The Belly Rules the Mind
A Guide for Mental Health
For some of us, life would be easier if we did not have to eat or drink anything — we’ve developed a pathological relationship with food. It’s sad but true. For some of us, it doesn’t feel safe to eat because of the repercussions. And for others, it may just be flatulence and an upset tummy — though what happens behind the veil has far larger repercussions on our mental health.
Often your digestive dysfunction is your body trying to tell you something; food sensitivities, microbial imbalance, a lack of digestive enzymes, or negative cross-talk between your nervous system and your gut.
Let me clarify what I mean when I say “the gut”.
- The gut is the largest membrane in the whole body — starting at the sinuses, down the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum.
- It spans two tennis courts and is only one cell layer thick — that’s half the width of a human hair.
- This membrane is a semi-permeable barrier that absorbs the things we consume from the outside world.
- It is home to 90% of all cells and genetic material.
- It is the location for 75% of our entire immune system.
Maybe you’ve heard of “leaky gut”, which is what happens when this lining becomes compromised by allowing particles into our bloodstream with the possibility of reaching our brain (especially if we have a compromised blood-brain barrier from toxins, concussions, recreational drugs, etc).
That’s why symptoms of the leaky gut manifest a range of symptoms, such as food sensitivities, brain fog mood disorders, autoimmune conditions, the list goes on. The gut is the gateway to health, and in many ways also the root of all disease — indeed, it is a double-edged sword.
Listen To Your Tummy
Whatever it may be, the interaction between your gastrointestinal tract and your brain is a bidirectional link and research is accumulating evidence that anxiety and depressive-like behaviors are tied to your digestion. That ‘gut feeling’ we get, or the butterflies, or that feeling of your stomach in knots are all signs of our gut-brain connection.
Approximately 95% of Serotonin is produced by the gut to regulate secretions, motility, and pain perception whereas in the Brain it is implicated in regulating mood and cognition. Your microbiome can alter these neurotransmitter levels and more, including the synthesis of GABA which is a calming brain chemical — this is important if you struggle with anxiety.
Physical and Mental Stressors can affect gut homeostasis and result in digestive dysfunction. This is a well-established research and I think all of us can relate.
- A night of no sleep
- A traumatic injury
- An overwhelming amount of stress
All of those can antagonize your bowel movements.
It reminds me of long journeys, camping trips, or frequent flights…once you come home, your bowels feel right at home and your schedule slowly adapts itself back into its established pattern.
Studies show that the gut microbiota is central to the development and maturation of the human central nervous system and enteric (digestive) nervous system in early postnatal weeks. During birth, a newborn is first exposed to their mother’s vaginal microbiota.
It’s like a microbial signature stamp that is central to the development and maturation of the human nervous system. Your immune system is like a little toddler making its first friend at the playground…or more like a billion microbial friends.
So while something like walking out of the doctor’s office with a prescription for antibiotics may be necessary and seem insignificant — there are consequences. It takes a long time for this microbiome signature of yours to re-establish.
That’s months in the making.
We are only now slowly unraveling the mysteries of how the microbiota signals to the brain. It’s also interesting to note that depression and anxiety are commonly seen in individuals suffering from IBS. It becomes a vicious cycle of cat and mouse, or maybe chicken and the egg? What comes first? The stress, or the gut dysfunction?
Let Food Be Thy Medicine
Addressing our diet is known to be one of the most important factors that influence gut microbiota — this goes all the way to if you are n omnivore, vegetarian, high fat, low fat, etc. They all have an impact on the composition of bacteria throughout your entire digestive tract.
The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.
- Ann Wigmore
Food shall be our medicine. We start with a sound diet of whole, living foods.
- Reduce refined carbohydrates, processed starches, simple sugars & alcohol.
- Eliminate hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids, ie. margarine, shortening, and lard.
- Reduce intake of omega 6 plant oils, especially corn oil & corn-silage-fed animal foods.
- Increase omega 3 oils from nuts, seeds, fish, and grass-fed animals.
- Consume fiber-rich foods and lignans as they are a beneficial source of fodder for your microbiome.
However, the case for many of us is that we already have an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast. In that case, it is important to address the imbalance and it may be prudent to implement an eradication to set the stage for repopulating that signature microbiome stamp of yours — let alone heal the mucosal membrane that lines your gut.
Lastly, and the most elusive course of action is to manage our stress but that’s a whole different can of worms set aside for another article.
Bon Appetit!
