The Brain in Your Gut

You live your life through your nervous system. Every sound, sight and touch is filtered through your brain so you can make sense of the world. Your perceptions – filtered through your nervous system – are your reality. We hear a lot of talk about your central nervous system – your brain and your spinal cord. But think about the last time you felt sick to your stomach because you were nervous, scared or anxious. This is evidence of a whole other division of your nervous system at work, called your enteric nervous system, which is intrinsic to your gastrointestinal tract. Research is now bringing to light the critical role this system plays in pretty much every aspect of our health and well-being.

Just as we have nerve cells in our brain and spinal cord, we have nerve cells in our intestinal lining as well. In fact, the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system were created from the same tissue during fetal development and they remain connected through the vagus nerve. There are actually over 100 million neurons that line the intestinal walls, which have led scientists to label the totality of them as “the second brain”. Not only is this second brain regulating muscles, immune cells, and hormones, but it is manufacturing 80-90% of the serotonin in our bodies, which is our “master happiness molecule”.

The connection between your gut and your brain is bidirectional. Just as your brain is telling your gut how quickly to digest the food or when to secrete acid in the stomach, the neurons in your gut are also communicating to your brain about the environment they are encountering. When your body is faced with a substance or an ingredient it doesn’t like, it will experience an immune response. Chronic immune activation and resulting inflammation from these stresses can lead to chronic disease, including brain diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis.

We cannot talk about the brain in your gut without mentioning the role of the complex internal ecosystem that exists inside of us, called the microbiome. It turns out that your microbiome is just as vital to your health as your heart, lungs, liver and brain. It is responsible for multiple tasks, such as aiding in digestion and absorption of nutrients, acting as a detoxification machine, and producing important enzymes, vitamins and neurotransmitters. Perhaps the largest role the microbiome plays is in your immune response. Your gut represents 70-80% of the body’s total immune system. This supports what we have known for a long time: your food choices have a tremendous impact on the state of your microbiome and, therefore, the state of your health.

So what can you do to improve the health of your gut?

1) Choose foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, tempeh, sauerkraut or pickles

2) Avoid sugar, embrace high-quality fat

3) Enjoy wine, tea, coffee, and chocolate

4) Choose foods rich in prebiotics, such as raw garlic, raw leek, raw or cooked onion, raw asparagus

When looking at our health, it is important take a holistic approach. We know our body parts don’t work in isolation. All parts of our nervous system work together to determine how well we function. Taking care of yourself through proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and regular chiropractic care is fundamental to living a healthy life.

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Blog by Guest Author:

Dr. Lesley EvansDr. Lesley Evans is a chiropractor in Kitchener, Ontario. She is the co-owner of Bruce Street Family Chiropractic, alongside Dr. Adam Brookes. She graduated from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, located in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Lesley is passionate about helping others live the best quality of life that they can through chiropractic care and lifestyle choices.

Website: www.brucestreetfamilychiropractic.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brucestreetfamilychiropractic 

phone: 519 743 6339 

References:

1) Perlmutter, David (2015). Brain Maker. Little, Brown and Company.

2) Round, June & Mazmanian, Sarkis (2009). The gut microbiome shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nat Rev Immunology (May 9 (5): 313-323.

Have you ever been angry at your kids for ’swooshing’?

Coconut Oil Pulling

What if you discovered swooshing could keep cavities and plaque away, clean out bacterial infections, as well as reduce fungal overgrowth too….and may even improve their memory, and overall health… ?

Would you let them swoosh now?

“What is swooshing? “ you ask?

Swooshing is my daughter’s word for ‘oil pulling’. Oil what? Do you remember frothing soda pop, chocolate milk, or kool-aid through your teeth as a kid, or continually playing at running water thru your teeth after brushing them as a kid? I would get in trouble for playing with my food or dawdling at the morning bathroom sink. But children instinctively do what is healthy for them, whether we know it or not.

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils (I use a teaspoon of coconut oil) as an agent for pulling harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth, teeth, gums and even throat and sinuses.

The most effective oil pulling is done by swishing the oil around the mouth for approximately 10-15 minutes and then spitting it out into the garbage or toilet. (Coconut oil will plug your sink drains). Do NOT swallow the oil you have been “swooshing!”

The oil mixes with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid. Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva. As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins, and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white. Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed. Then brush your teeth and tongue with your favourite natural minty toothpaste.

You will probably have to build your jaw muscles up to 5 minutes, then increase to 10, until you can manage 15 minutes as you walk around the house styling your hair, making coffee etc. This makes for a quiet morning… it also makes the pain receptors in your jaw (12,000 of them) recalibrate and go from snail mail communication in your body to zipline! Pain in the body is reduced and body starts the healing process!

My dental hygienist can’t believe the healthy condition of my family’s mouths. Swooshing removes cavities, plaque and scale over time…reduces candida infections and thrush too.

 Other possible benefits of oil pulling for oral health include:

• Overall strengthening of the teeth and gums and jaws
• Prevention of diseases of the gums and mouth, such as cavities and gingivitis
• Prevention for bad breath
• Potential holistic remedy for bleeding gums
• Prevention of dryness of the lips, mouth and throat
• Possible holistic treatment for TMJ and general soreness in the jaw area
• Migraine headache relief, accelerates healing from concussions
• Correcting hormone imbalances
• Reducing inflammation of arthritis
• May help with gastro-enteritis
• Aids in the reduction of eczema
• May reduce symptoms of bronchitis
• Helps support normal kidney function
• May help reduce sinus congestion
• Some people report improved vision
• Helps reduce insomnia
• Reduced hangover after alcohol consumption
• Aids in reducing pain
• Reduces the symptoms of allergies
• Helps detoxify the body of harmful metals and organisms

So maybe we should rethink yelling at our kids and and join them as we all play with swooshing

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Blog by Guest Author:

01Jessy headshotJessy Morrison

Jessy Morison  has tremendous success in helping those to whom doctors have given no hope of recovery at all to Reclaim their Life, Refresh their Mind, Reclaim their Body, and Renew their Spirit.
A Reiki Master Teacher, BodyTalk & EFT Practitioner, Soul Genesis Facilitator, Founding Member of the Ontario BodyTalk Assoc., and Founding Member of The Whole Life Learning Collective, and Transformational Tuesdays, Jessy is also a  contributing author to “The Joy of an Ex”, Women With Vision Magazine, and Another View Magazine.

You can contact her at
[email protected]
705-241-8680
www.jessymorrison.ca