I’ve been seeing an increase in gut health issues, especially in younger women. This is also the group of patients in which I’ve been seeing an epidemic of anxiety and depression. I don’t think it’s a coincidence! But which came first?
The gut, which starts in the mouth, is called our “second brain” for a reason. It’s highly connected to our actual brain. When you think about biting into a lemon your mouth waters. When you smell something good you start to get hungry. This happens automatically, all the time, keeping our digestive system working in concert with our behaviors.
The gut is also very sensitive to stress. “Irritable bowel syndrome” is simply a term that reflects the undeniable influence of emotional and physiological stressors on gut health. The part of the nervous system that controls your digestive system is operating in the background, and when working correctly, keeps you nourished without you having to consciously think about any of it. But, throw a wrench into things, and you go from never thinking about it to constantly thinking about it, because gut health affects everything.
There’s a very long nerve called the vagus nerve that connects the brain to the gut. It controls the organs of the digestive system, turning on appetite and digestion when things are calm and the body can afford to devote energy and resources to it. When we are under stress, this process is less important, and our body will shut it down in order to divert energy to dealing with whatever stressful situation is at hand.
What happens when stress becomes severe or chronic? Digestion becomes less efficient, setting us up for nutrient deficiencies, microbiome imbalances, and food sensitivities.
You see, stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), causing an increase in production of cortisol and other stress hormones. This essentially shuts down digestion by reducing stomach acid and digestive enzyme secretion and reducing blood flow to the intestines. As a consequence, fat and protein aren’t fully broken down, which means a lot of it just passes through without getting absorbed, reducing the amount of amino acids and essential fatty acids our bodies have to work with to create things like neurotransmitters and hormones.
This inefficient digestion also feeds bacterial and fungal overgrowth in the upper bowel, creating a lot of gas and inflammation, resulting in discomfort as well as further impairing absorption of vitamins and minerals. Inflammation also damages the lining of the bowel, which causes immune system dysfunction, creating food sensitivities and possibly fostering the development of autoimmune diseases. At its worst, this gut inflammation can become widespread, and trigger systemic inflammation in the body and brain. This can result in anxiety and depression, increasing the perception of stress, and reducing our ability to cope with the stress of normal daily life. See how we just came full circle, and how this can become a vicious cycle?
We are all aware of the common stressors like a new job, divorce, moving, or a sick family member, but what about the ones that aren’t so obvious?
- Undereating/undernutrition
- Blood sugar swings
- Overtraining in the gym
- Lack of quality sleep
- Hormone deficiency
- Overcommitment
- Hidden infections (viral, parasitic, chronic bacterial)
- Toxins (mold, heavy metals)
Healing starts by acknowledging that it’s not normal to have “IBS” and it’s not all in your head! It’s not something that can be treated with a pill, whether that be an antidepressant or a smooth muscle relaxant. These can help in the short term, however.
By the time most patients find their way to me, the situation has become so multi-layered that it’s almost impossible to fix it without doing a deep dive into lifestyle, performing specialty testing to identify the specific issues, and formulating a well-constructed plan to fix them. That’s what our Optimal Gut Reset Program is all about.
If this sounds like something you’d like to know more about, please reach out! We’d be happy to schedule a pre-consultation call to determine if this program is right for you.
– Dr. Katherine Birchenough