> The ileocecal valve connects the lower part of the small intestine to the > beginning of the large intestine. An irritated and malfunctioning ileocecal > valve can, according to Matsen (Eating Alive), dump large quantities of > toxins into the > blood. Matsen find problems with this valve in half the patients he treats. wow. This is what caused me to change my diet from "macrobiotic" (practically ALL grains). I actually had so much pain in my "ileocecal valve" that I thought I had an ectopic prgnancy or apendicitus- the naturapath I went to recomended the Zone diet (didnt hear about Paleo till two years ago). This valve still hurts if I eat too much fiber! BUT! I didnt really know what it was until I read this post- THanks! Bronwen