Overall wellbeing and immune system health start with the digestive systems of the body for both ourselves and our animal companions.  The quality and digestibility of the diet, the functioning of the digestive tract, and the body’s ability to utilize the energy it’s been provided, will all contribute to either great health or poor health.

Illness and disease can be traced back to how well the digestive system is working.  When it’s functioning at its peak, minimal disease should occur and when a problem does arise, the body is able to resolve it on its own.  On the other hand, when the digestive system is functioning poorly, the body is unable to resolve problems that it’s faced with, and instead small issues can turn into much more serious health problems.

Food choices, toxins within the body, and environmental exposures all impact digestion.  We must first start off with foods that are species appropriate and are of high quality to provide the necessary nourishment the body requires.  We must also minimize our toxin exposure through the foods we eat, the medications or supplements we take, and the environment in which we live.  Lastly it is necessary to support the body’s detoxification process because it is impossible to avoid toxin exposure completely.

When the toxin exposure is especially high, such as when medications are taken, we need to provide extra support to the body to overcome and reverse the negative side effects.  Probiotics supply good bacteria to the intestinal system and digestive enzymes help in digesting foods.  These are two supplements that are crucial for replenishing and rebuilding the digestive system and can be used all the time, however it’s especially important when extra support is needed.

In a desperate quest to address symptoms of illness, often times the choices we make temporarily provide relief but, the symptoms come back quickly and many times worse than before.  Suppressing symptoms without addressing the root cause of the problem generally drives the illness deeper into the body.  Many times the suffering could be avoided completely if everyone understood the importance of the digestive system and how the things we choose either support or destroy its performance.

The good thing is, it’s not too late to make changes for ourselves and our animal companions.  Start with a high quality, easily digestible – preferably a fresh, home prepared, species appropriate diet.  Minimize toxin exposures and support the body’s natural detoxification process.