How are you, really?
Really though, how ARE you? Are you healthy? well rested? feeling hopeful? tired?
Whew! Here we are, already into May. Last month’s newsletter talked about stress and its effects on the body, and this month, we roll straight into Mental Health Awareness month. Same but different? In a way. Important? Absolutely. Your mental health is a Non-Negotiable. It affects Every. Other. Aspect of your health and thereby default; your life. So, we’re sticking with the theme this month. I don’t know about you, but May starts to feel like a way-too-early- re-visit to the holidays. Schedules are suddenly packed and we’re back to rushing around desperately trying to fit more into already packed agendas. We’re back to shopping and cooking and preparing for weddings, showers, end of year school engagements, graduations, summer planning, and if you’ve got a kid in travel sports…we’ll look forward to you resurfacing in 8-12 weeks. In fact, you may (or may not) have noticed that this month’s newsletter is later than usual, because…tis the season.
Like we touched on last month stress can effect your mental and physical health. And your mental health? It’s a two way street. If you are mentally healthy, you are more likely to be physically healthy (that does not mean more likely to be a cover model—that’s not the benchmark). Conversely, if you are physically healthy, you are more likely to be in a good mental health space.
Gut Brain Connection
A functioning enteric nervous system(the nervous system in your gut) is as vital to life as the function of your central nervous system. Though most of us remember enough about biology and anatomy to place the brain at the head of the central nervous system; not many of us remember a lot of discussion about the importance of the enteric nervous system. This system of nerves can operate independently from the central nervous system and they largely orchestrate the function of your digestive system. The two nervous systems have similar structures and neurochemical pathways with which they operate and communicate; therefore, if you have dysfunction in the enteric system (your gut), you will likely suffer neurological and emotional symptoms—-and vice versa. The pathways are interconnected and their health is vital to one another.
EAT BETTER: Happy Gut: Happy Brain
Due to the direct connection between the two; A troubled belly can directly signal the brain and a troubled brain can directly signal the belly. Your belly houses not just your stomach, but also your intestine, which houses the wild, wonderful microbiome—the billions and trillions of bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms that support digestion and serve as an integral influencer for your immune system. With your central nervous system acting as mission command and control, your enteric nervous system (the nervous system in your belly), and it’s microbiome act as mission support. What research is currently showing us, as we really dig down and start studying the individual constituents of the microbiome itself, is that there are certain bacteria (or lack thereof) that can be directly linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety. And do you know what feeds your microbiome? The food that you eat. Which means, that the food that we eat, affects how we feel physically AND mentally. The activities of your gut bacteria directly affect your mood. If they aren’t being fed (or if the wrong type is overfed), this leads to disruption in the production of the neurotransmitters that your brain needs to help regulate your mood, sleep and ability to react to and overcome stress. Simply put, the food that you eat could be making you feel anxious or depressed, and feeling anxious and depressed can affect the way that your body works and impact its ability to fight off illness.
What can you consume to help support your microbiome? Probiotics can restore and maintain your gut health, and many studies are showing that they not only support your immune system, but specifically, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are proving to be beneficial to your mental health. You can find probiotics naturally in fermented foods and dairy, as well as you can subsidize your daily intake with an oral supplement.
Move Better
Believe it or not, exercise affects your gut microbiome. Just as stress accumulates, so do toxins and pathogens from our food, medicines, alcohol and the environment. How do we get rid of these toxins? Through excretion—more specifically through sweating and pooing. Moderate exercise shortens transit time in the digestive tract, thereby, helping you to poo more often (and effectively) decreasing exposure to these waste products. This is how we have come to include regular moderate intensity exercise in our prescription for colon health and colon cancer prevention. What else happens when we exercise? We tend to take deeper breaths. These deeper breaths, help to oxygenate the brain, and they also help massage the vagus nerve. This large nerve runs from the brain down into the abdominal cavity and it regulates crucial body functions such as heart rate, mood, immune response and digestion.
FEEL BETTER
Your mental health and how you feel, plays a large part of, and is essential to your physical health. Depression, anxiety and pain are conscious experiences produced by specific activity in the brain, and these activities can be influenced from the bottom up. Hormones released in the gut are able to influence stress and mood pathways in the brain. That means that if your gut is in disarray, your mood is likely to follow and vice versa. We have to support our immune system and our gut through healthy habits such as good diet and exercise, but we also need to practice mindfulness and healthy relationships with first and foremost, ourselves. If you aren’t looking after yourself, you can’t effectively attend to your other obligations or people you love—and let’s be real. Self care is hard. We talk about it, we all nod vigorously in agreement that it’s necessary, however, actually following through can be hard. Self care is not pampering. Taking responsibility to care for the body that belongs to you is not indulgent. The psychological stress of feeling unhappy can increase inflammation in your belly, thereby damaging the protective mucosal layer and allowing for bacterial overgrowth and structural damage (think ulcers) as well as lead to increased permeability of the gut lining (otherwise known as leaky gut). And what does that lead to? Overall inflammation, a persistent immune response that leads to increased cortisol and chronic inflammation that can lead to a host of chronic issues, including heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune disease. If you are feeling anxious and depressed, if you are overwhelmed, defensive or mentally exhausted, this has to be addressed. Counseling, deep breathing exercises, yoga, journaling, meditating, massage therapy, singing, expressing yourself creatively, or participating in a hobby that you enjoy are all ways that you can support your mental health. You can also do it through your gut. Get plenty of probiotics from your food, and consider a probiotic supplement. Avoid fast food and processed carbohydrates. They are targeted at emotional eaters, and they wreak havoc on your gut health, thereby—they wreak havoc on the rest of you. Think about what you’re eating and why. Do you need sustenance? or emotional support? Food is fuel, it’s not a substitute for a friend or a therapist. Are you grabbing for (fill-in-the-blank) because you’re hungry and it’s time to eat? Or because you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed?
