The GIT is a muscular tube that contracts in a controlled rhythm to move food through the different sections (peristalsis) indigestion-acid-indigestion Strength and timing variations in the contractions can cause cramping (very strong contractions) and diarrhea (contractions are very frequent) indigestion-acid-indigestion When the contractions are slow and irregular, constipation constipation may occur indigestion-acid-indigestion Motility disorder is the general term used to describe problems with peristalsis indigestion-acid-indigestion In all but a few cases, a food allergy is the primary cause of GIT problems indigestion-acid-indigestion Chronic diseases have their origin in food allergies indigestion-acid-indigestion The dysfunction, discomfort, and disease associated with GIT GIT are the result of local immune responses to food selections or combinations of foods indigestion-acid-indigestion Food selections are a result of personal tastes, social fads, ethnic culture, religion, and to a larger degree, local and/or seasonal availability indigestion-acid-indigestion The food selections made in modern affluent society are based on a a developed taste for a rich diet centered on meats and dairy products that are loaded with fats, high concentrations of proteins, and fat-soluble toxins indigestion-acid-indigestion Advertising and misinformation about healthy diets have overshadowed human nutritional needs in modern affluent diets indigestion-acid-indigestion Dietary Shifts and Digestive Disorders Human evolutionary history clearly clearly shows that we are primarily herbivores indigestion-acid-indigestion Human saliva contains alpha-amylase, an enzyme specifically designed to break down complex carbohydrates into sugar compounds indigestion-acid-indigestion Our teeth are designed to cut vegetable matter and to grind grains indigestion-acid-indigestion The so-called canine teeth of humans bear no resemblance to the canines of of even a domestic house cat indigestion-acid-indigestion The human digestive system is long and the food is processed slowly to extract all the nutrients from plant material indigestion-acid-indigestion Conversely, carnivores have short digestive tracts that digest flesh very quickly indigestion-acid-indigestion The digestive systems of carnivores are able to eliminate the large large amount of cholesterol consumed in their diets indigestion-acid-indigestion Carnivores do not have alpha-amylase present in their saliva indigestion-acid-indigestion The effect of the shift in our diets during the last hundred years has resulted in 44% of Americans and Canadians being afflicted with heartburn; peptic ulcer disease appears in 5% of of the population; and non-ulcer dyspepsia plagues between 20 and 40% of Americans indigestion-acid-indigestion Over-the-counter medications for these ailments are a multibillion-dollar industry indigestion-acid-indigestion Nearly every hour on television, there is at least one commercial selling an antacid or similar product indigestion-acid-indigestion If You Suffer from Ulcers The medical community has has discovered that Helicobacter pylori (H indigestion-acid-indigestion pylori) bacteria cause most stomach ulcers indigestion-acid-indigestion Blood tests can reveal the presence of the H indigestion-acid-indigestion pylori antibody indigestion-acid-indigestion Special antibiotic combinations can be used to eliminate H indigestion-acid-indigestion pylori bacteria from the stomach within a matter of weeks indigestion-acid-indigestion Those who fail | 