Intestines
The food that we eat undergoes its first transformations in the mouth and stomach. As it leaves the stomach, the small intestine and colon form a long tube, in which food substances complete their transformation before being absorbed or eliminated.
The goal of digestion is to reduce complex bodies – the food that we eat – into simple particles that can be absorbed by the cells. All these transformations occur inside the digestive tract.
Once the different phases of digestion are completed, nutrients leave the intestine by penetrating into the bloodstream, and are subsequently carried towards the area where they will be used.
The last transformations occur in the colon. Colic bacteria attempt to extract any useful substances that are left in dietary fiber. These substances are absorbed by the mucous membranes of the colon and are carried to the liver.
Residues that cannot be used or assimilated are transformed into feces, which are expelled by a reflex process.
Matters that have not been eliminated, ferment, putrefy and attack the walls, which then become porous. The door opens wide, letting toxins into the internal environment. The characteristics of the intestinal environment become modified when fermentation and putrefaction occur, which causes beneficial microorganisms of the intestinal flora to mutate into aggressive microbes that proceed to colonize and infest nearby organs.
The conclusion of all this is that normal intestinal transit is of critical importance.
Signs of Good and Poor Intestinal Functioning
Frequency of Elimination
- Good elimination: 1 to 2 times per day
- Poor elimination: once every 2/3 days or more
Speed of Intestinal Processing
- Waste should leave our organism as feces approximately 24 hours after having been absorbed. This means that every day, we must evacuate what has been consumed the previous day.
- Transit that is too prompt is not necessarily a good sign. If the transit of food is too rapid then nutrients are poorly absorbed.
Intestinal Gas
Intestinal gases are nonexistent in healthy people. Frequent or usual gas (bloating, etc) is a sign of fermentation or putrefaction of food in the digestive tract. Generally, transit is too slow and elimination is improperly carried out.
Volume of Stools
In certain cases, when transit is too slow, matter accumulates on the walls of the colon, forming crusts that reduce its inner diameter. According to certain specialists, the crusts can reach a thickness of 5 to 7 cm. Daily stools, funneled through this reduced passage, cannot be considered normal elimination.
The Lungs = Pulmonary Emunctory
The respiratory tract brings oxygen to the blood. The lungs expel carbon dioxide (gaseous waste) with each breath, and also oxidize lipids and expectorate glair, mucus and other glue-type substances produced by them. They can also eject solid waste that might have penetrated inside them through air. This dust comes from many sources: domestic dust, pollution, pollen, etc.
Despite present-day pollution levels, there are only very small quantities of waste that enter this way.
Most of the solid waste that we reject comes from the internal pollution that we force our fluidal environment to cope with.
When the main emunctories (liver, intestines and kidneys) can no longer purify the blood, the organism attempts to rid itself of waste through other exits. The respiratory tract can thus be used as an “emergency exit”.
Signs of Good and Poor Functioning of the Respiratory Tract
When the respiratory tract functions properly, breathing is easy and the nostrils are clear. The urge to blow one’s nose is seldom felt, and when it is, it is mostly to eliminate dust that penetrates inside with the air that we breathe.
When the respiratory tract functions poorly and has become an exit for solid waste, the nose is full and runny, the air does not enter easily and we must constantly blow our nose. Breathing often occurs through the mouth. Coughing occurs on occasion at first, and then becomes more frequent and violent.
The Skin = Cutaneous Emunctory
The skin is a protective organ; it plays a role in thermal control, secretion and excretion, along with its sensory function that can be pleasant and painful! The sweat glands and sebaceous glands help in this work, and their emunctories functions are of interest to us.
- The hypodermis is the deep skin layer. It is mainly composed of adipose cells, in which reserves of fat are stocked. When the body – and the skin in particular – no longer manages to eliminate waste, it attempts to set it aside by stocking it in tissues of lesser importance. One of such tissues is the hypodermis. This accumulation of fats and toxins in the organic liquids of the hypodermis is called CELLULITE.
- The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. It contains the sweat glands, which are of great interest to us as they are used for drainage. These glands are secretory organs that filter blood and excrete soluble waste through the pores of the skin.
Sweat glands resemble kidney nephrons; they filter blood and evacuate soluble waste through pores in the skin. In practice, we can compare sweat to diluted urine except in the case of disease. People who do not sweat, or who sweat only in specific places (under the arms), have closed skin. Their sweat emunctory is blocked by waste and elimination is poor. When the elimination of toxins exceeds the elimination capacity of sweat glands, they become blocked and irritated, and different skin problems may appear: red pimples with hard heads and which do not drain, all sorts of eczema, especially urticarial (hives), itching, etc.
From a practical standpoint, we could compare sweat to diluted urine. In certain diseases, sweat contains more waste than urine.
Perspiration is not only a way to eliminate waste: it also contributes to the elimination of heat and helps maintain a constant body temperature.
Sebaceous glands can be compared to small intestines, and are located at the roots of hairs, numbering 300,000. They secrete a mix of fat and protein matter from secretory cell waste. This fatty secretion is called sebum. The role of sebum is to lubricate the skin in order to make it suppler. When the excretory canal of the sebaceous gland is blocked, a blackhead results; when it is blocked and becomes inflamed, acne and boils result. Poor functioning of sebaceous glands also causes whiteheads (whiteheads can also be the result of wet eczema).
Signs of Good and Poor Functioning of the Sebaceous Glands
The epidermis is the superficial outer layer of the skin. In it there are approximately 300,000 sebaceous glands that are located at the roots of hairs. They are comparable to tiny intestines, which eliminate sebum, a viscous lipidic (doesn’t dissolve in water) substance with waterproofing characteristics. Sebum contains free fatty acids, cholesterol, wax, triglycerides, liposoluble (dissolves in fat) aromatic molecules, etc.
- The role of sebum is to lubricate the skin in order to make it flexible.
- When secretion is insufficient, skin becomes dry and tends to crack.
- When excessive secretion occurs, skin becomes oily.
- Dandruff is an accumulation of dead skin cells, held together by sebum.
- Black heads form when the excretory ducts of sebaceous glands get clogged up.
- When it becomes inflamed and blocked, furuncles or acne occur.
- White-headed pimples and seborrheic eczema can also be caused by sebaceous glands which function poorly.
Lymphatic System
In order to reach the emunctories, waste must either travel through the veins of the blood system, or through the network of lymph ducts, which is an important path of elimination aside from its other functions.
Blood and lymph capillaries thus work together to eliminate waste. When blood circulation is impaired, the lymph system attempts to compensate for bloodstream deficiencies by increasing its activity, or the blood’s capillary vein system increases its own level of activity to relieve the lymphatic system.
Lymph collects waste from exterior orifices such as the ears, nose and mouth, and brings it to the elimination organs (kidneys, intestines, lungs and skin). Lymph also carries minerals everywhere in the body to provide nourishment to the tissues.
A great number of lymph vessels lead to a lymph node. The role of these nodes is manifold, and is always related to the cleansing of fluids and the defense of the body. They are found in great numbers in the neck, armpit and groin regions.
Lymph nodes are “filtration plants” used for the defense against infection. They are the biggest producers of lymphocytes, or white cells. When the body is attacked by infection, for example, white cell production increases rapidly according to the intensity of the attack. The nodes located closest to the point of aggression react first. The nodes become swollen, warm and painful to the touch.
Among lymphocyte-producing organs apart from lymph nodes are the spleen, tonsils and appendix of the cecum.
Signs of Good and Poor Functioning of Lymph
When lymph is pure, it is as liquid as water. Its composition resembles that of blood, except that it does not contain red cells.
A surplus of mucus in the eyes or throat in the morning, or yellow wax in the ears are signs indicating that lymph is thick and unable to carry out its work properly, which may result in long-term poisoning.
Moving and breathing activates the circulation of lymph. Daily exercise as well as a balanced diet and cleansing of the intestine and liver are usually enough to maintain good lymph circulation, purify lymph and thus unblock lymphatic ganglions. Drainage methods for emunctories also influence the lymphatic system in a general and non-specific way.
Uterus
Naturopaths consider the uterus to be an additional, specifically feminine emunctory. Many studies confirm the longer lifespan of women, who have purer humors than men, at the expense of losing iron every month.
Joints
Joints also serve as emunctories. According to the Institute James Mathé in Paris, in arthritic subjects, joint capsules act as pockets where “crystalloid” waste accumulates. Intensive chemical exchanges occur between the joints’ plentiful reserves of alkaline minerals and circulating toxic acids. Slower blood and lymph circulation in these narrow areas of mechanical activity tends to cause this type of local waste accumulation.
Conclusion
Our health is greatly dependent on the proper functioning of our elimination organs (emunctories).
As long as toxin supplies remain within our detoxification capacities, we experience a constant state of wellbeing; but as soon as we absorb de-vitalized or toxic substances through air, water or food, our elimination process becomes saturated and we poison our body. Symptoms start to appear because of the overburdened emunctory organs and the body attempting to detoxify itself through other means. Our metabolism produces waste that must be evacuated along with the toxins ingested and eliminated through the large intestine, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin and lymph.
For a more in-depth study of the effect of essential oils with each emunctory (filters), please stay tune for lectures in your area regarding Aromatherapy classes or Introduction to Essential oils.
