Can a healthy gut truly lead to a happy life? Well, think about the last time you had digestive issues like the stomach flu, constipation, or heartburn. How did those issues affect your overall well-being and mood? My guess is you were pretty miserable, and it showed. You don’t have to have the obvious digestive issues in order to have an unhealthy gut. Your gut issues can encompass the whole larger scope of your digestive tract and result in the same miserable mood without you knowing the source of your unhappiness.
I won’t go into every detail of what happens when we eat food and then digest it. There are so many moving parts to the digestive system and many organs that are a part of it, let’s just focus specifically on a part of the gut that allows us to lead happier lives, get better sleep and promotes better moods. Within your intestinal tract we produce a very specific neurotransmitter called “serotonin”. According to the article by Caltech,
“…although serotonin is well known as a brain neurotransmitter, it is estimated that 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is made in the digestive tract. In fact, altered levels of this peripheral serotonin have been linked to diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and other disorders. New research at Caltech, published in the April 9 issue of the journal Cell, shows that certain bacteria in the gut are important for the production of peripheral serotonin.”
Serotonin is a very powerful and important product that comes from proper gut function, as the enterochromaffin (EC) cells that produce serotonin are found in the intestinal tract. Our serotonin levels and function of the EC cells are directly related to our bodies ability to manage pain, and regulate mood and the sleep-wake cycle. Serotonin deficiencies can be directly related to depression.
So then, it is reasonable to say an unhealthy gut can lead to an unhappy life. Where did this unhealthy gut come from? When we eat foods that are bad for us or we put our digestive tract into bad scenarios, then we are setting our guts up for failure. The American diet has introduced us to processed foods, excessive amounts of carbohydrates, chemicals, and sugars, increased amounts of fast food, decreased amounts of fruits and vegetables, and the list goes on and on.
Most people have treated their unhealthy guts by taking over-the-counter or prescription medications which only mask the symptoms without curing the cause. At Synapse, we dig deep to uncover the root cause of your unhealthy gut. Whether the issue is proper bacteria or treating a leaky gut, fixing the root issue leads to proper gut function. Then the cells in the intestinal tract can function like they are supposed to, absorb properly, and produce chemicals and enzymes, like serotonin.
Do you have gut or digestive issues? Do you struggle with mood, sleep, or pain? Schedule an appointment at Synapse so you too can have a healthy gut, and a happy life.
https://www.caltech.edu/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495
