You may be wondering why I would write an article about digestion, when my readers here are concerned about their eyes and their vision? If there has been one direction in the healthcare field that has been detrimental to our health, it is the treatment of the body in isolation or treating a body part or system as a single entity with no connection to the rest of the body. I’ve seen it so many times in my work as a registered nurse and in the lives of my own family members. As an example, a family member developed a stress fracture in the pelvic area – an unusual place for one so young. She was a long distance runner and the specialists simply concluded it was from running. However the MRI showed osteopenia. When doing our own research we found that those with gluten intolerance or with gluten allergies often develop osteopenia. Indeed the relative was soon diagnosed with this food allergy and has since been able to restore her bone health. Even though she ate mostly organic and unprocessed foods, the gluten allergy interfered with her ability to absorb and utilize many essential nutrients.

Connection Between Immune Health and a Healthy Gut
“As a result of understanding the critical connection between the gut and immunity I’m fully convinced that nobody can achieve optimum health without focusing on the health of their gut. A simple approach to maintaining a healthy gut is the use of supplemental enzymes.”

Steven Lamm, MD, practicing internist, faculty member at New York University School of Medicine

Perhaps like me you eat a healthy diet filled with lots of nutrient rich vegetables and fruit, even organic ones. On top of that you take vitamins and supplements. But what if your body is not utilizing or absorbing those nutrients, vitamins and minerals as well as it could? That is a recent concern I had when I came across the book Enzymes: The Missing Link to Health by Dr. Susan Lark. She first explains the importance and significance of digestive enzymes by explaining what they do. Digestive enzymes:

1. Break down foods, like carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Without enzymes, food would just sit in the gut without being of any benefit to the body
2. Facilitate the absorption of nutrients into the cells
3. Help to eliminate toxins
4. Prevent bacterial and fungal overgrowth of the small intestine
5. Boost our immune system
6. Reduce inflammation.

Macular degeneration is one of many diseases that is linked to an inflammatory process. Anything we can do to reduce chronic inflammation helps to maintain or support our health. Dr. Lark writes, “The inflammatory process is controlled by numerous digestive enzymes, especially the body’s own pancreatic protein-digesting enzymes …”

Find out more about this important element to help support your health here:

www.webrn-maculardegeneration.com/anti-inflammatory-diet.html

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
www.WebRN-MacularDegeneration.com