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The Second Step: Circulation
By Bryon Verhaeghe
March, 2002
Once food has been digested down to very small molecules it can freely pass from the intestines into the blood and circulate to the body. If the digestion is incomplete some of the food remains too large to absorb and the blood will be unable to pick up the tiny molecules. The very small molecules are often amino acids, which are the building blocks for energy and repair. The larger molecules are often complex carbohydrates and fats which are not used by the immune system. When the blood is lacking some of the needed items the brain is signaled that we should eat and we may feel hungry or tired. This may show up as cravings and weight gain. So once again digestion is the first step to good health.
The second step to good health is getting the nutrients to the sites of the body that need them. This requires the use of the circulatory system. The outwardly flow from the heart is carried in what is termed the arteries. The veins return the flow of blood to the heart. Together this is called the vascular system. Generally the arteries carry fresh nutrients and the veins carry more of the garbage. The liver is the first step in cleaning the blood. It converts many toxins into items that the kidney and bile collect for excretion.
If the intestines or bowel are insufficiently cleared of debris they become more toxic than normal. Some of these toxins float back into the blood and we often end up tired and achy. Many headaches and joint pain are associated with constipation or irritated bowel. Plugged up bowels will cause the lining to hold excessive toxins and then parasites accumulate to higher levels than normal. Sometimes this develops into chronic diarrhea as the body tries to clear the toxins from the lining. In extreme cases a pseudo or false lining forms called pseudo-membranous colitis. This may develop from use of antibiotics, which kill the friendly bacteria called acidophilus.
The absorption of nutrition from the intestines to the blood is mostly passive. This means that they simply float back and forth until circulated away from the gut. If the particles are too large they remain in the gut. If the lining of the gut is clogged with debris even the smallest particles will be impeded. The friendly bacteria known as acidophilus are thought of as only helping to digest food but they also help to maintain a healthy lining. This helps improve the absorption of our nutrients into the blood.
Once nutrients are in the blood the job isn’t finished. Good flow of blood is necessary for the exchange of nutrients and garbage with all of the parts of the body. If we have slow or restricted circulation the nutrients are poorly delivered. This may result in a loss of energy part way through the day and may show up as cold hands or feet. Also if we have slow or restricted circulation the garbage is poorly removed and we may feel achy and tired. Eventually our skin will show the results of poor circulation by looking poor and older than necessary.
Healthy people have good circulation and it shows in their skin. Our body constricts arteries to move blood out of some areas and opens up arteries to the areas needing more blood. The sympathetic (fight and flight) nervous system moves blood to the muscles. The parasympathetic (relaxes) nervous system moves blood to the intestines for digestion. A molecule called nitric oxide is used to open up blood flow into areas. Viagra is a nitric oxide donor. If we have low levels of nitric oxide our blood arteries remain small and constricted. With low levels of nitric oxide our body loses its ability to move blood around ideally. We can take supplements to increase the nitric oxide available at all times. Low levels of nitric oxide are associated with high blood pressure.
When our bodies have low levels of nitric oxide our arteries remain constricted and nearly all of our body suffers from reduced nutrition and oxygenation. If this happens our toxic level of garbage increases. Improving blood flow also increases the availability of immune cells to all parts of the body. If we have constant problems in one part of the body it usually is also cold due to depressed blood flow.
Some people need more supplementation than others but I have found that alpha lipoic acid along with reduced l-glutathione have restored circulation in most people. The response often is in 2 to 4 days with the feet and hands warming along with a general improvement of how we feel.
This is not intended to make any claim nor is it intended to be a diagnosis. It is my opinion. -- Bryon
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