Something you may or may not know: there is a huge connection between your brain and your gut. So much so, that is affects everything in your body – including both your mental and physical health!
Despite having health anxiety, Helen Ball has learned how to live in joy. A big reason for that is because she has discovered how to take care of her gut health which has made a tremendous difference for her!
When we say the “gut” – what do we mean? “We are talking about the digestive system, which is a group of organs, including the mouth, oesophasgus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum,” explained Helen. “The gut serves many essential roles in sustaining and protecting the overall health and wellness of our bodies.”
Gut health: physical and mental balance
Learning about gut health was life changing for her. “It made me think about my journey with my mental health and all of the health anxiety that I suffered and all of the things I’ve been through. It made me realize that potentially my diet, which I hadn’t seen as particularly bad, probably contributed to my poor mental health because my gut health was not good. That was the first time I had heard about a link between these two.”
“The gut contains 100 million neurons which is even more than the spinal cord or peripheral nervous system. There is a nerve called the Vagus nerve which carries an extensive range of signals from the digestive system and organs to the brain and vice versa,” she explained. “So, the health of our gut doesn’t just affect our physical health, but our mind health, too.”
Helen’s journey to get in balance within her body began when she came across a healthy living program. It helped her find balance, eliminate toxins, and heal her body. She had been suffering from, among other physical problems, anxiety and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). The IBS was so bad, it caused her to take medication for it at every meal. At the time, she didn’t know that there was a link between anxiety and IBS. As she was able to improve her gut health, she found that medication for IBS was no longer necessary for her.
Gut health: like a “second brain”
The importance of gut health cannot be overstated. “What we now realize is that actually your gut is controlling so much of your body. It’s been termed the ‘second brain,’ but I think it’s actually the ‘first brain,’ because it controls your brain,” she explained. “Everything that is going on in your entire body, physical and mental, is affected by your microbiome.”
“Microbiome is a term to describe the microorganisms (think bacteria) that sit in and on our body. Every single human has a unique microbiome much like a fingerprint. The microbiome plays a role in our mental health and it also helps us determine things like how we age, any disease that is prevalent, and how we can manage our weight,” Helen added.
“A healthy, diverse gut microbiome is not only important for necessary digestion of food and absorption of nutrients, but these bacteria also help your body produce vitamins, absorb minerals, aid in the elimination of toxins, and are responsible for a good part of your immune system and the production of your happy hormone and therefore your mood.”
Serotonin: the “happy hormone”
The production of serotonin (the “happy hormone”) is another reason why good gut health is so important: 70% of serotonin is produced in the gut. “So if your gut isn’t in a good place, then you’re not going to be producing that serotonin and that is what we need to feel happy,” Helen said.
Analogy relating to good health and a bathtub: turn the tap off!
Helen gave this great analogy of relating good health to a bathtub. In a bathtub, if a person turns the tap on and if the drain is clear, water will flow in and out. If the drain is blocked by a plug, the water will eventually overflow out of the tub – unless a person takes the plug out. “What we do with our health is we don’t take the plug out, but we continue to let the water flow in and we just get a mop when it overflows! We don’t get to the root cause of why we’re having a health issue,” she explained.
“That’s what we are doing when we, for instance, have an issue on our skin. We get some cream, put it on, and it might help a little bit, but generally we’re not getting to the root cause of why that issue is bearing on our skin. And it’s the same with so many things,” she said.
“Hippocrates said, ‘All disease starts in the gut.’ And I honestly believe that is true, because there really is so much that it impacts. What need to do is turn the tap off!”
Gut health: profound impact
For Helen, her journey with learning about and improving her gut health has made a profound impact on the quality of her life. If someone is lacking joy or struggling with mental health, Helen suggests looking at that individual’s gut health. Improving that has helped a lot of people.
“If you’re struggling with your mental health and you haven’t already, try looking at your gut health, because for so many people that has made a massive difference in a really positive way. It’s not pumping you full of anti-depressants. It’s not going through talking therapy, because some people are aversive to all of those things. They just want to do something themselves, so this is an alternative. If you are doing those things and you want to help yourself at the same time, then this could be a great way to do that.”
“I would say to anybody who is feeling like they are needing something to guide them, to help them be the best version of themselves, to be able to focus more, to be able to get that mental clarity, to be able to achieve their goals – if your gut and brain aren’t functioning at their optimum level, then you’re not giving yourself a chance,” she emphasized.
Helen’s journey: improving her gut health
Helen’s journey in learning about gut health started with a healthy living program offered by Arbonne – there are other programs available as well. This one focuses on whole food eating, taking out processed food, adding vegan nutrition, and avoiding inflammatory foods, which include: gluten, dairy, refined sugar, alcohol, soy, and caffeine found in tea and coffee.
“What this program does is get you in balance, so you can heal your gut. You give it a break from all the toxins that we add into our bodies all the time in the western world. It allows you to reset and once you do that, then you’re more able to handle those inflammatory foods,” Helen said.
Other benefits for Helen included increased energy, better sleep, clearer skin, strong hair and nails, and weight management, plus eliminating her IBS symptoms.
“I learned what (personally for me) does and doesn’t serve me. Everybody is different and it’s a journey of discovery you go through,” Helen said.
Bottom line – it’s that important
“Gut health plays a massive role in everything!” Helen said with a big smile.
This article was written for Kati Harris for Landing Happy (landinghappy.com).