Did you know that our gut has its own nervous system? Did you know that our central nervous system and the nervous system of our gut (the enteric nervous system) are connected? The health of our gut and how we feel mentally/emotionally is directly connected by what we call the Gut-Brain Axis.
So what happens when this connection is not at 100%?
When our gut microbiome is imbalanced (aka gut dysbiosis), we can be more prone to developing infections, bacterial overgrowth, candida, parasites, or vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Having any of these issues in the gut can disrupt communication to the brain and affect how we feel. Some signs of gut dysbiosis you may be familiar with are bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, tenderness in the abdomen, acid reflux, food intolerances, and belching. All these symptoms are related to your gut, but what if I told you that the mental/emotional symptoms you experience can also be a result of gut dysbiosis? A few symptoms/conditions can be fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, anxiety, inability to focus, depression, mood swings, brain fog, and irritability.
Here is an example of having a poor gut-brain connection. A patient has SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) in the small intestine and is not absorbing nutrients properly. This person can be eating the healthiest diet in the world, but may not be absorbing everything they are eating. B vitamins are able to be obtained through food and are crucial for conversion of neurotransmitters that make serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. If we are not able to produce these neurotransmitters we may feel depressed, anxious, fatigued, worrisome, lack motivation, experience insomnia, or are tired during the day. If our gut is not absorbing B vitamins then we cannot make these neurotransmitters that affect our mood. This is why it is important to focus on the fact that you are what you eat and the health of your gut is very important.
So how we do maintain this healthy gut-brain connection?
The first thing we must do is get to the root cause of what is causing your dysbiosis. Using Applied Kinesiology we can muscle test and figure out if there are any infections, food intolerances, nutrient deficiencies, harmful microbes (fungus, bacteria, parasites), heavy metals, or chemicals present in the gut and can treat them. Treatment varies from patient to patient and may consist of making dietary changes or supplementing with certain herbs/vitamins/minerals that can treat the causes of your gut issues. Treating the gut and making any dietary changes as needed will help to improve the overall health of the gut which will improve your mood and how you feel.
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