Your gut, your microbiome (the trillions of bacteria in your colon), and your brain are closely connected through your vagus nerve. The gut-brain axis is basically an endless three-way call, with messages constantly going back and forth.
The vagus nerve is the carrier for all this essential communication. In Latin, the word “vagus” means wandering, an appropriate way to describe the path of this nerve. It starts in the back of your brain and runs all the way down to your colon. Along the way, it has branches that link to the larynx (voice box), esophagus, trachea (windpipe) lungs, heart, pancreas, and most of the digestive tract, including your liver.
Signals from the gut microbiome and from the gut itself travel up the vagus and tell the brain what’s going on down there; signals from the brain travel down the vagus and tell the gut what changes to make in response. For example, when the vagus nerve fibers within the gut detect inflammatory signals given off by the gut bacteria, they pass the message up to the brain. The brain responds by stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters that regulate the immune system.
When the three-way communication is functioning well, the messages come through clearly. When the matrix is out of balance, however, health issues such as arthritis, diabetes, inflammatory bowel syndrome, food sensitivities, liver problems, inflammation, musculoskeletal disorders, and autoimmune diseases can arise. In the brain, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease can develop, as can depression, brain fog, and other mental issues.
Dropped Signals
What can disrupt the communications along the gut-brain axis and cause the biological equivalent of a dropped call? Anything that disrupts the gut metabolites—the chemical substances your gut bacteria produce—or the lining of the small intestine. In today’s toxic world, both are easily damaged.
The chief culprit for static on the gut-brain axis line of communication is the Standard American Diet (SAD), which loads the gut with highly processed foods that are low in fiber but high in chemical additives, sugar, and bad fats. Other common culprits include antibiotics and other medications, alcohol, toxic environmental chemicals such as glyphosate and pesticides, and that all-purpose gut destroyer, stress. Even healthy foods can be to blame if they contain added sugar, gluten, lactose or additives, food colorings, and other substances. These foods and toxins damage the lining of the small intestine and kill beneficial bacteria. Unwanted toxins and food particles escape into the bloodstream through the leaks in the small intestine wall; they cause inflammation and other problems. Poor diet and toxins also damage the gut bacteria in the colon. That can lead to imbalances between the friendly and unfriendly bacteria, causing gas and bloating, diarrhea and constipation, and other digestive issues.
Restoring the Gut-Brain Axis Balance
To restore good connections on the three-way gut-brain axis, consider my Super 7(R) Action Plan.
Reset. The first action step is to reset your diet, lifestyle, and mindset. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet, one that is free of GPS: gluten, processed foods, and sugar. Many people find that a modified Mediterranean diet that is free of GPS and DNA (dairy, nicotine, and artificial sweeteners), works well.
In addition to the basic diet, adding 8 to 10 grams (two teaspoons) of MCT oil from coconut oil is very helpful. MCT oil has been shown to have antimicrobial and antifungal effects that can help restore a better balance of beneficial gut bacteria.
Stress reduction techniques, such as meditation, mindfulness, and yoga are helpful and easily learned. What works best is highly individual, however. Whatever works best for you is helpful.
Regular exercise is important (and also helpful for reducing stress). I recommend aiming for 10,000 steps a day in addition to daily resistance training and flexibility exercises.
Remove. Remove foods that damage the gut, including processed foods, sugar, dairy and gluten. Also remove any foods related to your intolerances and allergies.
Replace. You may need to replenish and replace your digestive enzymes A comprehensive enzyme complex supplement that includes amylase, papain, trypsin, and lipase helps promote healthy digestive function.
Regenerate. The next step is to regenerate and repair the small intestine wall. The amino acid glutamine is key to this process. It supports the integrity of mucosal cells that line the small intestine and helps close any leaks.
Re-inoculate. When the bacterial balance is disrupted, re-inoculating the gut with high-quality prebiotics and probiotics can help restore beneficial bacteria and crowd out harmful bacteria. Fiber is crucial to resetting the microbiome—it’s the fertilizer that makes a healthy microbiome flourish.
Supplementing with a prebiotic called xylooligosaccharide (XOS) is great for increasing the level of beneficial bacteria in the gut. XOS is particularly helpful for raising bifidobacteria levels. For probiotics, look for a formulation that contains a range of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium lactis, B. longum, Lactobacillus salivarius, L. acidophilus, and L. rhamnosus.
Reintroduce. When your symptoms are reduced or gone, foods removed earlier in the process can be gradually reintroduced—as long as they’re healthy. Continue to avoid GPS and DNA and fried foods.
Retain. Retaining your gains is an ongoing process. Stick with your healthy diet, regular exercise program, and stress reduction.
Robert G. Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, FAKTR
Dr. Robert Silverman is a chiropractic doctor, clinical nutritionist, national/international speaker, author of Amazon’s #1 bestseller “Inside-Out Health”, founder and CEO of Westchester Integrative Health Ctr. The ACA Sports Council named Dr. Silverman “Sports Chiropractor of the Year” in 2015. His extensive list of educational accomplishments includes six different degrees in clinical nutrition.
Dr. Silverman is on the advisory board for the Functional Medicine University and is a seasoned health and wellness expert on both the speaking circuits and within the media, as well as a frequent health expert contributor on national blogs such as Consumer Health Digest. He has appeared on FOX News Channel, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, The Wall Street Journal, NewsMax. He was invited as a guest speaker on “Talks at Google” to discuss his current book. A frequent published author in peer-reviewed journals and other mainstream publications, Dr. Silverman is a thought leader in his field and practice.
Dr. Silverman was the principle investigator on a Level 1 laser FDA study.
His new book, Superhighway to Health was published in February 2020.
