Brain-Gut Connection: Why Digestion Affects Emotions

Abdominal Acupuncture for Digestion

You might be asking yourself, what do my intestines, quality of bowel movements, and bacteria have to do with my mental health and happiness? So, so much my friend. The health of your gut directly affects your mental state. Ever have a time where you binged on cookies, pizza, beer, and potato chips? How did you feel afterwards? I can bet you weren't filled with mental clarity, happiness, and peace (well... maybe during said binge, but probably not a few hours later)!

To understand this gut-brain connection a little more, think about this scenario: you get the most dreaded email of all time from your boss: "My office, ASAP!" If your stomach flipped like you were on a roller coaster, you almost puked, or you ran to the bathroom with a case of "nervous tummy," you felt the brain-gut connection at it's finest! All of these sensations are caused by pathways between the brain and the gut. What is "gut" anyway, you may ask? Your gut is comprise of your stomach, large and small intestines, gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. These organs are involved in digestion and are run by the parasympathetic nervous system, which functions as your "rest and digest" center. To achieve these not-so-insignificant goals of breaking down all your food, your gut is controlled by the brain through the vagus nerve and chemically by use of hormones. When you feel those sensations in your stomach or intestines caused by stress, anxiety, or panic, that's your brain communicating with your gut!

But how does your gut communicate back to the brain? One way is through hormones. Your gut produces 90% of the serotonin in your body. Serotonin is your "happy" hormone. It's responsible for your chill, relaxy, joyful vibes and often people with depression or anxiety have issues absorbing or creating serotonin. Your gut creates that serotonin and then sends it to the brain via your blood. But when your gut isn't in tip-top shape, this pathway is interrupted. So many of us have a dysfunctional gut due to an imbalance in our gut bacteria.

When your gut is given processed foods high in sugar, yeast, and gluten, the "bad" bacteria thrive. They're growing rapidly, colonizing your intestines, taking up space and resources that should be used by your "good" bacteria. In Chinese medicine, we also believe cold and raw food can cause your gut to not function at it's proper level. This can lead to situations like systemic yeast infections or leaky gut. We all have yeast in our systems but a yeast overgrowth occurs when the delicate balance of your gut is overthrown by carbohydrate-chomping yeast. Having symptoms like foggy-headedness, fatigue, joint pain, oral thrush, chronic vaginal yeast infections or UTIs, constipation or diarrhea, bloating, skin issues, allergies, and sugar cravings all point to a systemic yeast overgrowth. In addition, taking courses of antibiotics can kill off your good bacteria leading to yeast overgrowth and more serious issues (like C-diff, ahh!).

You can also develop leaky gut, and no, it's not that your intestines fall out of your body. Leaky gut means your intestines are leaking undigested food particles, bad bacteria, yeast, and toxins into the rest of the body, and you're not able to absorb nutrients that you need. This sets off an inflammatory response that can have you feeling tired, with joint pain and hormone imbalance issues. This can alter your mood as well since your feel-good hormones are being affected.

When digestive issues and mood imbalances go hand in hand, it's hard to say which one is the culprit. We're feeling bad, so we're eating bad, and then feeling bad again because of how we ate, so we might as well eat bad again, because hey who cares, we feel bad! By not taking care of your body with healthy foods, your mental state will decline, and when you're dealing with anxiety or depression the quality of food you're consuming isn't always the first thing on your mind. It's a tricky battle to fight! But I recommend a 1-2(-3) punch to your brain and gut. In a nice way, like a love punch.

1. Meditation. Start with the brain first. It's easier to follow step 2 if you're coming from a good place mentally. I recommend daily meditation, morning and night if you can. It can help you with anxiety, depression, apathy, fear, or any emotion that doesn't have you feeling your best. Apps like Calm or Headspace are really life savers if you're a first-timer. You can also search Youtube for meditations. I enjoy guided imagery meditation if I feel like I can't turn my brain off. Who wouldn't want to spend 30 minutes a day pretending you're walking through a crystal forest with your hedgehog spirit guide while floating on a lily pad searching for treasure? You'd have to be crazy.

2. Diet. Yup, sorry, I know. This one is so hard for people! It takes time for the balance in bacteria to change so it can be frustrating to not see immediate results with this. But I promise, every donut you give up and every milk shake you don't drink is helping reduce the bad bacteria and increase the good ones. First and most necessary is cutting out refined sugars and carbs. The bad stuff absolutely loves this. Stick to a whole foods based diet, with less processed or prepackaged foods. Add in lots of leafy greens (cooked please!) and warming soups or bone broth.

3. Acupuncture. You may or may not already know this but acupuncture is a powerful tool for supporting healthy digestion by regulating the nervous system and improving gut function. It can help relieve bloating, acid reflux, constipation, and other common digestive issues by promoting better circulation and reducing inflammation. By calming the body's stress response, acupuncture supports the gut-brain connection and encourages smooth, efficient digestion. Whether you're dealing with chronic digestive concerns or just want to feel more balanced, acupuncture offers a natural, holistic approach.

Well, how do you know if your gut is out of whack? First find out if you're suffering from an imbalance by taking test like this one. Also check in with how your body is feeling. Do any of the symptoms I talked about above resonate with you? An acupuncturist or functional medicine doctor would be able to assess your symptoms as well to see if you might have a gut imbalance. If you find out you do have a yeast overgrowth, you can add supplements into your diet that will help shuck out the nasty bacteria and put more good bacteria back in there.

* Probiotics. I have most my patients on these even if they haven't been diagnosed with a gut imbalance. It's so crucial to repopulate your gut with good bacteria. Probiotics are easy to take, gentle, and effective. They can help if you're having constipation or diarrhea too. Brands I like are Renew Life and Jarrow (they even have a formula specifically for mood) and make sure you are getting at least 10 billion units.

*Cod Liver Oil. This is another great yeast buster. You can take this in pill form to avoid a fishy taste. This oil helps reduce inflammation in your gut and will also help if you're suffering from joint pain or skin issues associated with yeast. It has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and can boost your immune system as well.

*Oil of Oregano. This is an all-time favorite of mine for any type of bacterial or fungal infection. It can halt yeast production in your gut and has been shown to completely eliminate systemic candida! You can even use it topically for things like ring worm. Added bonus, you get to smell like a pizza!

Now with your gut healed, you can get your groove back, feeling mentally clear, happier, and less anxious. Any more questions about how your gut health and brain health are related? Leave a comment below!