You’ve probably felt it before. You’re nervous and stressed, and the effects ripple beyond your mood. You might get butterflies in your stomach before you give a big presentation or have digestive problems when you’re worrying about something.
This happens because there’s a direct link between your brain and your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. If you’ve been dealing with persistent digestion problems, mental health challenges, or both, understanding this link makes it easier to find effective treatment.
At HealthFirst in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dr. Jonathan Singer and Dr. Gina Dattoli can assess your symptoms and work with you to figure out if the brain-gut link plays a role. If it does, we can tailor treatment to you. For example, if heavy metal toxicity is affecting your gut and your mood, our team might recommend chelation therapy.
Your brain and gastrointestinal system send messages back and forth. Problems in one area can directly contribute to a problem in the other.
If you’re feeling stressed, for example, you might get an upset stomach. That connection works the other way, too. Research shows that GI problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) link to mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
So those “butterflies” you feel when you’re nervous aren’t all in your head. Your brain processing stress or other challenging sensations can have a direct effect on your GI system, and vice versa.
To help facilitate the link between your brain and your gut, your body has an enteric nervous system (ENS). Aside from your brain, this neural network found throughout your digestive system, from esophagus to rectum, is the most complex in your entire body.
Your gut microbiome, which is comprised of the bacteria that live in your gut, plays a role in the neurotransmitters that help your brain and GI tract talk to one another.
Your vagus nerve connects your brain and your ENS, allowing communication to travel between them.
Because there’s a direct link between the brain and the gut, treating issues in one area can help with symptoms in the other.
If you’ve been experiencing mental wellness issues like low mood or memory loss along with issues like abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea, for example, Dr. Dattoli or Dr. Singer can check for toxic metal poisoning. Since heavy metal exposure has been shown to affect both your gut and your brain, treating it might help you get relief in both areas.
With chelation therapy, our team has a way to get those toxins out of your body.
Don’t let your gut and brain problems linger. For a personalized care plan, contact the HealthFirst office nearest you to schedule an appointment with our team.
