As bad as it may sound, the majority of people know almost nothing about pancreas or pancreatic enzymes. Gastrointestinal organs such as stomach, liver, gallbladder and the colon are given a lot of attention, but somehow people have forgotten about the pancreas. Recent death of Steve Jobs from the pancreatic cancer made a scary reminder to people about how vital this organ is.
Unfortunately, pancreatic diseases are quite common. Some researches estimate that almost 13% of the human population has pancreatic problems. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are involved in this horrific chain of pancreatic events: acute pancreatitis => chronic pancreatitis => pancreatic cancer.
Many people are aware of the role of the pancreas in diabetes, but don’t know much about its other functions. Without proper digestion, optimal health is impossible. The role of pancreas and pancreatic enzymes is crucial to break down food products into tiny particles, for our bodies use. Even the healthiest foods will be of little value if the pancreatic gland cannot provide the sufficient amount of high-quality digestive enzymes to digest the food for the best possible utilization.
If the pancreas reduces the production of the digestive enzymes, the body cannot properly absorb the food we eat. How should people know if they were deficient in pancreatic enzymes? Bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, allergies, fatigue, slow recovery from injury, chronic inflammation, weight problems, and most digestive disorders such as dyspepsia or IBS can be a sign of pancreatic enzyme deficiency.
Pancreatic enzymes have some other crucial functions. For example, they are primarily responsible for keeping the small intestine free from parasites, and yeast. There are a few things, which reduce the production of digestive enzymes, such as:
1. Deficiency of essential minerals, trace elements, and bicarbonates
2. Processed, refined, unnatural foods that contain chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, artificial ingredients and “dead” foods that are lacking essential enzymes
3. Saturated fats, trans fat, sugars, and animal protein accelerate the aging of the pancreas
4. Over stress
5. Age
6. Some medications, drugs, and alcohol
7. Fatty pancreas
8. Chronic liver and gallbladder diseases
9. Chronic pancreatitis, trauma, surgery, and cancer
10. Metabolic acidosis – whole body acidity, etc
Many of these conditions overlap with each other and can lead to anything from hidden pancreatic deficiency to a complete stop of the organ function. Besides the above-mentioned problems, one is more predominant and virtually unknown. It is called chronic metabolic acidosis or whole body acidity.
The pancreas is an alkaline gland. It produces 1.2-1.5 liters of alkaline pancreatic juice a day, which moves into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct. Pancreatic juice is the most alkaline solution in the body with pH 7.8 -8.5. Pancreatic juice contains water, protein, mineral salts, bicarbonate, and enzymes that help in the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Digestive pancreatic enzymes work only in alkaline milieu.
I wrote in many of my articles and books about the way acidity damages the pancreas. If you have read them before, you may already know that a simple measurement of pH levels in our saliva and urine with litmus paper at home can help us open a window to the inside of our body’s acid-alkaline balance. If the saliva and urine pH during the week are less than 6.6, it indicates that the body is acidic.
What causes our system to become acidic? Unfortunately, many foods, which we eat, are acid forming and, as a result, they alter the body’s acid-alkaline balance toward acidity and that process is called metabolic acidosis.
Over-acidity is prevalent in our society, due to a Standard American Diet. This diet is exceptionally high in acid-producing foods like meat and cheese, dairy products, white flour and white rice, sugar, alcohol, coffee and soft drinks, processed and refined oils. But it is extremely low in alkaline-producing foods such as fresh vegetables, non-sweet fruits, and homemade fermented products. Chronic inflammations, infections, free radicals, smoking, stress, some medications, and a sedentary life style, make our bodies even more acidic.
Our bodies have only one way to recover, and it is through getting more minerals and bicarbonates to neutralize over acidity. And they can only come from “good” food, healing mineral water and mineral supplements such as cellular magnesium-potassium.
Little town Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic got its hundreds of years of popularity as a legendary healing mineral spa, thanks to its thermal springs. Karlovy Vary healing mineral water has the broad scientific contributions many books, dissertation, and articles proved the positive actions of this healing mineral water for the liver, pancreatic and metabolic disorders.
Europeans have known about the healing power of the mineral waters for 500 years. They often spend their healthy vacations in the mineral spas, where they drink healing mineral water, follow a healthy diet, exercise, do acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, etc.
Even 250 years ago, the demand for this water was very high, which lead Czech doctors in Karlovy Vary to develop vaporized method to obtain genuine Karlovy Vary thermal spring salt. The salt consists of 40 essential minerals, trace elements, and bicarbonates in the amount equivalent to human plasma. Dissolving vaporized salt in the water makes it possible for us to use mineral water for healing at home.
This healing mineral water is safe and effective way to alkalize our bodies. By neutralizing the acid substances and removing them from the body, Karlovy Vary healing mineral water helps our bodies restore the normal pH levels. We can use litmus paper to see the positive pH changing in our saliva and urine when we are drinking water prepared from the genuine Karlovy Vary thermal spring salt.
Clinical studies showed that this mineral water decreases indigestion, bloating, gas, stomach pain, and spasms, primarily by enhancing the production of bile and pancreatic enzymes. Mineral water also helps by opening the pancreatic bile ducts and sphincter of Oddi, and with that decreasing internal toxicity, etc.
When our bodies system is acidic it is impossible for us to have a strong pancreas.
The information on this article is presented for informational, educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, and advice of a qualified licensed professional.