- 15 hours ago
The Digestive System
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Digestive Issues
00:07Maybe your partner's to blame
00:10Because in relationships, it's not just sleep cycles
00:15Heartbeats and hormones that sync up
00:19Even your gut bacteria start to match
00:22Stomach pain, bloating, constipation
00:24No need to break up just yet
00:27First, check out In Good Shape
00:30Chronic constipation made Katja Klein's life miserable for years
00:48She remembers how every trip to the bathroom was torture
00:52I'd sit on the toilet for hours
00:56Just waiting, and it was always painful
00:59I had stomach aches and intestinal pain
01:01Sometimes bending over helped, but even that was too painful
01:05With chronic constipation, food stays in the intestines much longer than normal
01:11And that has consequences
01:13The colon draws out too much water, making the stool hard and lumpy
01:18Plus more gas forms, which can cause painful bloating
01:23A year and a half ago, Katja finally reached a point where she knew something needed to change
01:31There had to be something wrong for it to keep happening, so I just had to get help
01:38First, doctors look for possible causes
01:43Maybe certain medications or illnesses are to blame
01:47These can sometimes cause constipation as a side effect
01:50If that's ruled out, patients start with lifestyle changes
01:54Analyzing and improving diet and eating habits
01:58And adding more movement into daily life
02:01If that's not enough
02:06If you give the gut everything it needs
02:09And it still can't move things along properly
02:13Then you need to strengthen its function
02:16For example with medication
02:18There's been a lot of progress
02:23We now have a whole range of very potent medications that can be used in a targeted banner
02:31Katja first went to a nutritionist
02:34Together with Ann-Katrin Kleinsorge, they looked at her diet and lifestyle
02:41With chronic constipation, it usually comes down to three key points
02:49The first one is keeping healthy eating habits
02:51Unfortunately, eating is often something people just do on the side
02:58Some of my patients say things like
03:01I was on my way to the car and just quickly wolfed down a bread roll
03:04It's all very rushed and unmindful
03:09Sometimes people don't even really notice what they're eating
03:13Katja too was always eating quickly, on the go
03:18People don't chew properly
03:21So the digestive system isn't prepared to start digesting
03:25That's why it's so important to build healthy eating habits
03:29I definitely eat more mindfully now without distractions
03:34If you just gulp food down, you stop tasting it
03:37The second key point is something Katja was missing in her diet
03:42Fiber
03:43It comes from things like whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables
03:48These contain indigestible fibers that bind water
03:52Which makes the stool softer and bulkier
03:54The increased volume sends important signals to the gut's nervous system
04:01To activate peristalsis
04:03Rhythmic muscle contractions that push the stool along
04:07I had no idea it made such a difference
04:14That it's so important and really helps digestion
04:17Now with fresh, unprocessed foods
04:21She easily reaches the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day
04:25To make sure fiber can do its job, you need enough fluids
04:31Katja makes sure to drink plenty throughout the day
04:34She also follows the third key point for managing chronic constipation
04:42Staying active
04:43We now have several studies showing that a tailored exercise program
04:50Can significantly improve constipation problems
04:53Exercise activates bowel movement
04:58Katja now does yoga
05:00Goes to strength training five times a week
05:02Uses the stepper
05:04Or goes jogging
05:05The chronic constipation that burdened her for years
05:09And severely restricted her life
05:11Is gone
05:12It feels so good
05:15Why didn't I start sooner?
05:17Looking back, it really makes sense that I felt so bad for so long
05:21So Katja's gut was completely healthy
05:25She just had to give it what it needed to work well
05:28Our gut is a real workhorse
05:35Lengths 4 to 6.5 metres
05:38Surface area bigger than a tennis court
05:40Job, breaking down food and absorbing nutrients
05:44Side hustle, immune system warrior
05:48Bonus gig, hormone coordinator and even mood manager
05:52Free time, none
05:56This tube is always a hive of activity
05:59Except for one tiny zone where basically nothing happens
06:04Doctors used to think it did nothing
06:06But does nature really make organs with no purpose?
06:14Not being needed is never a great feeling
06:17The appendix knows this all too well
06:20For a long time scientists saw it as a textbook case of a useless organ
06:28The appendix is anywhere from 5 to even 30 centimetres long
06:36It's attached to the cecum, the dead end of your large intestine
06:40Normally nobody pays much attention to the appendix
06:46That is until it gets sick and inflamed
06:50Kids and teenagers are especially prone to this
06:54Inflammation can happen when the narrow opening of the appendix gets blocked
07:00By things like foreign objects, constipation or even parasites like worms
07:07When that happens, mucus and gut bacteria can't drain away
07:12The appendix swells up and can even burst
07:14If that happens, infection can spread throughout the abdomen
07:18At that point, there's only one solution
07:22The appendix has to go
07:23This operation is considered very safe
07:28And is performed millions of times every year
07:30So should you just have your appendix removed as a precaution
07:36Even if it's healthy?
07:38Maybe before heading somewhere you can't get surgery?
07:40Like, say, outer space
07:44NASA doctors actually asked themselves this very question before the first moon landing
07:49In the end, they decided against removing it
07:53And the appendix got to go to the moon
07:55Some studies now suggest the appendix might not be so useless after all
08:02Just like the rest of the gut
08:09It's home to lots of helpful bacteria that aid digestion
08:12During severe bouts of diarrhoea, this microbiome gets flushed out
08:19But in the secluded appendix, some bacteria can survive the gut's evacuation
08:27And later help to repopulate the digestive tract
08:30So it often turns out that even the most overlooked parts of our bodies have an important role to play
08:43Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee
08:51Around US$1,000 per kilo
08:54The beans are fed to Asian palm civets
08:57And they collected after they pooped them out
09:00The secret to the flavour is gut bacteria
09:03Humans have gut bacteria too, about 100 trillion of them
09:08They produce fatty acids, hormones, neurotransmitters
09:13Even precursors to the happy hormone serotonin
09:17Scientists link gut imbalances to neurological conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
09:23Or depression and anxiety
09:25And how well your gut bacteria work mostly depends on what you eat
09:31Nutrition scientist Isabel Hessman is focusing today on bacteria
09:40The helpful roommates living in our gut
09:43The gut is our most important immune organ
09:47About 80% of our immune cells are found there
09:50So the gut is really crucial for our health and our overall well-being
09:54Both physically and mentally
09:56But the gut doesn't work alone
10:00It's home to about 2 kilos of bacteria
10:03These form part of our microbiome
10:07And everyone's microbiome is unique
10:10The more diverse it is
10:13The better our bodies can fend off harmful germs
10:16We can support our gut with prebiotics and probiotics
10:24Prebiotics are basically food for the good gut bacteria
10:27Mainly fibre
10:28And probiotics are the live microorganisms themselves
10:33They make the microbiome more diverse
10:36And help protect us from pathogens
10:37You can find probiotics in lots of fermented foods
10:43Including cheese
10:44As a rule of thumb
10:48The more mature a cheese is
10:49The more good microorganisms it contains
10:52During the ageing process
10:55Cheese ferments
10:56Microorganisms transform substances in the food
11:00That makes the food last longer
11:03Easier to digest
11:04And more flavoursome
11:06The good nutrients like vitamins and minerals are preserved
11:09The effects of probiotics are being studied
11:14One probiotic substance
11:16Found in sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir
11:18Has shown anti-inflammatory effects in studies
11:21Participants ate large amounts of sauerkraut on an empty stomach
11:27The effect could be measured in their blood samples
11:31To see these microorganisms in action
11:36Isabel picks up some fresh vegetables and other ingredients
11:39And then it's time to get to work
11:48Isabel's groceries are about to be fermented
11:51She's meeting up with Gabrielle and Louisa
11:55Who want to try out the effects of probiotics for themselves
11:59First the three of them peel and chop the veggies
12:04Isabel prepares a salt brine
12:11Then everything goes into a clean jar
12:15And now it's just a waiting game
12:18The bacteria need at least a week at room temperature to ferment
12:22Water kefir, a probiotic drink, is quicker
12:28For that you need water, sugar and kefir grains
12:31These grains are made up of yeast and bacteria
12:35Which turn the sugar into acids and carbon dioxide
12:38But there's one more thing you need
12:40I always add a few dried fruits
12:44Because they provide nitrogen for the cultures
12:46Fermentation takes one to three days
12:51The jar should also be kept at room temperature
12:54If you're in a hurry
12:57You can also try a probiotic supplement
12:59Which you can now buy at drugstores, pharmacies or online
13:04Probiotic supplements can make sense
13:10If, for example, you have to take antibiotics
13:13And you're experiencing side effects
13:15Like stomach cramps or diarrhea
13:17Probiotics can help buffer those effects a bit
13:20But if you're healthy and don't have any gut problems
13:23You really don't need probiotic supplements
13:25In that case, I'd recommend a colourful, varied and fibre-rich diet instead
13:30That includes water kefir and fermented veggies too
13:36Besides the taste test, there's one final important matter
13:40A toast to good gut health
13:43We're waiting to hear from you
13:49Are you always stressed?
13:51And worried it's damaging your heart?
13:55Thinking about quitting smoking but not sure how?
13:59Maybe you just want to eat healthier
14:01Or you're looking for the right workout
14:04To ease back pain
14:06If you've got a health question
14:09In good shape has the answer
14:11Just drop us an email
14:12Frequent stomach pain, cramps, bloating
14:18Most of the time it's on us
14:20Eating too fast
14:22Under stress
14:24Not enough veggies or fibre
14:27Too little movement
14:29Too much sugar, fat or salt
14:32But if symptoms persist
14:34It may be a miscommunication between nerves and gut muscles
14:37Meaning IBS
14:39When I need to go, I need to go
14:45If I'm lucky, I have five minutes
14:47If not, it's more like one
14:49I'm Kari, I'm 31
14:53I live in southern Germany near Stuttgart
14:56And since last year
14:57I've been working as a freelance social media manager
15:01Back in school, even elementary school
15:05Whenever something was wrong
15:07It was always stomach pain
15:08After a test or assignment
15:10The pain would just go
15:11During my high school exams
15:16I realised something wasn't right
15:18The exams were over
15:20But the symptoms stayed
15:21I felt really awful
15:23I was having diarrhoea ten times a day
15:26Even though nothing was actually wrong
15:28I had a colonoscopy
15:31And I was so sure they'd find something
15:33Because I felt terrible
15:34And instead of being relieved
15:37When the doctor said
15:38Everything looks great, nothing wrong
15:40I just thought, no
15:41I felt really bad
15:45There had to be something wrong
15:46I was really taken aback
15:50I remember sitting there with my mum
15:54And we didn't get any kind of guidance
15:55Like, here's what to do next
15:57Yeah, you could go for a nice relaxing boat ride here
16:06The only catch is
16:08There are no boats with toilets
16:10Things got worse
16:20That's when the anxiety disorder started
16:22As far back as I can remember
16:25Anytime I felt off or scared
16:28My stomach would act up
16:29And vice versa
16:31It would start gurgling
16:33And then I'd get even more anxious
16:35Thinking, great, now I need a bathroom too
16:37Anxiety is a very nasty companion
16:43Overwhelming, draining
16:45That's when I said
16:46Okay, I need help
16:49So I started cognitive behavioural therapy
16:57And we opened up some pretty tough boxes
17:00Stuff that had been buried deep
17:02That's when I realised for the first time
17:05How closely the gut and the mind are connected
17:07It's not just about looking for physical causes
17:11Because everything is intertwined
17:13Stressful moments
17:15Emotions I don't express
17:16Things I keep to myself
17:18That's when my gut is the first to scream
17:22Hey, slow down
17:24I'm on my way to Sigmaringen
17:32Dr Stengel is going to take another look at my test results
17:36Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms vary widely
17:41And are centred around the abdomen
17:43Of course there are many other conditions
17:46That can cause similar symptoms
17:47Some serious, even potentially life-threatening
17:50And others less so
17:51Most can be treated well if caught early
17:54So yes, I'd say you have irritable bowel syndrome
18:01And contrary to what you may have heard
18:05We actually do have ways to treat it
18:09Curing IBS, that happens sometimes
18:14But it's not very likely
18:16So our goal, my goal
18:18Is to manage your symptoms
18:20So you can live your everyday life comfortably
18:22To get IBS under control
18:28We need several therapeutic elements
18:30First, a strong doctor-patient relationship
18:34The second key pillar is targeted medication
18:38Based on symptoms
18:39And nutritional counselling or therapy
18:44Is a key part of that
18:45That's something I definitely recommend for you
18:48I know lots of patients who feel just like you do
18:55You're definitely not alone
18:56You just happen to react to certain situations
18:59Through your gut
19:00That's just how you are
19:01And that's okay
19:03Yeah, and that's okay
19:04Good
19:05Thank you so, so much
19:10This is the first time I feel like
19:11Someone's actually listening to me
19:13Sorry
19:17I understand you've been on a long journey
19:21And when you're not taken seriously
19:23That really affects you
19:24Would you like a tissue?
19:28We need to keep checking in
19:34What's working, what's not
19:36Where we can make improvements
19:37It's a process
19:38And that's how we'll move forward
19:40In Italy, back in 2022
19:46I posted my first Insta story
19:48Talking about IBS
19:49It was a terrible video
19:52Super shaky
19:53My voice was trembling
19:55But I said it
19:57I have irritable bowel syndrome
19:59And I thought, you know what
20:01I'm just going to say it
20:02If people don't like it
20:03They can leave
20:04But no one left
20:05In fact, so many people joined
20:07So many people messaged me
20:10After that story
20:11Saying, thank you
20:12Thank you for saying it out loud
20:14It's such a relief
20:15To not feel alone
20:16I've been hiding in my shell
20:18For so long
20:19Thinking I was the only freak
20:21Home doesn't have to be
20:23The only safe space
20:24We can go out
20:25And experience things
20:26Just in our own way
20:27And it can still be
20:28Really beautiful
20:29The causes of IBS
20:38Are still unclear
20:39And diagnosing it
20:41Is tricky
20:41Because similar symptoms
20:43Can come from other conditions
20:45Like recurring infections
20:48Intolerances
20:50Such as to milk
20:51Fructose
20:52Or gluten
20:54Allergies to eggs
20:58Nuts
20:59Or sesame
21:00Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases
21:03Like Crohn's
21:04Or ulcerative colitis
21:06And sometimes
21:08It's a tumour
21:09Colon cancer cases
21:11Are rising worldwide
21:12Even among young people
21:14His fingers still tingle
21:19These nervous shoes
21:20Are a daily reminder
21:22For Klaas Segerbader
21:23Of the chemotherapy
21:24He had to go through
21:25After a completely
21:26Unexpected diagnosis
21:28Of colon cancer
21:29He wasn't even 40
21:31I collapsed with chest pain
21:35And they rushed me
21:36To hospital
21:36In an ambulance
21:37They thought it might be
21:39Something to do
21:40With my heart
21:40But everything checked out fine
21:42Because Klaas had a chronic condition
21:46Affecting his oesophagus
21:48His GP wanted to take
21:49A closer look
21:50She also suggested
21:53Doing a colonoscopy
21:55To check his bowel
21:56I laughed at first
22:02I mean I'm still young
22:03Why would I need a colonoscopy
22:05I was a bit nervous too
22:07Because I'd heard stories
22:08About what they do
22:09But I thought
22:11Okay
22:12Let's just get on with it
22:13During a colonoscopy
22:17Doctors use a tiny camera
22:19To look inside
22:20The large intestine
22:21One of the things
22:24They're looking out for
22:25Are precursors to cancer
22:26Known as polyps
22:27Polyps are small growths
22:32That usually develop slowly
22:34But over time
22:37They can turn into
22:38Malignant tumours
22:39That's why
22:41The earlier they're found
22:42The better
22:43Surgeons Thilo Hackett
22:48And Nathaniel Melling
22:49Explain that
22:50Performing a colonoscopy
22:51Serves a dual purpose
22:52You can kill two birds
22:54With one stone
22:55The big advantage
22:59Is that you can actually
23:00See these pre-cancerous
23:02Polyps
23:02During the colonoscopy
23:04And if they're not too big
23:06You can remove them
23:07Right then and there
23:08Then we send them off
23:10For histological analysis
23:11Where a pathologist
23:13Looks at the tissue
23:14Under a microscope
23:15To determine
23:16Whether it's just
23:16A pre-cancerous growth
23:18Or if there are already
23:19Malignant cells present
23:20And in Klaas' case
23:25The doctors did find a polyp
23:27But it was deeply embedded
23:29In the intestinal lining
23:30So they couldn't remove it completely
23:32A second colonoscopy was needed
23:36Only then would they know for sure
23:39If it was cancer
23:40Unfortunately they found cancer
23:47Right in the centre of it
23:48To get a colon cancer diagnosis
23:52At such a young age
23:54Was devastating
23:54For the father of two
23:56It's still rare thankfully
24:01But colon cancer is rising
24:03Among younger people
24:04Apparently about 12% of US cases
24:07Are under 50
24:09It's not as extreme here yet
24:11But the numbers are rising
24:12Experts say the causes
24:18Are a mix of factors
24:19Like environment
24:21Alcohol consumption
24:23Smoking
24:23And poor diet
24:25Plus the growing issue
24:28Of obesity
24:29We know that cancer development
24:33Is often linked to inflammation
24:35And it's possible
24:37That obesity triggers
24:39These inflammatory processes
24:40In the body
24:41Even if you don't feel
24:42Like anything's wrong
24:43That can increase the risk of cancer
24:46After the cancer diagnosis
24:51Klaas underwent surgery
24:53The surgeons removed the tumour
24:55Part of his colon
24:57And 37 lymph nodes
24:59One of those nodes
25:00Tested positive for cancer cells
25:02So he had to go through chemotherapy
25:04Now every four months
25:06He goes back to the colon cancer centre
25:08For check-ups
25:09The doctors monitor him
25:11To make sure the cancer
25:12Hasn't returned
25:13And that no metastases
25:14Have formed in his liver
25:16Klaas is deeply grateful
25:18Especially for his GP
25:19Who suggested the colonoscopy
25:21Because without it
25:24The cancer might not
25:25Have been caught in time
25:26She probably saved my life
25:33If they haven't found it
25:35Since it had already spread
25:37To a lymph node
25:37I might not be sitting here today
25:39Or at least not feeling
25:41As healthy as I do now
25:42So don't take stomach aches lightly
25:50But the good news is
25:52There's lots you can do yourself
25:53To take care of your gut
25:55Stay healthy
25:57And see you next time
25:58On In Good Shape
25:59Bye for now
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