Colon Flora play a key role as our front line of defense, a protective shield, preventing disease and reinforcing a strong immune system. In modern times, this protective shield has been inadvertently destroyed due to antibiotics, other medications and dietary and environmental factors. Failure to replace the protective flora is a major cause of the decline in health, immunity and longevity that we see today.

The following is an excerpt from Achieve Maximum Health.
Chapter 1, In the Beginning, © 1995 David Webster

 

Key to Health: The Colon

The colon is much more than an organ of elimination. It is a significant digestive organ. Important nutrients such as electrolytes and vitamins are absorbed into the body from the colon. Vitamin K and several B vitamins are manufactured by the lactobacteria that benefit us, the hosts.

The bacterial population of the colon determines the health of the colon, directly affecting other areas of the body. Substances in the colon are transported to the liver through the mesenteric and portal veins. From here, these substances can travel to the rest of the body via the bloodstream. The result is toxemia. Colon flora play a key role as part of the immune system in both infants and adults. The colon lactobacteria provide one of nature's first lines of defense in our bodies against invading micro-organisms. When lactobacteria are established in the colon, disease forming, opportunistic organisms are unable to take hold or survive. Lactobacteria literally provide a protective shield that constitutes a major aspect of our immune function.

The colon is the soil of the body. The natural lactobacteria colon flora represent the flowers growing in healthy soil. The pathogens (disease producing micro-organisms) represent the weeds that proliferate in unhealthy soil. Cultivating a healthy colon flora can be referred to as "intestinal gardening", a term first used by Dr. James Empringham. The analogy fits quite well.

Despite scientific and technological advancements in medicine today, many Americans are not healthy. While modern medicine excels in emergency care, it lacks a holistic perspective and a truly preventative approach to illness. Fighting disease and germs is not enough. We must return to the basic laws governing good health and by applying these laws, learn how to optimize our well being on all levels.

The premise of my work is that lactobacteria colon flora provide the foundation upon which life can thrive. With this foundation in place, good health and immunity can flourish and longevity can be realized. This is our birthright, a bacterial gift from nature. Before we can address the issue of disease, we must understand the importance of a balanced colon flora. This perspective brings fresh awareness.

When lactobacteria are predominant in the colon, maintaining the colon at a slightly acid pH, we can achieve maximum health. This knowledge about the colon and its flora is the missing link in the practice of medicine and holistic health. By establishing and maintaining a slightly acidic colon environment in which harmful bacteria are unable to grow, much suffering and disease can be prevented.

Currently, there are many factors undermining this foundation. We will see how this gift, given to us by nature in the beginning, has been damaged and how we can restore this foundation of health. Once we understand the colon's role in health, immunity and longevity we can appreciate the profound potential of a scientifically based method for restoring the colon to its natural state.

There is a simple and direct path that leads to health. Reading this book can be the first step in such a journey. Times are changing, and time takes care of all things.