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