RULES FOR THE STOMACH (important for allergies)

The stomach is an important part of the anatomy. Food entering the mouth must be properly prepared for digestion. Here it is chewed and masticated before being sent to the stomach for further processing. The stomach mixes the food in an acid bath to aid the further break-down of the nutrients. When the acid shifts towards alkaline, to about 5.5 pH, the pylorus valve at the base of the stomach opens and the food is passed along to the primary digestive organ, the small intestine.

Nature has provided a nervous system that regulates this process. This nervous system is designed to prefer muscle action to digestion. If a threat or stress, such as a lion attack, comes after a meal, the body will shift it's energy from digestion to the muscles and we can survive by running away. In our present society we have few lions, but our nerves can still stop digestion just as easily.

When the stomach is allowed to empty it's contents prematurely the small intestine becomes over burdened. Food which is not properly prepared for digestion creates an increase in large undigested proteins and large undigested fats which can be absorbed into the lymphatic system. These will enter the free fatty acid and amino acid pool and either clog up the lymphatic system or are used to make cells. Such cells will now be made of poor quality parts. It is not much of a problem if the stomach is circumvented just now and then, but for some clients, this becomes a way of life.

These clients constantly use antacids, too much liquid with meals, coffee, milk, or a variety of ways to empty the stomach too early. When the stomach empties there is a release of CCK - a hormone which produces slight antidepression or euphoria. This, together with the release of the stuffy stomach feeling, intensifies the addictive quality of the effect. However, the long term effects on nutrition are very detrimental. There are rules for the stomach that can maximize nutrition.

The majority of clients are partially sick because they violate the rules for the stomach. This is the key to weight loss and the healing of a host of other diseases. We are seeing more and more evidence of what good nutrition can do. It is not just what we eat that is important, but what we absorb. Even the best meal or nutrition can result in inappropriate nutrition if we violate the rules.

Food combining is just part of the answer and knowing that the length of time for digestion in the stomach differs for different foods. This also causes the stomach to open prematurely.

RULES FOR THE STOMACH

1. Drink fluids alone (no more than 4oz. of fluid with a meal, or for 2 hours afterwards).
2. No coffee at meals (wait for 1.5 to 2 hours after or 1 hour before eating).
3. No milk with meals (wait for 1.5 to 2 hours after or 1 hour before eating).
4. Eat fruits alone (wait for 1.5 to 2 hours after or 1 hour before eating).
5. Eat melon alone (wait for 1.5 to 2 hours after or 1 hour before eating).
6. A small meal is better - think quality of nutrition, not quantity.
7. Eat more slowly. Savour, enjoy, rejoice and celebrate the meal.
8. Eat for nutrition not for stimulation and always eat when hungry, not when bored.
9. Rest comfortably after eating for at least 35 to 45 minutes to maximize the stomach function.
10. Make and eat food with love and kindness, never with violent or negative emotions.
11. Do not use antacids.
12. Do not sleep for 3 hours after eating.

When the stomach is weak the signs are:

* craving fluids with a meal
* bloating after a meal
* itching skin, especially around the rectum
* belching and gas.

The client will have a difficult time digesting raw vegetables complaining that raw vegetables can not be digested. This is not a fluke of their digestion or an inherited weakness. It is another sign of a weak stomach.

Sometimes children come home from school saying, 'I don't want to go to school any more, it makes my head hurt.' The response must be, 'I know it is hard, but you need to develop slowly and work to become better.' Advice to those with weak stomachs must be the same. 'Work slowly day by day, building up the stomach by taking some vegetables as juice. Perhaps begin with very dilute juice and slowly increase the amount until the stomach develops the strength to process food properly.'

The nutrient content of fruits and vegetables is immense, and being able to break up the nutrients and stimulate absorption is needed for complete health and recovery.

The addictive quality of this problem is seen as society allows more and more for breaking the rules for the stomach. The greater the disease - and especially if the disease is critical - the more the need to observe these rules. This is a must for proper healing.