Let's Protect Our Gut
One of the basic metabolic functions of all living things on earth, including humans, is nutrition. When we look at it from a sociological perspective, we see that the basic instincts that humans have to survive are to feed themselves (nutrition), to continue their lineage (sexuality) and to shelter.
So, which is the most important organ of the human body? Heart? Brain? Or is it the lungs? Of course, the body has an integrity, and even the loss or loss of function of even the simplest organ disrupts this integrity. But there are some organs that when they don't work, life ends! That's why the lungs that allow us to breathe, the heart that pumps blood, and the brain that organizes, coordinates and manages all systems in the body are indispensable organs.
It should not be forgotten that no matter how important these organs are, they depend on nutrition and performing their functions. They need energy to bring it. This shows the importance of nutrition, or more precisely, the digestive system. A person can survive for a maximum of 3-7 days without drinking water. It can live a little longer without eating, but even if it does not die, it is inevitable that the organ damage caused by the lack of nutrients will be permanent. So, in order for vital organs to function, the organs in the digestive system must function properly, take the necessary water and nutrients from outside, and digest all the nutrients the body needs.
The digestive system starts from the mouth and is located in the rectum at the end of the large intestine. It is a set of organs that covers most of the human body. Leave the esophagus and stomach aside, the small intestines, which is the part of the digestive system after the stomach, is 6-6.5 meters long, and the large intestine is 1.5-2 meters long. And these organs, which are approximately 8 meters long, tirelessly separate the useful substances in food and ensure that they mix with the blood, separate the proteins, vitamins and minerals that humans need to live, and ensure that waste materials and pulp are thrown out of the body. This is not a task to be taken lightly. 50,000 liters of water and 30 tons of food pass through the digestive system of a person who is 75 years old. In other words, the stomach digested 30 tons of food, cut it into tiny pieces, and the intestines digested these 30 tons of food. He blended it, divided it into fine sections, and processed it meticulously like a jeweler.
Let alone 50,000 liters or 30 tons, even a canister containing very little water needs to be cleaned at regular intervals. Put two or three kilos of vegetables or fruits in a basket, within a few days the food will start to spoil, darken and soften. If they stay a little longer, our basket will become like a carcass, so to speak. In short, cleanliness is a must!
So, what do we do to clean the stomach and intestines, through which tons of food and drink pass? We do sports to exercise and develop our muscles, we do not smoke to protect our lungs, we use various cosmetics to care for our skin, but no one thinks of taking care of our digestive system and paying attention to its cleanliness and maintenance!
For many years, we have been suffering from lung cancer and In order to protect society from deadly lung diseases such as COPD, campaigns against smoking are organized both in Turkey, the USA and almost all European countries, health measures are taken and social awareness is tried to be created about the harms of smoking. Of course, this is a very positive and very necessary effort. However, when it comes to digestive system diseases, not even ten percent of the sensitivity shown towards smoking is shown. It would be useful to take a look at a statistic made in Switzerland to show how neglected and unimportant this issue is by both the public, physicians and administrative units: The annual cost of health problems caused by smoking to the country is 500 million Swiss francs, including the digestive system. The annual cost of related diseases is 2.7 billion Swiss Francs.
Yes, let's protect our lungs. But let's protect and take care of our intestines as much as our lungs
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