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Q: Intestinal blockages and fiber ( No Answer,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Intestinal blockages and fiber
Category: Health
Asked by: beavis-ga
List Price: $50.00
Posted: 23 Jan 2004 19:25 PST
Expires: 22 Feb 2004 19:25 PST
Question ID: 299587
I'm wondering if people with partial blockages of the small intestine
(especially the duodenum) are at risk of more complete blockages due
to an accumulation of fiber at the blockage site. If so, can this
situation be relieved using edible enzymes that will break down the
fiber?

I'm looking for authoritative evidence that this either can't
happen, or that it does happen and can be treated, and if so what enzymes
were used. Case studies would be great.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Intestinal blockages and fiber
From: heybill-ga on 29 Jan 2004 09:57 PST
 
Hmmmm.  I guess I would have to know why this partial blockage is
there? Scar tissue?  Bariatric surgery?

Regardless, fiber is not a cause of obstruction unless the person is 
really getting A LOT of insoluble [cellulose] fiber and not drinking
enough water [has become dehydrated] or has a problem with
gastrointestinal motility [the peristaltic action of the gut that
moves stuff through it].

The duodenem is at the bottom of the stomach and empties into the
small intestine. The mouth and stomach dump a lot of fluid  into the
top of the GI tract so the food is VERY liquid as it goes through the
small intestine. People who have an ileostomy [small intestine empties
into an external bag] produce almost watery stuff that is acidic [from
the stomach] and doesn't have any bacteria in it so it doesn't smell
bad... kind of like vomit but milder because the acid has been
reabsorbed.

The small intestine absorbs the nutrients out of this soup and then,
30 feet later,  the large intestine begins to reabsorb the water to
save it. When one gets diarrhea, it'a failure of this reabsorbtion ,
usually due to short lived viral related inflammation.

The need to take "enzymes' to help this in someone with normal gut
chemistry is a long existing quack remedy that probably makes a lot of
people money.

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