56 Achieving pH Balance to Treat Specific Ailments
intestine from the gallbladder where it breaks down fat, the bile fl ows
into the stomach where it interferes with digestion by neutralizing
hydrochloric acid, the substance that digests protein.Colitis, Ileitis, and Other Infl ammatory
Intestinal DisordersBess, age sixty-six, had had colitis (infl ammation of the colon) and ileitis
(infl ammation of the section of the small intestine that joins the colon)
since her midtwenties. Like many individuals with an infl ammatory
intestinal condition, she had mental problems. It was an attribute she
had inherited; many members of her family suffered from depression,
several had committed suicide, and three of her grandparents had died
of Alzheimer’s disease. Bess’s anxiety led to feelings of depression so
severe that they clouded over the sunny disposition she had had as a
child. She came to hate herself, not just who she was but the way she
looked. For twenty years she had avoided looking at herself in the mir-
ror. The little self-esteem she possessed went into her nails, which she
kept beautifully manicured. Despite all her insecurities, she charmed
everyone she met and was extremely well informed on almost any topic
that came up in a conversation.
Bess had been something of a child prodigy. She learned to read at the
age of eighteen months and was reading a newspaper at the age of two.
She has a talent similar to those of idiot savants. Without looking, she
can write at the same time with both hands, her left hand writing from
left to right and her right hand from right to left until her hands meet.
The most recent of Bess’s colitis and ileitis attacks had occurred
when she removed books from the bookshelves in her living room so
they could be painted. Looking at the empty bookshelves triggered
painful cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. After the shelves had been
painted and the books replaced, she had an even worse attack of cramps
and diarrhea. Bess had had so many bouts of diarrhea over the years
that she had developed ulcerated colitis. Her infl ammatory bowel dis-
orders were synchronized with her attacks of anxiety.
Not all individuals with infl ammatory intestinal problems experi-
ence the same severe stress levels as Bess, but it’s hard to fi nd anyone
with this disorder who doesn’t insist that it is triggered by anxiety. The