Stomach – the beacon of the organism

By Dr. Kenan Vrca

During the diagnosis and therapy of patients at Planet Zdravja BH, everything begins with an examination of the stomach, which represents the main organ for Integrative Medicine. The stomach is the only one that has "communication with the outside world" through the intake of food or energy. According to the principles of Integrative Medicine, the stomach represents one of the three pillars of metabolism, along with the lymph (which we discussed last time) and the thyroid gland. We can justifiably call it the beacon of the organism, as it shows all other organs and metabolic processes the direction in which they should function.

In the bestseller "Alkalize or Die," Dr. Theodore Baroody, a world-renowned specialized nutritionist, states:

- The stomach is the main organ of our body; over 90% of diseases in our body arise due to a constricted stomach – a hiatal hernia (vagus nerve entrapment) in the abdominal cavity and its entrapment in some other parts of the body.

From personal experience, I have taken the liberty of calling the "nutrition triangle" the following organs: the stomach, pancreas, and duodenum, as the most important place where, when a person is healthy, the most crucial function of food digestion and the creation of sugar – energy essential for the organism – takes place. Similarly, when a patient is ill or has certain problems, this triangle should be studied and observed to find answers on how to help a large number of patients suffering from various systemic diseases or conditions, among which diabetes, popularly called "sugar," can be mentioned as the most severe.

Why is the stomach so important?

The stomach is an organ that produces HCl – hydrochloric (gastric) acid, which is so essential for our organism because without it, it simply could not perform the necessary chemical reactions that create alkalinity, which is again the most important for a healthy and balanced organism. "HCl" keeps us alive by creating acid-base balance. After performing its task in the food digestion process, it becomes alkaline. Furthermore, the absorption of eight essential amino acids, two vitamins, and fifteen ions depends on the secretion of HCl. For example, vitamin B12 and folic acid will not be absorbed if there is not enough HCl in the stomach. Hydrochloric acid is the first line of defense against destructive microorganisms that we ingest with food. It simply kills microbes and aids in their digestion. In addition, it breaks down harmful waste acids that are produced by improper combinations and consumption of bad food, and helps in their excretion.

Therefore, when the stomach has an optimal amount of gastric acid, after consuming food, it sends a stimulus at a specific rhythm to the pancreas, which secretes hormones (insulin and glucagon) and enzymes (trypsin – an enzyme for animal proteins, amylase – an enzyme for carbohydrates, and lipase – an enzyme for fats), which, upon reaching the duodenum, digest food and create sugar – the energy needed by the organism.

However, when the amount of acid in the stomach is increased, upon consuming food, the stomach sends a stimulus at an accelerated rhythm to the pancreas, and over the years, this leads to a massive blockage of the pancreas (it secretes fewer hormones and enzymes). Upon reaching the duodenum, the food is not digested, and sugar – energy – is not created as in a healthy organism; on the contrary, a syndrome called diabetes mellitus type 1 occurs, characterized by the following: hyperacidity (increased amount of acid in the stomach), increased trypsin, decreased amylase, and increased lipase.

The picture is entirely different when the amount of acid in the stomach is reduced. Upon consuming food, the stomach sends a stimulus at a very slow rhythm to the pancreas (which usually takes years), consequently leading to "pancreatic dormancy" (it secretes fewer hormones and enzymes). Upon reaching the duodenum, the food is not digested, and sugar – energy – is not created as in a healthy organism; on the contrary, a syndrome called diabetes mellitus type 2 occurs, characterized by the following: hypoacidity (reduced amount of acid in the stomach), decreased trypsin, increased amylase, and decreased lipase.

It is interesting to observe what happens when patients take medications or insulin in the treatment of sugar syndrome. By taking medications or insulin, blood sugar is practically only lowered, and nothing more. In fact, insulin further heats the body instead of the pancreas, which represents a greater evil, preventing it from performing its primary function in the organism, which is to heat its own body for which it is responsible. If this continues for years, we have patients in a so-called "vicious cycle" where they only take insulin, which they also increase over time. It can also be observed that long-term patients are somewhat confused and disoriented in space. To understand this, we must return to the "nutrition triangle," where alcohol is produced instead of sugar in the blood, which causes patients to be so confused and disoriented in space.

And indeed, in daily practice, patients come with a range of diseases and symptoms as a consequence of a constricted hiatal hernia or vagus nerve entrapment elsewhere in the body. Among the most common in practice are diseases of the liver, pancreas, intestines, thyroid gland, kidneys, problems with endocrine glands, asthma, and a tendency to edema, high blood pressure, problems with the gallbladder, testicles, ovaries, uterus, diseases of the small and large intestines, sciatica, epilepsy, and other brain diseases.

Therefore, in our therapy, the treatment of the stomach occupies an important place because, as we have concluded from the above, this organ represents an important pillar of metabolism as well as an indispensable station of the "nutrition triangle." In the next issue of the column, learn about the importance of the thyroid gland as the third pillar of metabolism according to the principles of Integrative Medicine. Until then, dear readers, stay healthy and smiling, or become so, as we like to say at Planet Zdravja BH.