Claire Nielsen: Our gut health directly connected to our mental health

There was a time when mental illness was considered illegal and people diagnosed with it were jailed. With the progression of medical understanding, they were institutionalized in insane asylums and exposed to some horrible (often experimental) treatments. As science has evolved and medicine has specialized, we have learned a great deal about our bodies, brains, individual organs, and various body systems, but historically there has not been much collaboration between specialties. To fully understand health, we must take into account the incredible connection between all organs, systems, the gut and the brain, etc. Today I explore the connection between the brain and the gut.

Many physical problems in the body are related to mental well-being: depression can affect the heart, problems with the adrenal glands can cause panic and severe anxiety, blood infections can cause feelings of insanity… However, when it comes to In mental health, the connection between the brain and the body is often overlooked, especially if the only solutions offered are counseling or medication.

Different parts of the body can drastically affect each other, as is evident in the connection between the brain and the gut. The brain and the gastrointestinal system are physically connected by the wandering Vagus Nerve, whose job it is to transport information (chemicals) from one place to another. The enteric nervous system in the gut (often referred to as the second brain) contains between 100 million and 500 million neurons, which is why the gut and brain influence each other so much. Because of this two-way communication, our gut health affects our brain health, and our brain affects our gut, more than we can imagine. An example of this can be experienced during times of intense stress, which can upset your stomach and lead to intestinal problems and IBS symptoms. Stress also changes the balance of the microbiome in the gut, preventing proper nutrient absorption, among other issues.

An individual’s gut biome contains up to 1,000 species of bacteria (both healthy and unhealthy). In a healthy body, the good bacteria generally keep the bad bacteria in check, but if there are other factors at play, such as poor diets, life stressors, or other mental or physical problems that cause changes in gut bacteria, things can go wrong. balance quickly. causing problems for both the gut and mental well-being. Conditions like IBS and IBD are often combined with mood problems.

Several vital brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and Gaba rely on normal, healthy gut bacteria, and many mood disorders and mental health problems are caused (or exacerbated) by an imbalance of these chemicals. Serotonin is an important brain chemical that helps regulate mood and emotions. In depressed and anxious people, serotonin levels are reduced, which is why many people rely on SSRI drugs (antidepressants). What is not commonly known is that 95 percent of the body’s supply of serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal system. The release of the fight or flight response hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) and the stress chemical (cortisol) is also regulated by the gut. When gut bacteria are restored to a healthy balance, normal levels of these mind-altering chemicals are often restored.

Our brain needs a proper balance of gut bacteria to produce the chemicals it needs to be healthy, and our intestines need our brain to be stable and healthy to maintain the proper balance of gut bacteria. If this relationship is emphasized, both the gut and the brain are negatively affected. Mental and digestive disorders are among the most prevalent ailments in humanity today, and since gut and brain health have been shown to depend on each other, we should treat both when either is in trouble.

Eliminating gut-damaging foods (sugars, gluten, alcohol, oxidants, additives, and preservatives (to name a few), eating healthy, and including prebiotics and probiotics in our diet will benefit both the brain and the entire digestive system. According to Dr. Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist and author of “This is Your Brain on Food,” Food is one of the best medicines available for mental health. Prevention through nutrition is optimal, but if the balance between gut health and mental health is out of control there are many foods to include or avoid to help restore balance.

Claire Nielsen is a health coach, author, public speaker, and founder of www.elixirforlife.ca. The information provided in the above article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional health and medical advice. Consult a physician or health care provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment.