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Gut Feel | The Gut – Brain Connection

The adrenal gland and its role on the gut

Gut Feel | An intuitive sense of best direction, arising from an emotional experience registering as a gastrointestinal distress. It is something that cannot be learnt but must be experienced each time. Every time it does, it poses a challenge. It is a direct balancing act between the brain and the gut that determines an outcome, when the gut influences the brain.

 

How?
The gut is directly connected to our brain through the vagus nerve within the central nervous system through an enteric nervous channel (nerve cell lining of the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the rectum).

Although its primary function is controlling digestion, the gut communicates back and forth with our brain on many sensory levels beyond digestive health. This gut-brain axis communication links the emotional and cognitive centres of the brain with intestinal functions (1).  Gut microbiota health and balance influence this interaction, which can explain at the most basic level, why any digestive irritation that can lead to irritable bowel syndrome affects our mood and state of mind.

 

Absence Of Microorganisms Imbalances The Gut
When the gut lacks certain necessary microorganisms (dysbiosis) it can contribute to complications to other central nervous system components that form an integral part for its optimal functioning. Disruptions to the immune, humoral and endocrine systems will affect our cognitive functions causing its deterioration if not adequately treated can lead to chronic stress to our body.

 

Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis (2)
The imbalance in the diversity of microorganisms in our gut necessary for its health and strength causes weakness in the intestinal barrier wall causing systemic low grade inflammation that can lead to imbalances in receptor management of the immune and endocrine systems straining  the body’s  would normal cognitive function.

 

The Adrenal Gland
This gland within our Endocrine system regulates stress hormones that act as fuel for our immune system, balanced by the health of our gut in our stomach. The gut specifically refers to the microorganisms living in our intestines.

The ideal gut health condition for a healthy immune balance is 85 % good bacteria and 15% bad bacteria. Many factors including foods one eats (or doesn’t) impact overall gut health.

Your adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that are essential to life. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone produced by this gland increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhancing your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Adrenaline which is another hormone produced by this gland increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supply to help cope with stress.

The medical term “adrenal insufficiency” refers to inadequate production of one or more of these hormones as a result of an underlying disease or surgery.

Signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency may include:

  • Fatigue
  • Body aches
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Low blood pressure
  • Light headedness
  • Loss of body hair
  • Skin discoloration (hyperpigmentation)

 

Adrenal Fatigue
Proponents of the adrenal fatigue diagnosis claim this is a mild form of adrenal insufficiency caused by chronic stress. The unproven theory behind adrenal fatigue is that your adrenal glands are unable to keep pace with the demands of perpetual fight-or-flight arousal. Existing blood tests, according to this theory, aren’t sensitive enough to detect such a small decline in adrenal function — but your body is.

 

1 THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ENTERIC MICROBIOTA, CENTRAL AND ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEMS HTTPS://WWW.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PMC/ARTICLES/PMC4367209/
2 THE ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION WITH RESPECT TO DIET AND EXTRINSIC STRESSORS HTTPS://WWW.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PMC/ARTICLES/PMC6722800/
3 HTTPS://WWW.MAYOCLINIC.ORG/DISEASES-CONDITIONS/ADDISONS-DISEASE/EXPERT-ANSWERS/ADRENAL-FATIGUE/FAQ-20057906

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