Colon Overview
Does an average American have a healthy colon? The answer is most definitely no; but why should we be concerned about the colon. Well, because a healthy colon is very important for a healthy you.
What Is The Colon?
Let us begin with understanding what a colon is. It is what we call the large intestine, which is the end part of our digestive tract. It is 5 to 5½ feet long and around 2½ inches in diameter.
The colon in our body helps to conserve water and get rid of waste from our body. Colon is also home to friendly bacteria that help to synthesize valuable nutrients from our food.
Faulty Diet - Cause Of An Unhealthy Colon
The present American diet mostly consists of meat, low fiber, sugar, alcohol, preservatives, and processed flour. This diet is the main culprit behind the rising number of people with an unhealthy colon.
If you look at an average healthy person, one who is neither overweight nor suffering from any disease, you will be surprised to know that he/she may carry 10 to 25 pounds of impacted fecal matter in their colon. Now that is definitely not healthy.
Imagine if a healthy person is carrying so much waste in their colon, what an unhealthy person would be carrying.
As I mentioned earlier, our diet is the main reason why so many of people have an unhealthy colon. This unhealthy diet leads to bowel problems such as, constipation. It has been noted that bowel problems can cause nutritional deficiency and nutritional deficiency can further aggravate bowel problems.
Those who have a bowel problem will find it hard to get rid of the stored fecal matter. So over a period of time, this fecal matter builds up along the wall of our colon or in the pockets of colon. You will be surprised to know that some times the fecal matter stays there in the colon for days and years. Yes you read it right - for years. And you thought it all came out if you have a bowel movement everyday.
Over a period of time this fecal matter begins to harden up and starts clogging the walls of the colon. The colon, then, might become irritated or inflamed. The muscles in the colon begin to loose their strength and elasticity. What this means is that your colon will be further weakened. It will be unable to effectively push out all the fecal matter.
Moreover, your colon would be unable to absorb nutrition from the food thus causing more nutritional deficiency. Then, as your colon begins to decay, it will begin to release toxins and poisonous gases into the blood stream. These toxins and poisonous gases will, then, travel to each and every part of your body. Your blood cells will get polluted, and this will prevent them from removing cells’ wastes, thus leading to more poison in your body.
Health Problems Related To An Unhealthy Colon
Now your whole body starts to suffer. An unhealthy colon causes the following problems:
- Insomnia
- Bad body odor
- Chronic fatigue
- Menstrual problems
- Skin problems
- Backaches
- Constipation
- Headaches
- Bad breath
- Depression
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Colon cancer
- Prostrate problems
- Hemorrhoids
- Diarrhea
- Food cravings
- Allergies
So an unhealthy colon can cause an overall deterioration in our health. The good news is that more and more Americans are realizing the benefits of a healthy colon and are taking steps to improve their colon health.
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