THE SURPRISING IMPACT YOUR GUT HAS ON MENTAL HEALTH

11/10/2021
Category: Blog

We think so much about nutrition when it comes to our physical health, such as how many calories or grams of protein we need to consume to gain this much muscle mass or lose this much fat. With the topic of mental health being talked about more and more, it is important to consider how much our gut plays into the state of our psychological well-being. We know the importance of the mind-muscle connection in weight training, now it is time to examine the mind-gut connection and the role it plays in our overall health. Gut-Brain Axis Even though there is an anatomical distance between our gut and our brain, there does exist a bidirectional connection between these two pieces of our body .This gut?brain axis is a form of communication that includes neural, hormonal and immunological signaling between our brain and our gut which provides our gut bacteria with the ability to access the brain (Collins, Surette, and Bercik, 2012; Cryan and O'mahony, 2011). This bidirectional relationship of the gut-brain axis is known as the gut-brain-connection, where the brain controls gut activity, such as peristalsis (motility), the migrating motor complexes, and immunological and hormonal processes. This gut-brain axis can be disrupted due to antibiotic use, trauma repression, opiate/antidepressant side effects, brain inflammation, aging, or disuse such as eating a poor diet (Tips, 2015). It has been found that changes in gut-brain interactions are related to gastrointestinal disorders, changes in the stress response, overall behavior, and psychiatric disorders (Dinan and Cryan, 2013). Call Sundardas Naturopathic Clinic at 6323 6652 (Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00am to 7:00pm) for an appointment or email: admin@naturaltherapies.com, visit www.sundardasnaturopathy.com