A great gut is key to health and happiness. But the gut is not as strong as we think it might be. The gut is capable of radically changing its state from within. Consequently, a person can experience changes in his or her behaviour and emotions.
We grow up fearing our parents, teachers or even animals such as reptiles or creepy-crawly insects. Experiencing fear is a part of an automated response of humans, which protects us from dangerous situations. Although we become skilled at assessing perilous situations and devise reactions accordingly, we can overfeed fear and make it our biggest obstacle in achieving goals. Such behaviour patterns are seen in patients of anxiety and depression.
Research quoted by Psychology Today verified the changes in the microbiome (the viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites living within us) can result in an impaired ability to extinguish fear. Nearly 30 trillion microorganisms are living in or on each person. The lower gut contains 99 per cent of all the microorganisms in the body.
Researchers from Weill Cornell experimented on mice to see the ability of the brain to cope successfully with potentially threatening stimuli in the stomach. Two groups of mice were taken. One group had been treated with antibiotics. The other group was raised entirely free of germs. The ability to extinguish fear was compared in both groups of mice. The difference suggested that signals from the microbiome were necessary for optimal extinction of conditioned fear responses.
The gut-brain nexus has recently motivated research. A landmark research led by John Cryan and Ted Dinan at University College, Cork, established the gut-brain connection. Dinan coined the term “psychobiotic” for bacteria, which affects the brain and mood.
They found that secretions of the bacteria vary.
Some produce short-chain fatty acids, which can make it to the brain, where they affect brain growth and function.
Serotonin, the happy chemical in our body, is produced in the gut.
Research quoted by Psychology Today verified the changes in the microbiome (the viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites living within us) can result in an impaired ability to extinguish fear
Anything like antibiotics will disturb the gut lining and affect our mood. A UCLA study revealed that women who took fermented dairy, like yoghurt had calmer brains during emotional tasks in just four weeks. However, the women who were made to take no yoghurt diet showed hyperactivity in the brain during emotional tasks.
The sages who unfolded the wisdom of Ayurveda believed that the key to balanced emotion is the healthy gut. The imbalance is caused by poor diet and weak digestion. This increases the Vata or air and space elements in the body and “ama,” a toxic accumulation, which leads to multiple diseases. Ayurveda also stresses on the elimination function. Poor gut will disturb the intrinsic balance and lead to irritable bowel syndrome.
Research in both western and eastern sciences has shown that probiotics are a superfood for the microbiome, such as yoghurt or pickles. Another product is psyllium, which helps bind the water and waste in the lower gut. According to the Ayurvedic principles, each meal should contain a balance of the six major flavours (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent). Interesting research on “Gut Bacterial Diversity Using Thali Diet,” published in Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, showed that it promoted the consumption of many classes of phytochemicals (the antioxidants protecting human cells from free radicals and reducing our risk of cancer).
Our stomach communicates back to the brain via the vagus nerve. Our gut is also called the eccentric nervous system. PTSD can be helped if the vagus nerve is stimulated. Vagus nerve stimulation is already used today to treat epilepsy and, in some cases, depression. In an article by Lisa Sarasohn about the centre of the body being the centre of consciousness, she states, “The abdominal region is blood-rich and therefore iron-rich as well. Heating or tapping iron…easily magnetise the material. Certain traditions of movement and dance compress and heat the body’s iron-rich centre, thus, making the body’s centre all the more magnetically active and sensitive to the flux in electromagnetic fields as we interact with each other and our environment.”
Gut talks to us with sensations such as butterflies for love; giddy sensations for emotional turbulence and nausea for worry, etc.
Know thy emotions and know thy gut.
The writer is a wellness and yoga expert. She can be reached at aliya@aliyaagha.com