinc promotes bone health.

Sesame seed oil helps joints keep their flexibility.

Keeping the skin supple and soft, sesame oil has multiple uses in skin care. It heals and protects areas of mild scrapes, cuts and abrasions. It helps tighten facial skin, particularly around the nose, controlling the usual enlargement of pores as skin ages chronologically.

In The Green Pharmacy, the prominent herbalist James Duke states that sesame contains at least seven pain-relieving compounds. Thus, sesame may also have some power as an analgesic.

In lab cultures, sesame seed oil inhibited the growth of malignant melanoma - a skin cancer (Prostaglandin Leukatrines and Essential Fatty Acids 46: 145-150, 1992) and replication of human colon cancer cells (Anti Cancer Research 11: 209-216, 1992).

Two scientific studies indicate the effect of oil pulling against specific bacteria in the mouth cavity. Streptococcus mutans, which reportedly causes dental caries, was measured. Subjects swished sesame oil in their mouths for ten minutes a day. Within a week, bacterial counts in the mouth were significantly lowered.

The mouth contains many blood vessels quite close to the surface. When food is thoroughly chewed, it mixes with saliva which contains a large number of enzymes. Many nutrients are absorbed through the buccal tissue (tissues inside the mouth) before food descends to the stomach. In fact, with enough chewing, forty percent of carbohydrate digestion takes place in the mouth. Thus, the beneficial effects of the sesame oil can be transmitted to the body, without swallowing it. While some controversy exists about whether molecules can be passed through these membranes into the mouth, there is a sense in which oil pulling may remove toxins from the body.

Oil, which is composed of fat molecules, is a medium which is very absorbent. The fat in your body stores certain vitamins, excess hormones, and many toxic chemicals.

Sesame oil is reputed to penetrate the skin easily, and is used in India for oil massage. Sesame seed oil absorbs quickly and penetrates through the tissues to the very marrow of the bone. It enters into the blood stream through the capillaries and circulates. The liver does not sweep sesame seed oil molecules from the blood, accepting those molecules as friendly. Oil soluble toxins are attracted to sesame seed oil molecules which can then be washed away. These same properties may take place in the buccal tissues during oil pulling.

Here is the oil pulling procedure, step by step:

Step 1: First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, and before drinking any liquids (including water), pour exactly one tablespoon of sesame or sunflower oil into your mouth. Use one teaspoon for children old enough to be able to swish it without swallowing it – most sources suggest an age of five. If you wear dentures, oil pulling is done with the dentures out of your mouth. Some people choose to accelerate oil pulling’s effects by swishing two or three times a day. It should be done before meals or several hours after a meal, on an empty stomach.

Step 2: Swish the oil around in your mouth without swallowing it for about twenty minutes. Move it around in your mouth and through your teeth. Sip and suck it through the teeth. Use a gentle chewing motion from time to time. Don't tilt your head back to gargle. Keep swishing. If your cheek or jaw muscles get sore while swishing, you are putting too much effort into it. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the liquid around the inside of your mouth. When you do this correctly, you will feel very comfortable. Pretty soon, it will become second nature. You will find that the oil starts to get watery in the first ten minutes, as your saliva mixes with it.

Step 3: As the end of the oil pulling session approaches, the oil/saliva mixture in your mouth becomes thicker. This is quite normal, since it is pulling out toxins from your body. When 20 minutes are up, spit out the oil into the commode. It is best if you do not spit into the sink. Do not be alarmed if it looks yellow or whitish – this also is normal.

Step 4: Rinse out your mouth a couple of times with warm water or with a good mouthwash and spit into the commode. I prefer to rinse and spit with regular hydrogen peroxide diluted half and half with water (or use full strength). Once again, do not swallow. The hydrogen peroxide is very effective in rinsing out any toxins or organisms which may be left in the mouth.

Step5: Brush your teeth. Use a damp toothbrush with a small amount of baking soda. A small amount goes a long way and minimizes the abrasive effect of the baking soda. The baking soda will normalize the pH of the mouth.

Sesame oil has the following advantages over the standard and commercially available mouthwashes: it causes no staining, has no lingering aftertaste, and causes no allergic reactions. It is five to six times more cost-effective than the commercially available mouthwashes and is, moreover, readily available in the household.

For more information:

http://www.oilpulling.com
http://www.ijdr.in/text.asp?2008/19/2/169/40476
http://www.jisppd.com/article.asp?issn=0970-4388;year=2008;volume=26;issue=1;spage=12;epage=17;aulast=Asokan
http://iadr.confex.com/iadr/2008Toronto/techprogram/abstract_105440.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/sesame-oil
http://www.youthingstrategies.com/qualities.htm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2603/is_0006/ai_2603000655/

Fermented Soy is Only Soy Food Fit for Human Consumption

by Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor

(NaturalNews) Writings about the soybean date back to 3000 B.C., when the Emperor of China listed the virtues of soybean plants for regenerating the soil for future crops. His praises centered on the root of the plant, not the bean. These ancient writing suggested that the Chinese recognized the unfitness of soybeans for human consumption in their natural form. Now 5000 years later, we are once again catching on to the anti-nutritive qualities of the soybean, and realizing that the only soybean worth eating is one that has been fermented.

The key to releasing the nutrients of the soybean has been known for thousands of years

About 1000 B.C. some smart person in China discovered that a mold, when allowed to grow on soybeans, destroyed the toxins present and made the nutrients in the beans available to the body. This process became known as fermentation and led to the creation of the still popular foods tempeh, miso, and natto.

A few centuries later, a simpler process was developed to prepare soybeans for consumption. After lengthy soaking and cooking, the beans were treated with nigari, a substance found in seawater. The end product was tofu. During the Ming dynasty, fermented soy appeared in the Chinese Materia Medica as a nutritionally important food and an effective remedy for diseases.

Unfermented soybeans contain potent anti-nutrients

In their natural form, soybeans contain phytochemicals with toxic effects on the human body. The three major anti-nutrients are phytates, enzyme inhibitors and goitrogens.

These anti-nutrients are the way nature protects the soybean plant so that it can live long enough to effectively reproduce. They function as the immune system of the plant, offering protection from the radiation of the sun, and from invasion by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. They make the soybean plant unappetizing to foraging animals. All plants have some anti-nutrient properties, but the soybean plant is especially rich in these chemicals. If they are not removed by extensive preparation such as fermentation or soaking, soybeans are one of the worst foods a person can eat.

Unfermented soy has been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss of libido.

Groups most at risk of experiencing negative effects from the anti-nutrient properties of soy are infants taking soy baby formula, vegetarians eating a high soy diet, and mid-life women going heavy on the soy foods thinking they will help with symptoms of menopause.

Soybeans contain high levels of phytates

All legumes contain phytate (also known as phytic acid) to some extent, but the soybean is particularly rich in this anti-nutrient. Phytate works in the gastrointestinal tract to tightly bind minerals such as zinc, copper, iron, magnesium and calcium. It has a particularly strong affinity for zinc, a mineral that supports wound healing, protein synthesis, reproductive health, nerve function, and brain development. It is believed that people living in developing countries are shorter than those in developed countries because of zinc deficiency caused by eating too many legumes. There is also evidence that mental development can be negatively impacted by a diet high in phytate.

In most legumes such as other varieties of beans, soaking is enough to break down most of the phytate content. However the soybean requires that the enzymes be released in the fermentation process to reduce its phytate content to the point where it becomes fit for consumption. This means that fermented soy foods like miso and tempeh have the lowest levels of phytate and are the best choices for anyone wishing to eat soybean products. Tofu is also a good choice, as long as care is taken to replenish loss nutrients.

Whole soybeans, soy milk, soy chips, soy protein isolates, soy flour and all the other myriad of products made from processed soybeans and advertised as health foods have much higher levels of phytate and are not worth eating.

Unfermented soy products are rich in enzyme inhibitors

When food is eaten, digestive enzymes such as amylase lipase and protease are secreted into the digestive tract to help break it down and free nutrients for assimilation into the body. The high content of enzyme inhibitors in unfermented soybeans interferes with this process and makes carbohydrates and proteins from soybeans impossible to completely digest. When foods are not completely digested because of enzyme inhibitors, bacteria in the large intestine try to do the job, and this can cause discomfort, bloating, and embarrassment. Anyone with naturally low levels of digestive enzymes such as elderly people would suffer the most from the enzyme inhibiting action of soy.

Soybeans can block production of thyroid hormone

Soybeans have a high content of goitrogens, substances that can block the production of thyroid hormone as well as cause goiter formation. Low thyroid activity plagues women in America, particularly middle-aged women. Thyroid hormone stokes the cellular furnaces, known as mitochrondia. When thyroid production is low, energy levels as well as body heat are also low. Low thyroid level is what makes old people move so slowly and seem like every action is a huge chore. Low thyroid means the action of the heart is reduced, resulting in lack of oxygen to the cells, a prime condition for cancer.

Genistein, an isoflavone found in soybeans, can also block thyroid production. Phytate can accentuate these effects because it binds up zinc and copper, leaving little of these important minerals available to make thyroid hormone.

A transport protein called GLUT1 is shut down by genistein. This protein sends glucose into the cells where it is used to generate energy. Slowing the transport of glucose means less energy production not only of thyroid hormone, but of every other action in the body.

Another way in which soy isoflavones reduce energy in the body is by inhibiting tyrosine kinases, enzymes involved in the transfer of energy from one molecule to another. These enzymes drive cell division, memory consolidation, tissue repair, and blood vessel maintenance and regeneration.

It is this action of regulating cell division that made genistein a popular substance for fighting cancer. When research on this anti-cancer effect of genistein became know, the soy industry feverishly developed products that would appeal to Western women looking for genistein. In the middle of all this excitement, little attention was paid to how the energy reducing effects of genistein lowered cellular energy in normal cells.

The benefits of genistein come at a high cost

Women have been encouraged to use high genistein soy products to alleviate symptoms of menopause and as a guard against bone loss and breast cancer. But given the full range of effects of genistein in the body, high consumption could result in age-related memory loss. Commercial soybean products offer genistein levels as high as 20 to 60 mg per serving. Asians are presented as an example of the benefits of eating soybean products because their incidence of breast cancer and osteoporosis is low. However, the Asian diet of fermented soybean products such as miso and tempeh includes only around 5 mg of genistein a day.

Genistein slows the growth of blood vessels to tumors, another action that makes it popular as a cancer fighter. However, it has the same effect on blood vessels serving normal cells. Eating a regular diet high in genistein could result in the starvation of healthy blood vessels, resulting in a reduced supply of oxygen to cells, setting up a cancer promoting situation.

In a graphic example of how genistein slows cellular energy, a study found that eating high levels of it slowed hair growth by 60 to 80 percent

A decade ago a study of 8,000 Asian men showed that those consuming the highest amounts of tofu had smaller brain size and nearly three times the rate of senile dementia as those who ate the lowest amounts. These results suggest that eating foods high in isoflavones such as soy protein isolates may accelerate the aging of the brain.

Fermentation releases nutrients and transforms soybeans into nutritious food

People filling up their shopping carts with raw or cooked soybeans, soy milk, and other non-fermented soybean products do not realize that the isoflavones they contain will not be available to their bodies. Most of the isoflavones in soy products are bound to carbohydrate molecules called glucosides. In this form genistein is actually called genistin. It is fermentation that transforms genistin into genistein. Many products in the U.S. do not distinguish between genistin and genistein on their labels.

Even with fermented soy foods, a little goes a long way. The nutrients found in miso, tempeh, and natto can be beneficial in the moderate amounts found in the typical Asian diet, but have the potential to do harm in higher amounts. In China and Japan, about an ounce of fermented soy food is eaten on a daily basis.

When fermented soy foods are used in small amounts they help build the inner ecosystem, providing a wealth of friendly microflora to the intestinal tract that can help with digestion and assimilation of nutrients, and boost immunity.

Dr. John Lee, author of several books on the health of women, recommended that women wishing to consume soy production eat only miso, tempeh, natto. Tofu can also be eaten provided it is accompanied by fish or some other protein source and some seaweed or kelp to replenish bound minerals. Eating small amounts of these foods will provide the cancer protective effects of genistein without causing the other potential problems of genistein. Dr. Lee recommended avoiding genistein and isoflavone supplements, and soy protein isolates.

Sources:

Dr. John Lee, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life, Warner Books.

How Fermenting Takes the Allergy Out of Soy and Other Foods.

Health Tip of the Day - digestion

Maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal system is crucial for optimum health. A stressful lifestyle may affect digestive enzyme production, reduce gastrointestinal motility, and interfere with overall function of the gastrointestinal system.

Your body will be unable to properly absorb nutrients if you eat in a hurry or are in an angry or stressed out state. A moment of silence before meals will prepare your body to accept the nutrition from the foods you eat. To center and calm yourself before eating, take several slow deep breaths and express gratitude for your food and for your health, in whatever state it is. Be sure to chew your food slowly and thoroughly.

Health Tip of the Day - Wonders of Fiber

The National Cancer Institute recommends at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily. Fiber is essential to aid the digestive system in elimination of toxins and waste. It promotes healthy regular bowel movements, moving food quickly through the digestive tract to minimize the time that potential carcinogens are in the intestines. Because of this, fiber has been shown to prevent some forms of cancer.

A study by Harvard researchers, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that heart disease can be slashed by 10 to 30 percent for each 10 grams of fiber you eat a day. Fiber--found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and cereals--has long been shown to reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

There are 2 kinds of fiber, insoluble and soluble (water soluble). Both are essential for proper elimination.

You can get soluble fiber from all sorts of fruits, oats, barley, legumes, and root crops. Soluble fiber encourages the growth of healthy organims (probiotics) that aid in digestion and improve your immune function.

Insoluble fiber is the "crunchy" kind of fiber. You can get this from whole grains, brans, nuts, seeds, and some vegetables (such as celery and green beans, but especially those leafy greens). They pass from one end of the digestive tract to the other end virtually unchanged. This type of fiber does "a clean sweep" of your digestive tract. It helps to cut down on flatulence as well.

Aside from improving colon function, fiber also has other roles:

☻ Fiber slows down the rate at which proteins move through the digestive tract. It improves protein metabolism. Your body can maximize its protein absorption capabilities, helping you to build more muscle.
☻ When digestion of carbs slows, the body is able to metabolize them more efficiently. Soluble fiber helps carbohydrates to be used for energy production rather than stored as body fat. Slow delivery of carbs into the bloodstream keeps insulin levels from spiking too high: another way that fiber prevents the storage of fat.
☻ Fiber can trap bile acids that might otherwise be absorbed and converted into cholesterol.
☻ Fiber builds immunity. By providing your body with plenty of fiber, you help it remove harmful bacteria, viruses, and allergens that may otherwise enter your body. It also encourages the growth of friendly intestinal flora and fauna (probiotics) which keep those harmful agents under control.

Gradually increase your fiber intake, adding two to three grams per day each week, to avoid intestinal distress. At the same time, increase your water consumption since fiber works more effectively with liquids.

If your current fiber intake is at 10 grams per day, begin taking in 12 grams on Week 1. Increase to 14 grams on Week 2, 16 grams on Week 3... Continue in this manner until your daily intake is at 30 grams or more.

By taking in more fiber, you increase your chances of staying healthy at all times. Moreover, you also get to eat the right kinds of food to energize you.

Health Tip of the Day

Your body will be unable to properly absorb nutrients if you eat in a hurry or are in an angry or stressed out state. To center and calm yourself before eating, take several slow deep breaths and chew your food slowly and thoroughly.

Excuse Me, That Gas Lowers My Blood Pressure

Dr. Solomon Snyder from Johns Hopkins determined that the embarrassing aroma of flatulence is caused by a gas which lowers blood pressure. The team at Johns Hopkins reported its conclusions in the October 24 edition of the journal ‘Science.’

Over the past twenty years, biologists have been intrigued by the properties of various gases (called gasotransmitters) in signaling a number of functions in the bodies of mammals. You may be familiar with some earlier work. Nitrous oxide is used by many cardiac patients. Gasotransmitters are common in mammals. Findings on the importance of hydrogen sulfide in mice, as this study reports, may have applications in human diseases, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

Cells lining the blood vessels produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This gas produces the all-too-familiar rotten egg odor when a person breaks wind. This same gas seems to relax the walls of blood vessels, easing hypertension.

Dr. Snyder’s team genetically altered mice so that their cells did not produce an enzyme called cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE). CSE deficient mice showed reduced H2S levels in their serum, heart, aorta, and other tissues. The non-chimera littermates had higher levels of H2S. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the enzyme was key in tissues’ production of H2S.

Modified mice showed significantly higher blood pressure comparable to serious hypertension in humans. They also had increased plasma homocysteine levels, suspected as a marker for inflammation and higher risk for cardiovascular disease. In addition, L-cysteine levels were lower in the chimera. L-cysteine plays a key role in the immune system and in protecting the liver. Both functions seem to be related to L-cysteine’s role in the production of glutathione. Glutathione levels were also lower in the genetically altered mice.

Scientists dosed the mice with a chemical called methacholine that relaxes normal blood vessels. The CSE-lacking mice’s blood vessels showed little change. Researchers concluded that hydrogen sulfide is a significant for regulating blood pressure.

The researchers note that all animal experiments were conducted in accordance with approved protocols by the Animal Health Care Committee of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

The study did not say that passing gas lowers blood pressure. Intestinal gas often indicates that foods have fermented in the colon instead of being completely digested.

Air, food, and liquids are moved through your digestive system by the contraction of muscles in the walls of your intestines.

There are two other ways in which gas can escape your intestine than release through the anus.

First, it can be absorbed across the lining of the intestine into your blood (perhaps aiding the effect the researchers above observed). The gas then travels in the blood and ultimately, if in excess, is excreted on your breath.

Second, gas can be removed and used by certain types of bacteria within the intestine. In fact, most of the gas that is formed by bacteria in the intestines is removed by other bacteria in the intestines.

Often, gas is eliminated at night as you sleep.

Three factors are often cited as causes for flatulence: swallowing air; improperly digested sugars and starches; and an imbalance of bacteria and fungus in the small intestine.

Small amounts of air are frequently swallowed. Eating too quickly and scanty chewing allow greater quantities of air to enter your digestive tract. Swallowed air is sometimes cited as a source of flatulence, however, it is rarely the cause. Yet, thorough chewing of food can go a long way toward relieving numerous digestive maladies.

Bacteria produce H2S and/or methane (both containing sulphur) when they encounter sugars, starch, and cellulose that have not been digested during passage through your small intestine.

Sorbitol, fructose, and lactose are common sugars that are poorly digested and poorly absorbed.

Sorbitol is a sweetener commonly used in low calorie foods. Fructose is used to sweeten all types of sauces, candies, and drinks – it is found almost everywhere. These sugars have been implicated in a variety of other maladies, so they should be consumed only occasionally, if at all.

Lactose is the sugar in milk. Absence (often a genetic trait) of an enzyme called lactase in the intestinal lining causes digestive trouble. Lactase breaks down lactose so that it can be absorbed through the intestine walls into the blood stream. Enzymes similar to intestinal lactase are added to milk products to break down lactose prior to consumption so it can be absorbed normally. The protein, casein, is a more common factor in milk allergy, causing similar symptoms.

Some people find that switching to yogurt, in which lactose has been broken down partially by bacteria, produces less gas than milk. Goat’s milk is more digestible than cow’s milk and is often tolerated better by people allergic to cow’s milk.

Starches are polysaccharides produced by plants. They are composed of long chains of sugars. Common sources of significant amounts of starch include wheat, oats, potatoes, corn, and rice. Rice is the most easily digested starch. Little undigested rice starch reaches your colon and the colonic bacteria. Therefore, eating rice produces little gas. Starches in wheat, oats, potatoes, and, to a lesser extent, corn, may reach the colon and the bacteria in substantial amounts. These starches can result in the production of appreciable amounts of gas.

The first line of defense against this accumulation of gas is chewing. Forty percent of starch digestion happens when your food is thoroughly mixed with saliva. Receptors in your mouth cue key enzymes to be ready to complete the digestion of these starches in your small intestine. Pancreatic enzymes, when not overwhelmed by poorly masticated foodstuff, break down sugars and starches so that they can be used as energy by your body.

Certain fruits and vegetables contain harder to digest starches that reach the colon and result in the formation of gas. These include beans, dried beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onions, carrots, bananas, and dried fruits. Reducing the intake of these vegetables and fruits, as well as foods made from whole grains, may reduce gas and flatulence. However, the list of gas-producing foods is rather long, and it may be difficult to eliminate them all without severely restricting your diet. Additionally, many of these foods offer significant health benefits.

As above, chewing each bite a couple of dozen times can make a big difference.

Pre-soaking beans and slow cooking with digestion enhancing herbs (e.g., cumin, ginger, coriander) can make a difference.

Supplemental enzymes may be helpful in the short run as well. One such treatment for excessive gas is alpha-D-galactosidase, an enzyme produced by a mold. This enzyme is able to break down some of the difficult-to-digest starches in vegetables so that they may be absorbed. This prevents them from reaching the colonic bacteria and causing unnecessary production of gas. Available as Beano, it is consumed as either a liquid or tablet with meals. Beano has been shown to be effective in decreasing the incidence of intestinal gas.

Often, continuing to eat ‘offending’ foods frequently (in smaller quantities) will acclimate the body to them, allowing it to produce the proper enzymes for their digestion. It is particularly important to eat raw, fresh fruits and vegetables to replenish these enzymes.

Most vegetables and fruits contain cellulose, another type of polysaccharide that is not digested at all as it passes through the small intestine. However, unlike sugars and other starches, cellulose is used only very slowly by colonic bacteria. Therefore, the production of gas after the consumption of fruits and vegetables usually is not great unless the fruits and vegetables also contain sugars or polysaccharides other than cellulose.

We know cellulose better as fiber. Fiber slows the digestion of sugars and starches, allowing more even blood sugar. Further, fiber absorbs certain toxins in your intestines. It pushes out debris from your intestines, leading to more regular cleaning of potential trouble makers from your system. The whole mess is then evacuated with the feces. Clearing your digestive system daily like this also leads to relief from the embarrassment of flatulence.

Under normal conditions, bacteria that produce gas are limited to the colon. In some medical conditions, however, these bacteria spread backward into the small intestine. When this bacterial spread occurs, food reaches the bacteria before it can be fully digested and absorbed by the small intestine. The foreign bacteria in the small intestine have a lot of undigested food from which to form gas.

Fermented foods (e.g., miso, sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi) are enzyme rich foods, alive with micro-organisms. Fermentation allows bacteria, yeasts and molds to "predigest" or break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to create "Probiotics." These friendly bacteria keep your immune system strong and support overall digestive health. They:

● aid in digestion.
● promote healthy flora in your digestive tract.
● produce beneficial enzymes.
● offer you better nutrition.
● allow your body to absorb vitamins (in particular C, and B12), minerals, nutritional value and omega 3s more effectively from foods.
● regulate the level of acidity in the digestive tract
● act as anti-oxidants.
● contain the same isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables and therefore fight and prevent cancer.

Flatulence causes an annoying and embarrassing situation. The gas itself is useful in the circulatory system, as long as it gets there and can be used properly. Taking steps to prevent flatulence can also improve your overall health, including your blood pressure.


Resources:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/322/5901/587
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/data/322/5901/587/DC1/1
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081023/sc_livescience/thestinkinfartscontrolsbloodpressure
http://www.lef.org/abstracts/codex/l-cysteine_abstracts.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/intestinal_gas_belching_bloating_flatulence/page2.htm#tocc