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I came across these really interesting facts regarding health issues people most of the time refuse to talk about or have little knowledge of. Below are some Q&A:
Q: Not that I'm a color aficionado, but why is poop brown?
A: Blame it on bile. Bile secreted from the liver meets the food just past the stomach and then it treats your waste like a wooden porch: It stains it greenish brown. If it's not that color, then treat your poop like a mood ring—a different color is an indictor of something else going on in your body. Green bowel movements signify rapid movement of food through the intestines or the digestion of blue or black foods. White poop means that the bile from the liver is not entering your gut and you need to see a doctor. Red poop usually means you ate beets, but could also be blood from the large intestine. Black poop means you are taking iron pills or your stomach ulcer is bleeding again.
Q: Not that I'm a geometry expert or anything, but what shape should your poop be?
A: As water gets pulled back into your body during digestion, the mass of waste gets harder and it forms a natural S shape to form-fit your intestines. If it's not that S or banana shape and looks more like plums, nuts, and racquetballs, then it means you need to make your poop (and your digestive tract) healthier. First, you need fiber, ideally 25 grams (as opposed to the norm of 7gm). Second, you need water—at least enough to make sure that your urine is clear. In fact, you should be able to read through your urine (though we don't recommend it, at least not without gloves). Finally, you need healthy oils to help lubricate the path that it travels. We favor olive and flaxseed oil.
Q: I seem to have an extraordinary amount of gas—to the point where I'm squirming around in my office chair to stifle it. What causes all this gas?
A: We have two main sources for nature's rear-propulsion system. Flatus comes from the air we swallow (20 percent) and the digestion of foods by bacteria in our intestines (80 percent). We have trillions of bacteria in our intestines and 500 species that are so lethal that any alone could kill us. These bacteria love digesting sugars, fiber, or milk (if lactose deficient) that we cannot digest quickly. The result is lots of gas made up of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and methane (which is flammable). You can reduce swallowing air by avoiding cigarettes, gum, carbonated beverages, or eating and drinking quickly together.
Q: My wife claims her gas doesn't smell, but she kicks me out of the bedroom because mine are worse than a landfill, she says. Why does gas smell?
A: Think of your body as a refrigerator. If you let food sit in there, it's going to smell after a while. In your body, sulfur-rich foods like eggs, meat, beer, beans, and cauliflower are decomposed by bacteria to release hydrogen sulfide—a smell strong enough to flatten a bear. Avoiding these foods is the ideal solution, but when stinky gas persists, the best solutions are leafy green vegetables and probiotics (specifically lactobacilli GG. These can be found in some yogurts). Beano can sometimes work with beans, but soaking the beans ahead of time is useful as well.
Q: I fear nothing worse in life than vomiting. What can I do to overcome this?
A: You have a common phobia, but it is a miracle that humans can vomit. It gives us the ability to forage for food and cough it up if it does not agree with us. To do this, the stomach twists itself and the swallowing esophageal tube starts contracting backwards to propel the food up to your mouth. Animals that cannot burp or vomit are at great risk. Horses, for example, commonly die of colic when their stomach distends and they cannot evacuate its contents. So just brush your teeth and remove the bitter taste from the acid and forget about it.
Q: I've been told I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What is it? A: This very common ailment is the leading cause of belly pain and is probably due to subtle allergies or infections. Doctors need to customize the care of folks suffering from this condition and often start with soothing medications and elimination of culprit foods (especially dairy and wheat products). The solutions can be quite challenging.
Q: Is diarrhea dangerous? A: For the guy cleaning the latrine, it sure is. (And sometimes for infants and older people.) But for most of us, the question isn't about danger; it's about hydration and whether we can keep enough water in when we get diarrhea. The large bowel's job is to re-absorb water, so during diarrhea these mechanisms are paralyzed. If you are having more than 4 episodes a day (or enough to disrupt your life) for more than three days, you probably should see a doctor. Bacteria and viruses will run their course, but taking chicken soup with rice helps by bringing sugar and salt to the bowel wall where they can be absorbed at least a little. If the diarrhea lasts longer, you need to worry about parasites (like giardia) or allergies from the very rich network of immune cells in the bowel wall. Foods like milk or wheat can irritate the intestines and you will only diagnose this by avoiding these foods for a week and seeing if you feel better.
Interesting eh? ...If y'all want, I can post more Q&A's. See if you know a lot about your body, take a health test here
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows...20070515.jhtml