Having good gut health is more important than most people realise. This is because your gut and brain are very closely connected by a communication system that is referred to as the ‘gut-brain axis’. The two organs are both physically and biochemically linked. Ever felt funny in your stomach when you have been angry, anxious, sad or excited? Such feelings and emotions can trigger symptoms in the gut. What is not so commonly known is that the connection goes both ways.
Studies have shown that stomach or intestinal distress caused by poor gut health can in fact cause symptoms like anxiety, stress and depression through the gut-brain connection. By improving your gut health, you can improve your brain health.
How are the gut and brain linked?
Our nervous system is divided into two parts – the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CAS consists of the brain and the spinal cord. A key part of the PNS is the Autonomic nervous system (ANS) – which controls our involuntary body actions. The Enteric nervous system (ENS) is one of three parts of the ANS and is the nervous system of our gut. Your gut contains more than 500 million neurons, which take in information about the status and health of your gut.
This information is then relayed back to your brain through nerves in your nervous system, as part of the two-way gut-brain connection.
How bad gut health can affect your mental health
A healthy gut it central to not only enjoying good overall health but also good mental health.
Within the gut and digestive tract there are about 200 different species of bacteria, viruses and fungi known as ‘gut microbiome’. When an imbalance of normal gut microbiome occurs or your gut microbiome loses its diversity of bacteria, it can lead to a whole host of unwanted problems – including mental health issues. Because of the gut-brain connection, poor gut health has been strongly linked to anxiety, stress and depression. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in Australia, with about 3 million Australians currently living with anxiety.
Many doctors are increasingly prescribing anxiety medications, but these often have a long list of other potential side effects. Improving your gut health could be a more effective, safer and natural way of alleviating your anxiety issues – and the same goes for minimising stress or managing depression. Better gut health could also reduce your risk of a range of other chronic health issues including obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
How can gut health be improved through functional medicine?
The first step to improving your gut health is by understanding the issues at hand. A state-of-the-art gut microbiome test can be taken to better diagnose and understand your gut flora. From there, a functional medicine specialist can develop a treatment plan to improve your gut health. Lifestyle change – like getting more exercise – have been shown to improve gut health, along with eating more of some certain types of foods and less of others. Taking prebiotics and other supplements can also assist the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut.
Functional medicine specialist in Melbourne for gut health
A leading functional medicine practitioner in Melbourne, Luke Clarke has helped many patients improve their gut health and consequently their mental health over his decades of practice.
Luke can arrange a gut microbiome test for you, before developing a personalised treatment plan to improve your gut health.
For a free 10 minute consultation, contact Luke today by calling 03 8820 0010.