The nervous system is an important part of our body’s ability to perform and function efficiently. The brain is a complex organ with many areas still to be discovered, such as improving conditions related to the brain, and our nervous system. Natural medicine is discovering healthy ways to prevent and recover for both healthier immune, psychological, and cognitive functions.
There are many conditions and disorders that can be improved according to recent clinical studies: depression, stress, anxiety, and autism are all proposed to be at least partly sensitive to alteration of the gut microbiome. Studies have suggested the following conditions are affected by the microbiome; obesity, functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome and inflammatory maladies.
Studies show that depression is associated with reduced gut microbiota productivity and a variety of healthy microbes (MacQueen, Surette & Moayyedi, 2017). Effects of some anxiety behaviours were shown to be assisted and helped via the Vagus nerve (MacQueen, Surette & Moayyedi, 2017).
The ability of gut microbiota to affect the immune system and inflammatory routes is a critical consideration in the circumstances of anxiety and depression, as inflammation has been implicated as a driving factor in depressive maladies. Behaviours symptomatic of sickness comprise lethargy, depression, anxiety, anorexia, social withdrawal, and isolation, and have consistently been correlated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (Deleemans et al., 2019)
Further reading: MacQueen, G., Surette, M., & Moayyedi, P. (2017). The gut microbiota and psychiatric illness. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience: JPN, 42(2), 75–77.
Did you know?
The digestive tract is the most heavily inhabited microbial ecosystem in the human body. The bacteria that make up the bulk of this environment (plus fungi, viruses, and archaea) are important for immune, metabolic, psychological, and cognitive performance. (Deleemans et al., 2019)
Cytokines and pain, pro-inflammatory cytokines are being further explored with the involvement of up-regulation of inflammatory reactions, and pathological processes.
What is a cytokine and where does this come from?
Cyto is Greek for ‘cell’ and kine is Greek for ‘moving’. The cytokines’ role in our body is to signal from cells to other cells, such as immune cells, or where there is trauma, or infections, to promote and increase more cells required to repair or aid in pathological processes. Cytokines are produced as needed on demand.
Further reading: Foster, J. A., & McVey Neufeld, K.-A. (2013). Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 36(5), 305–312.
A recent Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)– funded Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) chronic disease network aims to explore this further. The Inflammation, Microbiome, and Alimentation: Gastrointestinal and Neuropsychiatric effects (IMAGINE) network will assess diet, microbiome, and a host of biological variables in 8000 participants with IBD and/or IBS as well as controls with no GI symptoms or disease.
(MacQueen, G., Surette, M., & Moayyedi, P. 2017. Gaining knowledge of bio-behavioural processes that direct psychological and cognitive dysfunction among survivors will allow for personalised interventions to be developed.
All these disorders have an integral central nervous system constituent. A considerable quantity of people who consume prebiotics or probiotics will do so with the aim of improving symptoms correlated to the brain.
What are your thoughts on your own brain and digestive system?
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A healthy gut and digestive system can bring positive changes improving illnesses that affect the brain, and the brains health, functioning processes, such as depression, anxiety, stress, autism, chronic fatigue, and post-cancer patients.
Positive thought to take away ‘Thriving gut microbiota = smiling minds’.
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References:
Deleemans, J., Chleilat, F., Reimer, R., Henning, J., Baydoun, M., & Piedalue, K. et al. (2019). The chemo-gut study: investigating the long-term effects of chemotherapy on gut microbiota, metabolic, immune, psychological, and cognitive parameters in young adult cancer survivors; study protocol. BMC Cancer, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6473-8
MacQueen, G., Surette, M., & Moayyedi, P. (2017). The gut microbiota and psychiatric illness. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience: JPN, 42(2), 75–77.
Foster, J. A., & McVey Neufeld, K.-A. (2013). Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 36(5), 305–312.