“All disease begins in the gut.” — Hippocrates
When I was about 25 years of age I started having some GI problems. It started occasionally and then became more and more consistent. Ok, it is a topic most people don’t like to talk about. Diarrhea! Yup. I said it. Now it is out. Everybody now knows about my little problem. After going to multiple doctors and specialists and trying a variety of medications that didn’t work or made matters worse I started to do my own research. 17 years later I now live a normal life. Well at least my bowel habit is normal(ahem).
Our Second Brain
Do you think our stomach is strictly for processing the food we eat? Think again. Our gut has been called the second brain by some scientists. Our “gut”, also called our alimentary or digestive system goes from our mouth to our anus and is approximately 30 feet long.
It is called the second brain due to the similarities to our “1st brain”. The gut is imbedded with sheaths of neurons and a lot of them. About 100 million which is more than either the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system according to Michael Gershon who is an expert in the field of neurogastroenterology and the author of the 1998 book, “The Second Brain”. This system known as the “enteric nervous system” sends and receives messages, and responds to emotions just like the brain. So although the gut cannot think deeply or intellectually it can affect the entire physiology of the body just as our brain can. The brain can affect our gut and our gut can affect our brain.
What are some of the problems that might be caused by poor gut health?
- High cholesterol
- Osteoporosis
- Depression
- Chronic anemia
- Menstrual complaints
- Hormonal problems
- PMS
- Breast enlargement in men
- Prostate issues
- Candida infection
- Chronic vaginal infections
- Anemia
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Vitamin B deficiencies
- Neurological problems