Digestion, part one: Nutrition

Before I begin on today's post, let me just say I swam again today despite my right elbow being painful.  And so the recovery continues...  And so to my post...

I have never studied biology at school, so if it wasn't for the Internet I would be totally ignorant about the human digestive system.  As it stands I love researching subjects using the web and I think I am beginning to get an understanding and would like to begin to share that with you.

The starting point is to say that the digestive system, or to be precise the human digestive system is a very complex system and significant parts of it seem to be a mystery - even to professionals.  Not only do professionals not know the entire story, many professionals disagree about aspects.  Let me start with one statement, one that I hold true, to show that disagreement up, "changing your diet can provide significant control of your arthritis."

Like many fellow sufferers I am a witness to the efficacy of dietary changes on my own body.  Despite those clear effects both my rheumatologist and my doctor both are of another opinion, that any recent health improvements are due to my current drug regime.  But then what do doctors and rheumatologists know about nutrition?  Certainly they do not have comprehensive training in the subject.

My rheumatologist is actually part of a university team looking at gut bacteria and arthritis.  But this team, as far as I understand it are studying this without making any significant connection to food and nutrition.