Digestion, Allergies & Autoimmune Disease

by Morgan Jones

Your body is a marvelous, complex, and miraculous system. As with any system, the ability of the whole to function smoothly and efficiently depends upon each small part remaining intact and in optimum working order to be able to perform its specific assignment. In this lecture, Morgan will look at the connections between the digestive system, the circulatory system, the immune system, and the nervous system as they interact in the case of allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Digestion—in all its detail—is the foundation of health, good or bad. Poor digestion not only means the body doesn’t properly assimilate the “human nutrition” that will help ensure daily regeneration to keep us going through a lifetime, but it also means certain less appropriate foods can lead to specific irritation, inflammation, and weakening of the digestive system. Eating animal food everyday can lead to an overproduction of acid and/or a diminished ability to digest concentrated protein. Over consumption in general, or regular consumption of highly expansive foods (i.e. sugar, alcohol, fruit, excess liquids, medicines, drugs, preservatives, pesticide and herbicide residues, artificial ingredients, etc.), can lead to a physical expansion of the alimentary canal. These assaults, singly or in combination, can allow the immune barrier between the digestive system and the blood to be breached, allowing foreign substances (undigested food, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals) to enter the circulatory systems, cells, tissues, and organs. The body often reacts to these “invaders” with allergic reactions (an attempt to eliminate the antigen) or possibly, after multiple exposures, to autoimmune reactions where the body’s natural defenses begin to attack specific parts of one’s own physiology.

You’ll leave this weekend with a greater appreciation for why daily attention to diet, environment, and stress reduction is the only sure path to long term health, happiness, and personal growth.

Last modified: 02/21/05