Page 76 - Spring2009

All Thumbs Book Reviews

As this barrier spreads, it forms a thick sludge, her daughter’s night terrors), Gottschall goes on
and the already compromised enzymes within to detail how these conditions can be causally
the microvilli cannot make contact with sugars related. She quotes the French scientist, Dr. H.
and starches. It is now impossible for digestion Baruk, summarizing his fifty years of research
of these foods to occur. Fermentation increases, on schizophrenia and other mental disorders: “. . .
bacterial overgrowth and mutation flourish, it is preferable to consider the majority of psycho-
damage to the intestinal lining continues, and ses or neuroses as reactions to biological factors
the vicious cycle is set in motion. which are very often digestive in origin.”
While modern medicine utilizes different Interesting connections between gut and
criteria for diagnosing the various digestive psychology abound. Doctors have reported that
maladies that are so common today, Gottschall when patients undergo surgical shortening of the
maintains that Crohn’s and celiac disease, ulcer- small intestine, some experience accompanying
ative colitis, diverticulitis, chronic diarrhea and neurological symptoms such as aggressiveness,
some of the other digestive disorders usually disorientation, slurred speech, staggering gait
have this proliferation in bacterial fermentation and delirium. Some babies with chronic diarrhea
in common. have epileptic seizures which disappear when
There are different manifestations and de- the diarrhea is resolved. Most schizophrenics
tails, of course. With ulcerative colitis, the goblet have some form of intestinal disease. Celiac
cells may become exhausted, fail to produce specialists have reported that patients sometimes
the protective mucus, and ulcerations of the present with degeneration of the brain, spinal
intestinal lining occur. Diverticulitis produces cord,and other nervous tissue. Gastroenterolo-
painfully inflamed pockets in the wall of the gists acknowledge that neurological effects can
intestine. Celiac patients, the author asserts, are arise from liver disease. And a high percentage
sensitive not only to starches and sugars, but also of autistic children suffer from intestinal distress,
to the gluten which is bound to starch. many of whom can resolve autistic behaviors
But Gottschall argues that by addressing through a change of diet that includes the elimi-
the faulty digestion of sugars and starches, most nation of sugars and starches.
of these disorders can be permanently resolved, Gottschall explains the fact that bacterial
regardless of their variable idiosyncrasies. This fermentation of incompletely digested carbohy-
entails the elimination, for a period of at least drates produces an excess of short-chain volatile
one to two years, of every food containing di- organic acids such as lactic, acetic and others;
saccharides and polysaccharides. Of course, this a higher blood acidity; overgrowth of intestinal
constitutes a vast wedge of the typical American bacteria; the mutation of some bacteria such as
food pie chart: fluid sweet milk products; all E. coli; and toxic byproducts.
Most soy; grains and sugars; potatoes, yams, corn, As reported in The Journal of Develop-
and most other starchy vegetables; and almost mental Disorders in 1985, high blood levels of
schizophrenics all other processed food. But the reward for D-lactic acid can produce “bizarre behavioral
have some eliminating these and other assorted components symptoms.” Dr. H. Baruk found that a harmful
form of from the diet can be a return to robust health. strain of E. coli could produce a toxin that affects
the nervous system. Research by E. R. Bolte
The story doesn’t end there, however. Be-
intestinal cause digestive malfunction often occurs with shows how the toxin of Clostridium tetani can
disease. psychological disorders (as was the case with travel from the intestine to the central nervous
74 Wise Traditions SPRING 2009