Holistic Wellness: Bridging the Body and Brain ConnectionHolistic Wellness: Bridging the Body and Brain Connection

The Body and Brain Connection

Have you ever had a gut feeling about something of felt nervous in your stomach? Have you noticed how your emotions and thoughts can influence your gut feelings, or vice versa? Studies show an amazing link between our brain and gut. This is also known as the "Brain Gut Axis?. Mental wellness isn't just one thing; its a collection of things that come together in the right way. You are a whole person and the mind and the body are connected.

Our gut is equipped with its own nervous system call the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), it communicates with our brain and has an impact on our overall well-being. Then have the Vagus nerve which comes from the brain and then connects the various organs throughout the body. Imagine having a direct. line of communication from the brain to the rest of the body. This connection from the gut to the vagus nerve helps the gut send important signals about what is going to the brain. The ENS pretty much functions without much direction from the brain.

The vagus nerve has three important functions. It plays a role in helping us feel calm and relaxed when we are content and safe, like enjoyable activities or fun with our family. This is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system also called "rest and digest". Then there is the sympathetic nervous system response where it gears up to face challenges with fight or flight, and freeze.

When you can understand how these different systems work, it's easy to see that our body systems are connected. That means we should look for a holistic approach to foster emotional and physical well-being because they really work together as a unit.

So we know how the gut is communicating with the brain through the vagus nerve, now lets look more at what is going on in the gut.

The gut, often considered the "second brain," is not simply a passive organ responsible for digestion. As we have already discussed, its has its own nervous system called the ENS. Imagine a team of tiny superheroes residing in your gut. Its incredible that the millions of microbes help our gut stay healthy and aid in digestion. These little helpers send messages to the brain through the Gut-Brain-Axis. When we eat healthy foods, the microbes send messages to the brain, and let the brain know that the were given good fuel to nourish the body.

However, if we eating to much junk food, things that we are sensitivities to, or feel stressed; then the message gets sent to the brain that we didn't get the nutrients we need and signals that have a negative affect on our mood and emotions. This also can lead to a disruption in our good bacteria and an increase in the bad bacteria, resulting in more cravings for the foods that are not good for us. This disruption in a gut mircobiota can also lead to intestinal permeability or leaky gut, thinning of our mucosal membrane. This membranes job is to prevent pathogens from entering our body and if its not working properly it increase susceptibility for disease.

The imbalance can also disrupt the chemicals in our brain, called momoamines, which can sometimes lead to increased feelings of sadness or depression.

In addition to this, when we feel stressed or worried, it can affect the walls of our intestines, leading to leaky gut as well. When this happens, it can cause a kind of silent inflammation in our body, which can also affect our mood.

So, it's essential to take care of our whole body, by eating healthy foods and finding ways to manage stress. This can help keep our tiny gut helpers happy, which in turn can help us feel better emotionally. Remember, our tummy and brain are connected, and when we take care of both, we can feel happier and healthier overall!

Resources:

Mayer, E. A., (2018). The Mind-Gut Connection. How the hidden conversations within our bodies impacts our mood, our choices, and our overall health. Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York. 

Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA, Severi C. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Ann Gastroenterol. 2015 Apr-Jun;28(2):203-209. PMID: 25830558; PMCID: PMC4367209.