Your Gut is Your Everything!
Your gut is everything!
“All disease begins in the gut” Hippocrates.
These words of wisdom were spoken over 2000 years ago. But they are still relevant today.
The heart is considered the hardest working organ, although some say it’s the liver and others the brain. Others argue the kidneys are the hardest working organ as they need to filter everything.
So, while all these other organs top the hardest working lists etc, the stomach is not usually considered. But the gut is the first stop in your food processing system. It is also central to many other organs and systems.
A little fun fact, your skin is the largest organ while your liver is the largest internal organ!
The stomach connects with the hard working liver, as the liver must donate bile and enzymes to help process food. But if the gut is inflamed then this will impact on the function of the liver.
The gut connects to the brain, this is via the vagal nerve or the enteric nervous system. Which is actually a superhighway between the gut and the brain. Which is why some people have nervous anxiety in their gut or have butterflies in their stomach when feeling nervous.
The gut connects to your hormones, as healthy estrogen metabolism relies on a healthy microbiome in the gut.
The gut connects to sleep, as serotonin is made in the gut and when this is deficient you can have sleep issues (as serotonin breaks down into melatonin which is the precursor for sleep). Serotonin is also needed for healthy bowl function and is involved with chronic constipation issues.
The gut is connected to mood as serotonin is considered one of your feel good hormones. This is why mood issues and sleep can sometimes go hand in hand.
The gut is connected to your Immune system, as 70% (or more) of your immunity is in the gut. So, if your gut is not happy then the immune system is often under pressure as well. You might see this if you get constant colds and flus, or you find they take a while to resolve. We also see auto immunity issues which is often a more chronic response.
Hay fever is also considered a gut issue. Histamine can be associated with a condition called Mast Cell Activation. Someone who has lots of allergies, itchy skin, swells up, has hives etc, is going to have an overactive histamine response, although a simplistic explanation, the gut is involved.
The gut is connected to the skin, if you are suffering from eczema or psoriasis then the gut is definitely in need of some help.
And of course the gut is connected to the digestive system. The stomach is only one part of the whole digestive system. If the gut is not happy then the lower bowel is also going to be experiencing some issues as well.
So in summary you can see the gut is connected to:
Liver
Brain
Hormones
Mood
Sleep
Immune system
Skin
Digestive system
So, while we need the brain and heart to stay alive, a healthy gut is needed to ensure you have a healthy body and feel at your best. When the gut is not working well, health issues will arise and you will not be feeling your best.
So how happy is your gut? Is it your everything? If you want to talk some more about your gut then book a free discovery call.