Digestive Ailments 59
the initial cause of appendicitis. (In China today hospitals typically
offer patients with appendicitis t wo choices: an appendectomy or a pro-
gram of herbs and diet to detoxify the appendix, thus avoiding the
necessity for an operation.)Other Causes of Infl ammatory Intestinal Disorders
Doctors no longer remove the appendix as a matter of course, but this
hasn’t decreased infl ammatory bowel disease, because new medical
interventions have come into use that are damaging to the intestinal
tract. Irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and colitis became
commonplace when antibiotics came into widespread use more than
fi fty years ago. Bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment develop a
resistance to it, possibly by producing a virulent toxin that destroys the
antibiotics—and also damages the intestinal walls. The measles vacci-
nation has also increased bowel disease. A British study of 3,545 indi-
viduals who received measles vaccinations showed that there was a
threefold increase in Crohn’s disease and a two-and-a-half-fold increase
in ulcerative colitis as compared to a control group.^14 The formalde-
hyde, mercury, and diseased animal tissue in vaccines all contribute to
the breakdown of intestinal tissues.
The results of a Swedish study shows a relationship between junk
food and an increase in intestinal disorders that is hardly surprising.^15
According to the study, those who eat fast foods at least twice a week
are 3.4 times more likely to develop Crohn’s disease and 3.9 times more
likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Junk food debris, like antibiotics,
vaccines, and mental stress, produces acidic waste that triggers the fl ow
of adrenal hormones. These hormones divert the fl ow of blood from
the digestive tract to the cardiovascular system, the fi rst step in the
march toward infl ammatory bowel disease.Curing Infl ammatory Intestinal Disorders
Bowel disorders can be relieved by reducing stress. When the calming
effect is achieved, the two halves of the autonomic nervous system—the
sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves—become better balanced.
This balance brings on a more even distribution of the blood and lymph
fl uids, so that all the organ systems receive their fair share of nutrients