‍

The bacteria in our gut are present to help us digest food, produce vitamins, produce healing compounds, regulate our hormones, and excrete toxins. Paying attention to our gut and fixing any dysbiosis and bacterial imbalance is vital for our overall health. If our gut is imbalanced and inflamed, so will our brain due to this direct connection.



Neurotransmitters are the little chemicals that send signals between your gut and your brain. An imbalance or deficiency in the production of neurotransmitters due to a damaged microbiome play a direct role in autism, depression, anxiety, Alzheimers, and many other disorders. 

Our gut bacteria produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and GABA playing a key role in mood, motivation, and overall energy. 

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that gives us our motivation. It makes us excited to do thing, to start and finish tasks, and it raises our physical activity. Serotonin gives us joy, excitement, and generally helps us feel happy with a sense of well being. 90% of serotonin is produced in our gut. Low levels of this neurotransmitter will give us feelings such as being low, blah, feeling no excitement or joy in life. Acetylcholine is our memory neurotransmitter. GABA is our calming and inhibitory neurotransmitters. If we have an imbalance then we will feel a great deal of anxiety with a restless mind. Damage or depletion of any of these neurotransmitters due to poor nutrition, chronic stress, lack of exercise, lack of sleep will significantly alter the course of your life.


‍

‍

‍

Nutrition

‍

The first and one of the most important steps toward fixing your gut is to start with your nutrition. Eat whole organic fruits and vegetables of all colors, grass fed meats, wild caught fish, and plenty of healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, grass fed butter, avocados, and extra extra virgin olive oil. Free yourself from processed grains and sugars, caffeine, alcohol, and damaging fats such as seed and vegetable oils. Remove foods such as dairy, soy, corn, and gluten for a while to reduce inflammation in the gut.  And address any nutritional deficiencies such as magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D.

‍

Movement

‍

The second step to consider is movement.  Recent studies have shown that exercise can enhance the number of beneficial bacteria and enhance the diversity of bacteria in our microbiome.  There still needs to be more studies done to understand the exact connection, however one of the leading theories regarding exercise and it’s influence on the microbiome is that it boosts the levels of gut microbes that produce the short chain fatty acid butyrate.  Butyrate has a whole host of health benefits, from producing satiety hormones that curb hunger to playing a role in supporting the survival of existing neurons and promoting the growth of new ones.

‍

‍

Stress

‍

The third step is controlling stress with some form of meditation and relaxation practices.  Psychological stress triggers your sympathetic fight-flight response.  This causes certain chemicals called corticotropin-releasing hormone and catecholamine to be released in various parts of the body, which ultimately disturbs the microbiota.  During stress, an altered gut microbial population will affect the regulation of neurotransmitters mediated by the microbiome and our gut barrier function.  When we place our bodies in a restful calm state, a healthy microbiota will produce short-chain fatty acids that exert anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects. Meditation and relaxation practices helps regulate this stress response, thereby suppressing chronic inflammation states and maintaining a healthy gut-barrier function.

‍

‍

Sleep

‍


The fourth step I want to discuss is sleep and how the gut brain connection will affect our sleep-wake cycle.  Sleep is when our bodies are repairing and regenerating.  It is another crucial aspect of healing and improving our overall health.  Our gut bacteria have a direct influence on our sleeping patterns.  They are responsible for producing chemical messengers such as serotonin.  Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin which is the main hormone involved in sleep, and crucial to your sleep-wake cycle.  Supporting your microbiome and making sure the body is producing adequate amounts of important neurotransmitters such as serotonin is so important in overall healing and improved quality of life.

‍

‍

‍

Conclusion

The amount of ongoing research on the gut-brain axis and the role it plays in human health is having a huge impact in the world of medicine. More studies and research are now showing that it is evident an integrative approach can help enhance the bidirectional communication between our two brains.  Focusing on a healthy microbiome through healthy lifestyle choices can literally change your quality of life.   Start by altering these four aspects of your lifestyle and you will see massive changes in your microbiome and thus your overall health and happiness.

‍

‍

‍

‍