Gut-Brain Connection

Have you ever felt nauseous or had intestinal distress when anxious? Perhaps even vomited from it? This is a surprisingly common occurrence in our modern times of high stress and fast pace, and just one of many examples of the connection between our brain and our gut.

There have been several interesting findings done on this topic in recent years. We now know that our gut has a total of about 500 million nerves, and though this is a far cry from the 100 billion that our brain possesses, it still makes this part of our body essentially a second brain. As such, one of the biggest roles it plays in the body is how our digestion affects us. For example, our digestive tract releases hormones to communicate, such as when we're hungry or full. Or if we have an exceptionally good meal, it releases dopamine, which is the feel-good hormone. But as we know all too well, this system isn't the fastest, as sometimes we can eat a lot of food before realizing we're full, and not feel too comfortable for a bit. 

However, there is a big nerve that originates in the head, right around the ear, called the Vagus nerve, which goes down to all our organs, including the digestive tract. Nerves run on electricity, making this a much faster way to chat, and it's been discovered that this isn't a one-way street. Not only does our brain send signals down to the organs, but that our second brain can use this pathway to send signals back up to the brain stem.

The final piece is what we call our microbiome; the environment of trillions of bacteria living in our intestines that helps break down food, as well as build up most of our immune system. This changes every time we eat and drink, and can be boosted with prebiotics and probiotics, but a healthy diet is always going to be the best fuel.

But what does this all mean? Well, generally that our brain and digestive tract are constantly talking, and tightly connected. Our mood quite literally affects the way our digestion moves and works. People with depression, perhaps with a low appetite, may have it because of the brain sending signals down; but it's also entirely possible that it's because of the signals going up to the brain from our gut. This is also true for anxiety, stress, and nervousness. 

Acupuncture points exist all over the body, for so many conditions. With this system of medicine, we can stimulate areas for either the brain, gut, or even the connection between the two, to help bring someone back into balance, whether that's for their heartburn, panic attacks, constipation, or many other symptoms.

Written by Mike Arasevi