The Jan de Vries Guide to Health and Vitality

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Some time ago, as I walked in the Swiss Alps with Alfred Vogel, we both admired the beauty of nature. We talked about the energy in plants, roots, trees and flowers, and the energy of man. We both thought that it is difficult to understand energy or to give an accurate definition of life, and we concluded that we probably only scratch the surface. In actual fact, we knew very little of life energy until the nineteenth century. Nowadays, we know a bit more, namely that life is a constant renewal of cell tissues and cells. Looking around, Vogel remarked how wonderful life was and how rewarding it was to live in that breathtaking country of Switzerland, to see energy radiating to the surroundings from the sun. Being high up in the mountains, we were that much closer to it.

While walking, we also discussed the many problems that are apparent in the world today. Why are so many people ill? Why are there such widespread, global diseases? Life expectancy might be longer nowadays, hygiene has improved, and we have a better control over most illnesses and diseases, but why is the quality of life often so poor? Why are we faced with an enormous increase in cases of cancer and degenerative diseases? Is it purely because people are living longer, or are there other reasons? As we pondered these issues, I remarked what a pity it was that disasters such as the Chernobyl accident as well as other negative atmospheric influences were affecting the whole world, even there in the beauty of the Swiss Alps.

Do we understand energy as a source of life? What are we really doing with it and what is our part in this great field of energy? As Vogel and I admired the power and life energy of even the smallest flower or herb that grew in the Swiss Alps, we were aware that the same life force also exists in man, and that this can easily be disturbed or influenced, either positively or negatively. It is therefore crucial that the life force or vital force produces the right type of energy and is dealt with properly.

It is essential that we learn how to deal with this vital force, which is given to all that grows, for throughout our lives it is faced with threats and obstacles. Look, for example, at the miracle of the birth of a baby. When a baby is born, it gets the breath of life, the energy by which it will live, and then what happens to it? It is faced with all kinds of interferences. A breastfed baby is extremely lucky, but very often a child is either fed with cow’s-milk products or adulterated food which does not give it the right vital force for life. Pure mother’s milk gives a baby the best possible start in life – a very good vital force. However, this lessens when the child is fed on a milk product, which usually contains much higher levels of proteins than mother’s milk; but still the baby manages to grow. Then the infant, with its vital force, is faced with interference in the form of immunisation. Although this is perhaps necessary nowadays, it is nevertheless a huge attack on the baby’s immune system.

As the infant develops and starts school, it will be influenced by all the viral and bacterial activities surrounding it, with the result that its immune system is faced with another shock and needs to be built up. The child does not always eat food which has life in it, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, which is important to boost the necessary reserves as it grows up. Energy is very important and the child’s energy is very much influenced by what it eats. Does it get enough sleep? Does it get the right food to eat? Does it get enough rest? Good health depends on the sources of the body’s energy and whether the body is getting what it needs.

As the child becomes an adult, it continues to need the right food and the right nutrition to perform what is necessary for daily life. A job can sometimes be extremely taxing and if someone finds work exhausting or stressful, the first signs of degeneration can become apparent. Every day, I hear people saying how difficult it is for them to cope with life or that even on awakening they feel tired. After a good night’s sleep and with the right nourishment, we should be able to cope with life and work. As I have said, this is a time when degeneration can start – sometimes even before we reach the age of 40. We therefore need to ensure that we have a good balance in our food pattern between acidity, alkalinity, proteins and carbohydrates. This is very important, as we shall discover later in this book. We often see that, with all the stresses of life, if a person suffers from poor nutrition as well, there is invariably a breakdown of the cell tissue.

Then, as we get older, we come across people with a form of senility, Alzheimer’s disease, which brings about forgetfulness. It is so sad to see the effects of this cruel disease on intelligent people, those we have known in the sporting, acting or scientific worlds. What can be done about it? It is very important that we eat the right foods and that we look at our lifestyle, so that we can reach a ripe old age and still enjoy life to the full. I always think of my older patients, some over 100 years old, who are still determined to live as healthily as they can. They eat the right foods to keep their arteries clear and take remedies to keep their circulation in good working order and their minds fresh.

I remember Vogel and I were once walking in Korea when we came across an elderly man picking one ginkgo leaf after another. I said to Vogel, ‘Does he not realise that he is taking an overdose?’ Vogel suggested that I talk to him. Fortunately, he spoke English, and when I asked him why he took so many ginkgo leaves, he replied that he took them every day and had done so for a very long time. Ginkgo is known as ‘the memory tree’, and he wanted to keep his mind alert. I then commented that he was taking this remedy in overdose quantities, to which he replied that he was well over 100 years of age and it had never done him any harm! He made certain that what he put in his body not only kept his blood circulation healthy but also kept his mind sharp. We cannot go through life thinking we have a problem and that we just have to live with it. It is the quality of life that is important and I am encouraged when I look around at people who in old age enjoy health, happiness and vitality. We should all follow their example and respect the life that is given to us.

Over the years, I have worked with people who have known a lot about energy. I have also seen how people have used energy and have taught others what they can do with it. In my book Body Energy, I suggested many guidelines on what one can do oneself in order to balance energy and how we can positively influence the vital force which is in every one of us. During the many years I have been in practice, I have seen people who felt they had come to the end of the road and who thought ‘this is it’. It was not until I could unlock their minds and advise them on how much they could influence their energy with some very simple techniques that they realised this was not so. Sometimes this changed their lives and brought about the necessary relief to enable them to carry on and enjoy life for another 20 or 30 years.

We have to learn how to work with and how to balance energy. Balancing energy is very important. For instance, the centre of gravity should be in the correct position and it is for that reason that I often find it crucial to carry out spinal manipulation and spinal corrections. We often see when people have simple neck or back problems, where there is either an imbalance to the left or the right, that their bodies can be likened to a ship that capsizes when it is overladen on one side instead of being equally balanced on all sides, or to a watch in which the smallest wheel doesn’t turn properly, thus stopping it from ticking. The body can often be like this, when the centre of gravity is out of balance and health deteriorates, and yet this can so easily be put right. If there is an imbalance in one’s health, then there are reasons for this and we must do everything possible to restore that balance.

In my practice, I often see patients in whom the balance of energy is wrong. When I ask myself where the energy is disturbed in a patient, I sometimes have to take on the role of detective to find out. Once this has been established, there is so much that one can do. A young lady came to see me some time ago. When she walked into my consulting room, I could see that she was walking very much to one side. I discovered that her jaw was out of place. After I adjusted her jaw, I could see almost in minutes that she started to straighten up. Her body was, as I say, like an unbalanced ship on the sea. It is very important to make sure that energy in the body has freedom to move around. On another, more recent occasion, a gentleman consulted me and I saw that he was having problems with his body gravity. With the help of copper and zinc magnets, I managed to balance him, and he was so much happier.

I enjoyed the time I spent studying in China, where I learned some valuable techniques to correct imbalances between left and right, positive and negative. When observing a patient, I think of what I was taught there – to look, to listen and to feel, to discover where the energy balance is disturbed or where the endocrine system might be disordered, listening to the tone of the patient’s voice, feeling the temperature of the body, taking the pulse or examining the tongue. By doing this, I can decide what needs to be done to harmonise the body. Even minor problems can disturb the body’s balance and hinder it from working efficiently.

I would like to share with my readers some of the ideas that Dr Leonard Allan and I have studied and developed. On the surface, they might seem complicated, but they can bring about such tremendous benefits. Let’s have a look at who and what we really are, and what can be done to influence the body’s energy.

If you look at the diagram on the facing page, which Dr Allan and I created, you will see that the basic part of a human being is ‘I am’. This ‘I am’ means that every person is endowed with the faculties of a mind, a body, a soul and a heart. These faculties allow us physical, mental, emotional and spiritual lives, which we express by looking around and observing, thinking, feeling and acting. The way in which these faculties function therefore affects our appearance and attitude, our abilities and the way we communicate – in other words, the self that we present to the world.

The diagram works in two ways. If we start from the outer layer, we know that naturopaths look at a patient’s appearance to help them determine what the inner problem is with that person’s health. On the other hand, working from the inside out, the diagram illustrates that our mind influences our mental state, which then in turn affects our thought processes and thus our ability to function effectively. A clear example of this would be when a person’s lack of self-belief inhibits them from completing a task. If, however, a human being is able to think positively, this will help them to achieve the result they are aiming for.

The point is not only that the aspects of life arranged on each side of the square affect one another. The sides of the square are not separated – every element of our being is connected with all the others. Endeavour to understand this diagram and you will understand yourself and others. You will be able to detect an area of deficiency or an imbalance in mind, body, soul and heart.

Throughout the universe, fatigue is the main thing that leads to distortion and destruction. The human body is no exception to this rule. Where there is fatigue, the joints become strained and skeletal relationships are changed; muscles operating around such joints are stretched. One must remember that it is gravity that underlies it all. The four essentials underlying the preservation of life are proper food, proper temperature, proper rest, proper elimination. All these factors depend on gravity in the last analysis.

A perfectly balanced body can stand with feet together, eyes closed and muscles relaxed. The bones support the weight of the body and are not subject to fatigue. Any distortion of the body structure changes the balance, so the bones are no longer in a position to support the weight of the body and the muscles must contract to hold the body upright. Thus the muscles become subject to fatigue.

The intelligent use of methods of applying the hands to certain areas of the body helps to eliminate fatigue and thus produce a balance of the body energies. Such a treatment will relax the tissues and take the load off the body and mind. The body feels as light as a feather and all work and movement is done without effort. In this restored condition, all the energy that was required merely to exist is freed and turned into productivity and progress. It is very important that cellular and intercellular tensions are corrected so as to remove all strain – in short, to bring all matter back to maximum usefulness by the correction of fatigue.

Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Chinese found that the abdominal area had reflex zones which refer to certain areas of the body or organs. Pain in these zones indicates a developing state of disease – a sort of warning of things to come. The next diagram plots these abdominal areas. The abbreviations denote the organ that could be in trouble if pain develops.

When we grow old, the white of our eyes shows between the iris and the bottom eyelid. A younger adult with the white showing is in a very negative condition. The organs are weakened, and the person in question will have poor reflexes in case of danger and hence be prone to accidents. A prominent red colour in the whites of the eyes is a sign of a bad liver. The liver has grown tired, perhaps due to an over-consumption of food, especially animal products. When the red has spread all over the whites of the eyes, the organs are malfunctioning. A white ring around the iris indicates malfunctioning in the abdominal area. Bulging eyes indicate thyroid trouble. Large, very convex eyes denote a well-developed muscular system.

Frequent blinking can signify that the body is attempting to discharge excess negative energy in any way it can. One should not blink one’s eyes more than three times per minute. If the eyes move constantly or are slow to react (to follow your finger, for example), there is a problem with the heart – the pace of the heart is not normal. In such cases, the pupil of the eye will be too big.

Swelling around the eyes, particularly swelling of the upper eyelid, indicates gallstones. When the stones pass, the swelling will drop immediately. A dark brown colour under the eyes indicates excessive positive kidneys and trouble in the female organs. Swelling under the eyes indicates kidney stones, gallstones or blood stagnation. Dark blue or violet shadows under the eyes reveal blood stagnation, probably caused by an over-consumption of fruit, sugar and meat.

An examination of the nose can tell much about the condition of the body. Reduce your intake of food and you will see your nose grow smaller. A long nose starting high up on the face is negative. A short nose indicates a strong constitution. A small nose pointing upwards is a sign of strong, positive energy. If the bridge of the nose is broad and high, this normally indicates a healthy, effectively functioning stomach.

The nose indicates the condition of the heart. An enlarged nose shows an enlarged heart as a result of excess eating and drinking. A fat nose that is somewhat oily and sometimes shiny indicates over-consumption of animal protein. Red blood vessels on the tip of the nose are an indication of high blood pressure and a sign that heart disease will follow.

A small mouth is positive. A large mouth is negative. A horizontal line between the mouth and nose shows a malfunctioning of the sexual organs. The lips should be of equal thickness. In general, thick lips indicate a positive constitution and thin lips a negative constitution. Dry, thin lips are a sign of underactivity of the glands. The size of the upper lip shows the condition of the liver. If the lip is swollen, the liver is enlarged. This may also suggest that the subject eats too much or is prone to mental disorders. The size of the lower lip indicates the condition of the large intestine. When the lower lip is swollen, there is a weakness, a looseness, in the intestines, and thus constipation. Epilepsy is a possibility when both lips are enlarged. This may also indicate that the person in question was given too much food as a child. If a woman’s lips are straight, with no downward curve, she may have problems with breastfeeding. The length of the upper lip denotes the strength of the spine. A short upper lip is a sign of a weak spinal column.

The lips should usually be pink. However, they grow darker with age. A young person with dark lips has poor circulation, perhaps due to an excessive intake of animal protein and strong foods. People with dark lips tend to develop cancer, pineal troubles and diseases of the sexual organs. If the centre of the upper lip is full, red and moist, this denotes a strong, healthy reproductive system.

• A wide chin denotes strong kidneys. A narrow, pointed chin denotes a tendency to develop kidney disease.

• Pale cheeks with red spots show intestinal disorders. Extreme paleness of the cheeks means intestinal inactivity.

• A broad, high forehead, fine skin and hair, bright eyes and ears positioned well forward denote a well-developed nervous system and brain.

• The longer the septum, the better the liver is developed and the more able it is to fulfil its work. A short septum signifies the reverse.

In order to understand how body energy works and the disciplines that one can adopt to influence the vital force, we have to consider a few things. How do we regain energy when we are tired every day or wake up in the morning feeling tired? What can we do about this? First, we have to look at three sources of our energy – food, water and air. We can control the foods we eat and the water we drink. We can choose to eat a synthetic pudding or a tin of tomato soup that has never seen a tomato if we prefer, or we can choose foods which have life in them – organic foods, for example. However, the air we breathe is largely out of our control. The air we breathe in will, in all probability, be polluted. The effects of pollution are apparent in the tremendous increase in degenerative diseases.

If we get enough energy from our food and water and we have a good immune system, our bodies can cope with pollution in the air. It is therefore important that we have good dietary management and that we carefully examine what we eat. The majority of people do not realise that the body needs 91 nutrients. It may only take a deficiency in one or two vitamins, minerals or trace elements for us to become ill. If we drink a lot of artificial liquids containing additives, preservatives and so on, we can become really ill; or if we consume foods containing the wrong ingredients, this can start off a degenerative disease. We must realise that we will only get out of life what we put into it. That is a very important message.

We also need rest, relaxation and exercise for good body energy. It is essential that we walk, swim, cycle or undertake some sporting activity or exercise that will restore energy and not damage it. We therefore need the right type of exercise and restful sleep, which will be discussed later in the book. In addition to relaxation, we may sometimes benefit from taking suitable natural remedies to restore energy that has been disturbed by either disease or imbalance. Of course, we need fresh air and plenty of it. This is especially so if you work in a busy office where you are exposed to fluorescent lights and computer screens, both of which attack our vital energy.

This chapter is one of the most important in this book. Over the years I have been involved in broadcasting, as well as writing articles for newspapers and magazines, I have found that the majority of questions I am asked relate to the digestive system. Some time ago, I was interviewed by Gloria Hunniford on Radio 2. I remember discussing digestion and the problems associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Following this programme, I received an astonishing 8,400 letters from listeners who wanted more information.

The digestive system is very closely linked to the energy we have – or produce – in our lifetime. There are a great number of influences that can interfere with the digestive system and, even more importantly, the absorption of our food, and a lot of problems are self-induced. As I said in the introduction, we need 91 nutrients to live. Each of these is significant and if we omit even one or two, then complications can occur. When we look at our diet, first of all we need to ask ourselves what kind of food we are eating, whether there is any life in it and, if so, have we killed that life? For instance, in steaming vegetables, we retain 90 per cent of their nutrients. If we boil them, this reduces to 60 per cent or sometimes less and if we microwave them, there is only 5 per cent of the original nutritional value remaining in them. If we consume adulterated food containing additives and colourings, the digestive system repeatedly gets a big knock. If we combine the wrong food pattern with doses of stress, this can lead to IBS. We do not need to look very far to understand why this occurs and how closely it is linked to depletion of energy.

The other day, I was sitting across from an interesting gentleman who was interviewing me for a radio programme. While we were talking, he had to excuse himself several times to relieve himself of wind, whereupon he confided in me that he was greatly troubled with IBS. I remarked that in the short time I had been with him he had drunk three cups of coffee. So I asked him how many he drank each day. Believe it or not, he told me he drank 18 mugfuls! Coffee is, in fact, one of the main contributors to IBS. This poor man, not only having to cope with the stressful job of being a radio presenter but also filling himself with coffee (containing sugar and milk), was asking for trouble. This was simply a case of drinking and eating the wrong foods, which, coupled with high doses of stress, resulted in IBS.

Some sufferers may think, ‘Well, it is only IBS,’ and many doctors often say you just have to live with it, but IBS can lead to many problems, as I have seen repeatedly. Never underestimate a problem and never disregard an alarm bell. To reiterate what I have said in many of my books and also during lectures, you cannot ignore an alarm bell. If the church is on fire and the bells are ringing, it is very easy to stop the bells ringing, but if you don’t get the water hose out, then the fire will rage on and the destruction will get worse and worse. It is the same when we have a headache or IBS. It is easy to take an aspirin, an antacid or whatever to stop the bells ringing, as it were, but the symptoms will not improve unless the underlying problem is investigated.

In studying the way in which people eat, I have noticed that they do not allow their bodies sufficient time to properly digest their food. Once, when I was in the States, I was followed by a man who called himself ‘the Juice Man’. At every lecture I gave, he spoke to members of my audience, telling them that Jan de Vries believed in fresh fruit and fresh vegetable juices and that, as he was ‘the Juice Man’ he could help them. Although what he did was thoughtful, I didn’t agree. I always tell people that God has given us teeth to chew and, by chewing, we get the correct saliva needed to break down our foods, which is the best digestive aid there is. Many people eat their food as quickly as possible, but this will only cause problems.

I clearly remember the time when Alfred Vogel and I reached the decision to create what is now known as the Detox Box. While we were having a meal in a hotel, an attractive-looking family came in. I was puzzled as to why they all had round, chubby faces, and I mentioned my concern to Vogel. I knew there must be something wrong with them. I soon realised what it was when their food was placed before them. They didn’t take any time to taste what they were eating but just gobbled it down. In no time at all, they had finished their meal and left. It was then that I remarked to Vogel that their food could be doing them nothing but harm. It was eaten so quickly that they had not given it time to be digested or absorbed by their bodies. It was that particular incident that prompted us to devise the Detox Box, which now, years later, continues to go from strength to strength. It is a natural, easy-to-use ten-day elimination programme. It comprises four preparations from Bioforce: Calendula Complex, Frangula Complex, Milk Thistle Complex and Solidago Complex. In actual fact, I use this myself every spring and autumn to give my body a thorough but gentle clean, which can be likened to someone thoroughly cleaning their house. Not only does it purify the stomach, the lungs, the gall bladder, the liver and the kidneys but it also aids the elimination of toxins from the entire system and is extremely beneficial in maintaining health and harmony in the body.

As good digestion is essential, I feel it is necessary that attention be paid to this matter. I have therefore decided to revisit some of the views expressed in one of my earlier books, Ten Golden Rules for Good Health. Because they look at digestion as a whole, which is vital, I thought it would be a good idea to recap on these ten golden rules.

The ten rules for healthy eating are of paramount importance when one is striving for good health. There are many diseases that are caused by a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle. Now you probably wish to know what you should change in order to successfully prevent these problems or perhaps to undo any harm which has already been done.

Many diseases and health problems – I hardly have to stress – are not destiny, but the results of our way of living. There are things in life which one cannot, or can only with difficulty, change, such as the condition of our environment. But other things can be quite easily influenced. One of these is our nutrition. If you deal consciously and intelligently with the problem of your eating habits, it will pay dividends many times over. Nutrition not only determines the state of our digestive systems but also influences in an indirect manner, by way of our blood and lymphatic fluids, all the other organs in our bodies.

Now, what would we call ‘a healthy way of eating’? After looking at the historical background of our development and at our biology, the answer is easy: healthy food is that which the human being, in the course of its evolution, has found in its natural environment. The body has adapted to this kind of food and it is easily digestible. Modern nutrition in the industrial countries hardly fulfils these requirements. A short-term adjustment of the body to society’s new nutritional conditions has been impossible, and the consequences are logical and in accordance with this. If humanity had been able, one million years ago, to eat as we eat today, an adequate adaptation might have been possible. The intestines would have become shorter, the pancreas and the liver would have become bigger and the teeth and the lower jaw would have become smaller.

Now, in order to eat healthily, we should follow as much as possible the example of our ancestors. We should try to eat the food which, over the long stretch of human history, has become natural to us. As our ‘normal’ nutrition, today’s way of eating, is much different from the ancient way of eating, the following rules may seem very demanding to you at first. However, this does not mean going without food that you like altogether. Food should and has to taste good! Even when following these ten rules exactly, you can have meals which are in no way inferior to ‘nouvelle cuisine’. If your body were able to talk to you, it would probably advise you to follow these ten rules for healthy nutrition, which would assist you in having a long and healthy life.

The digestive organs and teeth of human beings suggest that they belong in the category of fructivores (fruit eaters). This does not mean that humans should live exclusively on fruit, but it does show that, by nature, they are best suited to eating cereals, roots, fruit, nuts and many other products of the soil. This does not exclude them from eating animal produce once in a while. However, one must understand that animal protein is basically a ‘second-hand’ food, as most of the energy an animal receives from plant food has already been used by its own body.

As food in former times was hard, rough, tough and fibrous, people had to chew it thoroughly for a long time. All carbohydrates from bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, etc. were broken up by enzymes in the saliva and thus prepared for digestion in the stomach and the intestines. The food was mixed with up to 1.5 litres of saliva each day, and specific antibodies in the mouth ensured that innumerable bacteria and toxins were destroyed there. The chewing also stimulated the blood circulation of the gums and dental decay was rare.

As our modern food is soft and contains very little fibre, we no longer have to chew so thoroughly. Many things are swallowed before being saturated with saliva and thus some of the carbohydrates in the food cannot be broken up. Every year, more additives and other artificial substances find their way into food, and the antibodies in the mouth are unable to detoxify such quantities.

Many toxins then pass into the throat, where the defence mechanism of the tonsils cannot always cope with so much work. They become enlarged and inflamed, causing difficulty in breathing. Today, we see many children with their mouths agape, not due to lack of intelligence, but mainly because the defence mechanism of their lymphatic systems, which includes the tonsils, is continually overstrained through an over-consumption of dairy produce, sweets and soft drinks. In earlier days, the tonsils were often removed when they became inflamed, but the medical fraternity has now learned that they fulfil important tasks in the human body and that their removal provides only temporary help. The cause of swelling and inflammation is not eliminated, and the side effects, such as bronchitis, asthma and sinus problems, still remain. The only remedy lies in an immediate change of diet and intensive natural treatment.

As people no longer chew properly, dentists only rarely see gums which receive a healthy blood supply. The roots of the teeth are undernourished and gradually become loose. When the body lacks certain minerals and other nutrients, its most important task is to make sure that the essential organs receive all the vital nutrients available. The survival of the entire organism depends upon this. The health of teeth and bones is a lower priority for the body, and therefore in an emergency the required minerals are removed from the easily dissolved mineral deposits of the bones and teeth. Thus one can understand that tooth decay is not only a local problem but also a sign of a general, complicated disturbance of the entire organism. Not only elderly people but even babies and small children can suffer from a lack of minerals and from a degeneration of the jawbone.

As a result of modern malnutrition, the composition of the saliva changes and bacteria thrive through constant contact with sugar and sweets. The waste products of these bacteria in the mouth cause hyperacidity and this acid attacks the dental enamel. Most of our modern food is far too acidic and, in the long run, all of these different kinds of acid will destroy our teeth. Not only things that taste acidic but also any kind of sugar or sweets provoke an acid reaction in our digestive tracts.

You can prove to yourself quite easily that acids can destroy your teeth. In order to do a test, put some vinegar or lemon juice into a little jar and then place a small bone or a tooth in the jar and screw on the lid. If after some weeks you open the jar again, you will find that the little bone or the tooth is not there any more: it will have been dissolved by the acid. So please beware of acids and sweets!

Factors like malnutrition, acidity and bacteria interact, and caries (decay), tartar and pyorrhoea develop. These problems cannot be prevented, even by intensive brushing of the teeth, particularly as the consumption of sugar and sweets increases each year. But, after all, the food industry should be allowed to do business! Sooner or later, the teeth begin to fall out and people need dentures. Already 90 per cent of all school-age children have caries.

Food is liquidised in the mouth, thereby breaking up all the carbohydrates into different parts, which then pass through the gullet (oesophagus) into the stomach, where the nutrient solution is kneaded for a long time with the acidic gastric juices by the contractions of the stomach wall. At the same time, the transformation of starches into sugar takes place, special enzymes digest all the proteins from the food and the stomach acid kills the remaining harmful bacteria and neutralises toxic substances.

The stomach wall is covered by a layer of mucus, which is renewed constantly and therefore cannot be attacked by the gastric acid. Depending on the kind of food, the nutrient solution remains between one and eight hours in the stomach. When its work is completed, the stomach slowly empties its contents into the upper part of the small intestines, namely the duodenum.

When the nutrients have not been sufficiently liquidised in the mouth, the carbohydrates cannot be fully broken up. These nutrients then enter the stomach, where a more intensive digestion is needed. The nutrient solution may contain many indigestible substances, such as sugar, white flour and fruit juices. For such foods, there are no adequate digestive juices available. Glands which could produce such juices would have to be developed first. For this reason, it may still be a very long time before human beings are able to digest such refined foods without problems.

Nevertheless, the stomach does make an effort to digest these concentrates and provides huge quantities of normal digestive juices for this alien food. As only very little of these juices will actually be used, the rest remain in the stomach, with the risk that these very acidic juices will irritate and eventually destroy part of the stomach wall. In order to prevent this, the organism will begin to produce vast quantities of mucus. However, a stomach filled with mucus cannot digest food properly, and the nutrient solution stays for far too long in the stomach, where it begins to ferment and produces much gas. People suffer from wind and a tight feeling in their abdomen. Sometimes, if animal protein and starches are eaten at the same time, the transformation of starches cannot take place because of the high degree of acidity. Of course, this depends on the different quantities of animal protein and starches eaten during a meal. Because of this, many of my patients follow the advice given in Fit for Life by Marilyn and Harvey Diamond, and similar health books, and try not to eat starches and animal protein at the same meal.

When the nutrient solution leaves the stomach, it is slowly passed on into the duodenum, where it is mixed with the juices secreted by the pancreas and the gall bladder. The bile from the gall bladder breaks up fats, which are then transported via the lymph glands to the liver. The juices of the pancreas are alkaline and neutralise the nutrient solution after it has left the very acidic milieu of the stomach. The nutrient solution is then pushed further into the small intestine, where the digestion becomes more intensive.

The intestines are moving constantly in order to mix the nutrient solution with the gastric juices. About five hours later, the digestion in the small intestine has been completed. Gradually, the various food components are assimilated via small filters located in the wall of the intestines. The nutrients are then passed into a net of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) located in and behind the intestinal wall. The filtered blood from all these tiny vessels then flows into a much larger blood vessel (the vena porta) and from there it goes into the liver, where it is cleansed once again.

The partly digested nutrient solution is slowly pushed from the stomach into the duodenum. However, when gas pressure builds up because of huge quantities of mucus, the entire stomach contents may suddenly be emptied into the duodenum. When this happens, the digestive juices of the intestines cannot neutralise all the acid in the nutrient solution quickly enough and the acid then attacks the intestinal wall. Thus inflammation or even ulcers can develop.

Nowadays, I see in my daily practice more and more people suffering from gastric and intestinal diseases. Most people do not realise that such diseases could easily have been prevented, and that is a great pity. The body’s production of key substances such as hormones and proteins is dependent on the food we eat and its effective digestion and hence absorption into our blood through the filters in the intestinal wall.

After all the nutrients are assimilated into the blood, the fibre and other residual substances of the nutrient solution pass into the large intestine. There, billions of bacteria accomplish important tasks. They live on the fibre, from which they extract the last of the nutrients. These bacteria are very important to us: they produce vitamins, especially those of the B group, and help to eliminate harmful substances and germs. They have many more functions about which we still know very little.

Also in the large intestine, the nutrient solution is pushed further down by the movements of the ring muscles of the intestinal wall. The more fibre there is, the more the nerves in the intestinal wall will be stimulated and the sooner the excrement, by way of the bowels, can be disposed of. Sometimes, this process can be influenced by psychological problems but, on the whole, the composition of the daily food is the most important factor in preventing hard excrement.

The nutrient solution, which is very liquid in the small intestine, loses more and more fluid during its passage through the large intestine. The further the nutrient solution travels into the lower sections of the bowels, the more compact it becomes. Fibrous substances play an important part here. They are able to retain a lot of water and they see to it that the excrement does not become too dry. Good excrement is still about 70 per cent water and is not sticky.

Dr Denis Burkitt, an Irish physician and scientist, world famous for his books and publications on the value of fibre in our food, examined the eating habits of African tribes in the year 1971. He compared these with the eating habits of Europeans and discovered that the tribes ate much fibrous food, which passed through their intestines in less than 30 hours, the weight of the excrement being between 300 and 500 g. A European’s excrement weighed between 80 and 120 g and the average time it took to pass through the intestines was 70 hours. Burkitt believed that many of our Western diseases, from which the Africans suffer only exceptionally, are caused mainly by a lack of fibre in the diet.

If we always ate food which was appropriate to our digestive systems, we would – as you have seen – digest everything without any problem. When, however, we eat food which is unsuitable for our organism, exactly the opposite happens. Day by day, we make so many nutritional errors that it is hard to say which is the worst. Doubtless, a combination of different mistakes continually made is the most important cause of our so-called ‘civilisation diseases’.

While describing abnormal digestive processes, I mentioned how, through a sudden gas pressure, the nutrient solution can get into the lower sections of the intestines. The upper part of the small intestine is practically sterile, but further down there are innumerable bacteria that live exclusively on fibre and food residues. These different strains of bacteria are very useful to us and they normally remain in balance, meaning that none of them can multiply in such a way as to be dangerous to our health. When, however, there is suddenly an abundance of undigested food, this balance is disturbed in favour of harmful bacteria, which then have a real feast. These ‘putrefactive’ bacteria multiply very fast, and their metabolic waste (excrement) causes the formation of gas and dangerous toxins, like indole and scatole. The person in question feels bloated and gets stomachache, and the abdomen swells.

THE JAN DE VRIES GUIDE TO HEALTH AND VITALITY