Evidence suggests that all of these disorders were very rare
in the Western world less than 100 years ago, and that each
of these has greatly increased during the last 50 years.
What's more, for years now researchers such as Cleave,
Trowell, Burkitt, and others, have known that all these
diseases are almost unheard of in communities which still
adhere to their traditional way of life.
In developing countries in Asia and Africa for example,
documented evidence has proven the rarity of diseases such
as diverticulitis, appendicitis, bowel cancer, adenomatous
polyps, ulcerative colitis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids and
hiatus hernias. In Africa, this has been the case with
appendicitis, ishemic heart disease, diabetes, obesity,
gallstones, varicose veins, venous thrombosis, and
hemorrhoids.
As these countries develop and begin to adopt Western
ways and customs, a rise in the frequency of these disorders
follows almost as surely as night follows day.
They first appear and then become common in the upper
socioeconomic groups, which are the first group of people to
become westernized. In Africa, this has been the case with
appendicitis, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, gallstones,
varicose veins, and hemorrhoids. The same kind of thing
happened in Japan after World War Two, especially in the
urban communities.
As it turns out, the result of the investigations by many
over the years has led to a much more specific conclusion
than merely some sort of ambiguous, or mysterious
"environmental factor" which is somehow involved in the
cause of these diseases and disorders. Rather, many have
become far more specific about the cause, supporting what
has come to be known as the "F(iber)-Hypothesis".
In the past it was thought that the large intestine was
not really too involved in absorption (the principal
absorptive functions being to conserve water and
electrolytes secreted into the gut during digestion).
However, recent research has demonstrated that, among other
things, the colon does in fact participate in protein
absorption.
As it turns out, the result of the investigations by many
over the years has led to a much more specific conclusion
than merely some sort of ambiguous, or mysterious
"environmental factor" which is somehow involved in the
cause of these diseases and disorders. Rather, many have
become far more specific about the cause, supporting what
has come to be known as the "F(iber)-Hypothesis".
This is extremely significant inasmuch as the colon is
the major side of exposure to the bulk of endogenous
bacterial proteins, enterotoxins, and breakdown antigens,
which may be involved in the pathogenesis of a number of
diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease,
food allergies and allergic gastoenteropathy, bacterial
enteritis (from toxins produced by Escherichia coli,
Shigella, Vibro cholerae, etc.), and certain
extra-intestinal immune-complex diseases.
Even more important than protein absorption is the
operation of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) in the
colon. These are nerve endings that are attached to the
colon wall and they provide nerve impulses to stimulate the
operation of the various organs and glands within your body.
The type of stimulation that the ANS is able to provide to
your organs and glands is a direct reflection of the health
of your colon.
For a complete description of the development of
gastrointestinal diseases and the operation of the Autonomic
Nervous System, read the book referred to in the Authors
Resource Box below. |