Do you ever get a gut feeling about something? I was curious to learn that our intestine as well as the health of our intestine plays a massive part in how we feel. Almost as much, maybe even as much, as our minds do. We spend our time working our mind and the rest of our body to enhance our emotions, however we might be ignoring half of the cause of problems.
Let’s see…
Isn’t it exciting to think that we can actually feel happier and emotionally stronger, even improve our immune system and general wellness, just by taking care of our gut? If you’re feeling down, anxious, depressed, or simply want a massive old increase of happiness-inducing dopamine, it turns out that your gut probably has a enormous influence over everything. You’ve probably heard of our friends the’good bacteria’ fighting it out from the’bad bacteria’ in our digestive tract – our next mind.
Well, the condition of these micro structures and just how well the good bacteria do determines a whole slew of health-related factors. For instance, very good germs determines how well the poisonous by-products of your digestion are neutralized and if harmful pathogenic germs or other compounds are prevented or permitted to grow. And it determines how much hormone production there’s and a number of different things which influence the health of your immune system.
Did you know?
You’ve got two nervous systems also. That’s right. You’ve got two nervous systems – one is the central nervous system most of us know and love, which is on your brain and spinal cord. But you also have the’enteric’ nervous system, which can be on your gastrointestinal tract – your gut. Through this entire system your gut and brain are linked as well as the bacteria in your gut sends messages to the brain through the nervous system. These messages influence your mood, and you understand the surprising part? Your gut sends your mind more messages than the other way round. Your gut sends instructions on the best way best to make you feel all day long.
And because we can influence these messages, it is something we should listen to, would not you agree? You’ve got neurons in your gut, which is another reason we call it the next mind. And these neurons produce hormones like serotonin – the main chemical responsible for your feelings of well-being and happiness. We are all aware that, right? But here is another surprise. Serotonin is found in larger amounts in the gut than in the mind.
Final note
So let us influence our primary serotonin-producing surroundings in our gut and make more of it! You might have experienced stomach pains or irritable bowel syndrome through times of great anxiety. There’s clearly a strong relationship between stress and the health of our intestine. There’s a solid line of scientific work suggesting that probiotics may affect levels of proinflammatory cytokines and tryptophan from the gut, which have been implicated in depression. I hear you ask. Well, that is another phase of my investigation. And do not worry, I’ll discuss my findings with you as I move.
