I am super excited about this next topic. This topic brings together so many of my passions and my work in my experience and I absolutely love it. I love diving into the research and helping to explain the science and how it affects you in your daily life.
This week we are talking about the gut-brain axis. I feel like it’s becoming more mainstream, so you may have heard of it. The gut-brain axis (GBA) is a bidirectional pathway that exists between your brain and your gut. The GBA is essentially connecting the cognitive and emotional parts of your brain with the intestinal functions of your stomach. It communicates primarily through the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis); the immune system; and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). All of this communication occurs under the larger umbrella of the nervous system. They all talk by sending messages and chemicals (neurotransmitters) along a neural pathway.
The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) or thought of as the automatic nervous system, regulates all of your bodily functions typically without you even thinking about it. Your ANS controls your breathing, heart rate, and digestion. The ANS is also the system responsible for activating your fight or flight response. Do you remember some of my messages back about stress and fight or flight? To recall, this response creates a flood of chemicals in your body. The ANS triggers the response and the HPA sends those chemicals (cortisol and epinephrine) into your body.
Your HPA and ANS also interact heavily with your immune system within this gut-brain axis. When you are exposed to chronic stress, you are constantly flooding your body with these neurochemicals that ultimately weaken your immune system. The stress destroys the healthy microbes that exist in your gut.
Diet and lifestyle are important to create a healthy environment in our gut, brain and immune system. We cannot just focus on a quick fix like popping a pill, but rather we must look at the bigger picture and how it is all interrelated. Processes to a healthier lifestyle consider both diet changes and stress management techniques in order to create a healthy gut, brain and immune system.
If you are ready to make a change, contact me for a free coaching call.