This small but powerful valve plays a vital role in digestive flow and detoxification, and when it’s out of balance, the effects can ripple across the whole body.

Where Is the ICV?

The ICV sits between the end of the small intestine (ileum) and the start of the large intestine (caecum) — located midway between your right hip bone and navel. But anatomy is personal, so positioning can vary slightly from person to person.

What Controls the Valve?

The ICV has two main structures:

• • A ring of muscle (sphincter), controlled by your autonomic nervous system (the part of your body that runs things automatically like digestion and breathing).

• • A flap-like tissue that helps keep waste flowing in the right direction.

Emotional stress, including anxiety and overwhelm, can influence this valve’s function because it links to the brain’s limbic system, which governs emotion. That’s why people often say, “I feel things in my gut” — they’re not wrong!

What Does the Valve Actually Do?

When working well, the ICV:

• • Keeps waste and toxins out of the small intestine once digestion is complete.

• • Opens at the right time to allow processed food (called chyme) into the large intestine.

• • Stays closed during digestion so nutrients can be absorbed properly.

What Happens If It Malfunctions?

When it’s stuck open:

• • Waste can leak back into the small intestine.

• • Harmful bacteria and toxins re-enter the system.

• • The body starts auto-toxifying, which can lead to fatigue, inflammation, or immune stress.

When it’s stuck closed:

• • Digestion slows and food may begin to putrefy.

• • You might feel bloated or constipated, especially in the morning.

• • Toxins build up and cause a range of symptoms — even joint pain or skin flare-ups.

Common Symptoms of ICV Dysfunction

🌿 Digestive

• • Abdominal pain, groin discomfort, bloating

• • Gas, bowel distension, habitual burping

• • Bad breath, indigestion, nausea

• • Constipation, diarrhoea (often alternating)

• • IBS, colitis, low stomach acid

• • Candida issues, especially with an open ICV

🌟 Skin & Surface Signs

• • Acne, spots, pallor (grey/white complexion)

• • Dark circles (may link to kidney stress)

• • Skin issues like eczema, psoriasis

• • Thrush (digestive-related)

💪 Muscular/Skeletal Symptoms

• • Shoulder, elbow, hip or knee pain (often one-sided)

• • Frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel, stiff neck

• • Sudden lower back pain (“I just bent over…”)

💬 General & Systemic

• • Fatigue, dizziness, headaches, migraines

• • Allergies, body odour, chest aches

• • Fluid or water retention, oedema

• • Blurred vision, thirst, palpitations

• • ME / chronic fatigue tendencies

🔁 Endocrine & Immune

• • Hyper/hypoadrenia (adrenal imbalances)

• • Catarrh, cold/flu symptoms, post-viral fatigue

• • Post-nasal drip, pseudo sinus infection

🧠 Mental/Emotional

• • Depression, nervous debility

 

The Houston Valve: Often Overlooked but Frequently Involved

The Houston valve isn’t technically a valve at all. It’s a collection of ridged rings located in the lower part of the colon, opposite the Ileocecal Valve (ICV). Though it’s less talked about, it can play a big role in digestive discomfort and is especially sensitive to emotional stress.

What to Know:

• • It often malfunctions just like the ICV — and may be involved in similar symptoms.

• • It’s particularly affected by emotional tension, making it part of the body’s gut-brain connection.

• • Malfunctioning here may trigger mid or lower back pain, especially if toxins build up or energy becomes blocked in that area.

Practitioners often overlook it because it’s not officially listed as a “valve” in anatomy books, but in Systematic Kinesiology, it’s considered an important checkpoint — especially when stress, digestion, and back pain are all in the mix.

 

Aftercare Steps Following ICV/Houston Valve Correction

🥦 Eating & Drinking to Support ICV Recovery

When the ICV isn’t functioning optimally, even foods considered healthy—like raw vegetables, bran, and crunchy snacks—can irritate the bowel and delay healing. For at least two weeks, consider this short-term therapeutic approach to help calm inflammation and support your digestive system:

• • Avoid raw roughage, bran, crisps, muesli, popcorn, and nuts

• • Opt for lightly cooked meals and stewed fruits

• • Steer clear of stimulants like coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks, and highly spiced foods like black pepper or curries

These changes aren’t permanent—they’re simply a reset designed to give your gut the space it needs to rebalance and heal.

Drink plenty of water between meals—aim for 8 glasses a day. Water is beautifully simple: it cleanses, hydrates, and doesn’t burden your digestive system.

Try to drink water up until 15 minutes before meals, and wait at least 30–60 minutes after eating before drinking again. This gives your digestive enzymes time to do their job without being diluted. Enzymes need a certain concentration to break down food effectively—so keeping hydration separate from mealtimes helps support smoother, more efficient digestion

🌿 Supplements & Helpful Nutrition

• • Stick with the supplements recommended during your kinesiology session—they were chosen for your body’s specific needs.

• • Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates, which can upset your gut’s delicate acid-alkali balance.

• • Eat live, organic, unsweetened yoghurt—especially goats’ yoghurt—for beneficial flora.

• • Add chlorophyll to 2–3 glasses of water daily or enjoy lightly steamed leafy greens to naturally cleanse the bowel and blood.

🌬️ Mindful Eating & Movement

The way you eat is just as important as what you eat:

• • Eat in a calm environment, avoiding stress or rushing.

• • Chew thoroughly to aid digestion.

• • Gentle, regular exercise—like walking, rebounding, yoga, or swimming—can help restore bowel tone, especially once you’re feeling better.

🚫 Other Considerations

• • Skip colonics and enemas while your ICV is healing—they can disturb the delicate balance we’re working to restore.

• • Avoid foods you know you’re sensitive to, including common allergens like wheat, milk, sugar, and table salt. The good news? As digestion improves and the valve stabilizes, many sensitivities lessen over time.

Treating the ICV gently can make a noticeable difference in how you feel day to day. These aren’t forever changes—they’re a temporary but important step in your healing process.