Brain in the Gut? Or Pain in the gut?

Did you know that the gut or rather, the digestive system is the reservoir for chronic diseases? In a sense, the condition of the digestive system can really affect the over-all health of an individual.

This is simply due to the fact that the Digestive system is where all the major absorption takes place. If the Digestive system is not in its optimal state, you will not be able to absorb nutrients from your daily diet and even the supplement will be of little use. It is by this principle, that age old adage, “Health begins in the gut”1 holds true. This adage is then taken into another level by two emerging disciples, Psychoneuroimmunology and   Neurogastroenterology. However this idea is considered by mainstream medicine as irrelevant when it comes to the treating chronic diseases.

The Gut also has its co-relation to the brain and vice-versa. This is called the Enteric Nervous system.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is the intrinsic nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. It contains complete reflex circuits that detect the physiological condition of the gastrointestinal tract, integrate information about the state of the gastrointestinal tract, and provide outputs to control gut movement, fluid exchange between the gut and its lumen, and local blood flow (Gershon 2005; Furness 2006) 2.

The ENS, known as the second brain - Brain in the gut, is embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system. The function of Neurons in the Gastrointestinal Tract then controls The Peristaltic Reflex Segmentation, Secretion etc. Thus the processes is actually a two way relationship (gut to brain and brain to gut).

The brain has a direct effect on the stomach. The very thought of eating can release the stomach’s juices before food gets into the mouth. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That’s because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected — so intimately that they should be viewed as one system3.

At Sundardas Naturopathy, we have been treating patients by putting top priority in healing the gut first so that other organ functions can be further improved.

Testings involves the employment of various naturopathic and functional testings to allow the physician to determine the best course of action such as :

1.BICOM allergy test
2.Bio-impedence Test
3.Heart Rate Variability
4.Comprehensive urinalysis

Naturopathic Treatment

Naturopathic methods of treatment have an excellent track record in successfully treating various chronic conditions. One can expect an array of treatments when being treated by our Naturopaths at Sundardas Naturopathic Clinic : 

Diet - Removal of known allergens, elimination diet, counseling on food alternatives and allergies
Immune support - vitamins, minerals and herbs.
Liver, Digestive and gut healing - Enzymes, acidiophilus, supplements and herbs
Stress Reductions - Psychological counseling and stress-relieving programs.
Lifestyle modifications - Chemical and scent free living

Conditions Associated with the gut

1.GERD
2.IBS
3.Dyspepsia
4.Psoriasis
5.Food Intolerance
6.Candidaisis
7.Auto-Immune dysfunction
8.Stress4
9.Indigestion
10.Poor Concentration & Poor Cognitive Function
11.Temper
12.Libido


Reference:

1  First advocated by Hippocrates the Greek Physician and then later on AL-Khawarizim the Arab physician and Mathematician also seen in Chinese TCM literature.

2  M.D. Gershon, Nerves, reflexes, and the enteric nervous system: pathogenesis of the irritable bowel syndrome J. Clin. Gastroenterol., 39 (2005), pp. S184–S193

3    ‘The gut-brain connection’, and ‘The Sensitive Gut’ Prepared by the editors of the Harvard Health Publications in consultation with Lawrence S. Friedman, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Chair, Department of Medicine,Newton-Wellesley Hospital; Assistant Chief of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. 49 pages. (2012).

4  Sapolsky, Robert M. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.Third Edition. Henry Holt and Co. 2004.

Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

Morning sickness can be one of your first signs that you are pregnant.  This doesn’t always mean that you’ll get sick only in the morning. This can happen, morning, noon or night. It will normally occur in the first trimester or your pregnancy and end by the second, this isn’t the case in all pregnancies though. Some women will continue with it until the very end of term. 

Nausea can happen immediately or you may get lucky and have no morning sickness at all. No one is for certain what causes morning sickness, it is a change in the body that happens during pregnancy. Many women seem to get sick after taking the prenatal pill, try taking it later in the day. Your doctor may even advise you to take some other form of vitamin instead of the pill. Always find out first with your doctor before taking anything new or taking yourself off medication, even prenatal pills. 

There are a few ways to minimize the sickness, but they don’t work for everyone. Try keeping crackers on hand, I prefer saltines for some reason. Try drinking some ginger ale, it calms the stomach down.  Dry cereal is another good thing to eat, your stomach may just be a little bit hungry and trying to tell you. Remember to take small portions, this way you know if it is all going to come up or not. Sleeping is another good way to avoid it, however it will wake you up. Keep yourself hydrated, not only can this make your sickness come but you can become dehydrated and need to go to the emergency room if you aren’t careful. 

Smells is another thing that seems to cause morning sickness. Imagine walking into a restaurant and the first thing you smell is grease. Yes, this can easily set it off. Bad smells and even certain tastes, get the feel for your body during the pregnancy and figure out just what sets it off. Knowing how to avoid it, can make a world of difference. 

A few reasons you should go to your doctor would be if you begin losing weight because you are constantly sick. If you become dehydrated, faint, look pale, confused or throw up more than four times in a day. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something that will stop it. 

Try slowing down a bit, sometimes your body is just exhausted from all the errands you are running and it tries to give you a break. Listen to your body, take a nap, relax and watch a television show…take some time off. If you are looking for remedies for your morning sickness, you may try buying some pregnancy pops. Or if you’d prefer to stay away from the sweets you can wear a bracelet designed to stop morning sickness, they are just like the motion sickness bracelets.  They don’t work for everyone but they could work for you.