Brain Gut Connection

by christina mazzullo

True Touch of Nutrition

Food is Medicine, and Medicine is Food

The brain and the gut are intertwined and synergistic, constantly seeking homeostasis.   This is not a revolutionary concept, although modern medicine might have you believe so. Hippocrates, also known as the “Father of Medicine,” understood this connection thousands of years ago.  The pharmaceutical companies hide the fact that nutrition has medicinal properties because they are driven by the almighty dollar, but True Touch of Nutrition is here to drop truth bombs. My truths are rooted from the following statements spoken by ancient wisdom:  

“One man’s food is another man’s poison,”

“All disease begins in gut,”

“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food!”

-Hippocrates, Father of Medicine

The Second Brain……or is it the FIRST?

The human gut microbiome has been coined the “second brain.”  Some experts believe it was actually the first brain, and the human brain developed over time.  Regardless of what you believe, your truth for this section is the human body is made up of more bacteria cells than human cells, and these bacteria cells are in constant communication with our brain via the vagus nerve.  In the industrialized society we live in with antibiotics, antibiotic hand soap, and cleaners that attempt to kill and destroy bad bacteria, we have exterminated our beneficial bacteria that keeps us in homeostasis.

You might be asking yourself why the gut would be called the second brain, and I am here to break it down for you.  First, 90% of serotonin is stored in the gut. Serotonin is also known as the “feel good hormone.”

“Serotonin: A hormone found in the brain, platelets, digestive tract, and pineal gland. It acts both as a neurotransmitter (a substance that nerves use to send messages to one another) and a vasoconstrictor (a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow). A lack of serotonin in the brain is thought to be a cause of depression.” 1

Melatonin, which is our sleep hormone, is also stored in the gut.  There is 400 times more melatonin in the gut than in the pineal gland where it is produced.4  Furthermore, 90% of the communication fibers in the Vagus nerve travel from the gut to the brain.4   

So let’s just try to synthesize what we just learned.  Serotonin, which makes us feel good, and is the main ingredient in depression medication, is stored in our gut. Melatonin, which helps us sleep, and acts as an antioxidant, is stored in our gut. A vast majority of our communication fibers telling our brain what to do come from our gut.  

Let us now explore this question: If we do not take care of our gut, can we end up damaging our brain?  Yes, leaky gut is an example of how we can cause damage to our bodies central processing unit. High stress and poor nutrition cause muscle breakdown and increased inflammation, which leads to a host of medical conditions caused by proliferation of cells and increased free radicals floating around in the body.  How exactly does this happen? The gut becomes too permeable, also known as leaky gut.7 WOW!! There needs to be a cosmic shift in how we feed our gut biome, and how we choose to take care of our body and mind.  In the next section we will explore ways to heal the gut, and take back our lives from Big Pharma and Corporate America!

Taking Care of our First and Second Brain

Probiotics, prebiotics, microbiome, and microbiota are all buzzwords today, but do you really know what these words mean, and how to add them to your daily medicinal routine?  True Touch of Nutrition is here again to provide knowledge, even though knowledge is probably the last thing you need in this age of information overload. I am going to primarily focus on probiotics in this section, and give honorable mention to the other terms.  

The word probiotic tells us what these supplements do – pro, means ‘for’ and bios, means ‘life’ – so probiotic literally means ‘for life’ – a very apt description of what these friendly bacteria do for us. 2

Prebiotics are the foods that you want present in your diet to feed the good bacteria.  If you want to feed the bad guys, eat processed sugar. Bacterium like Candida will throw a party, and invite all his ugly friends who come empty handed to wreak havoc and destroy your beautiful home.  If you want to feed the good guys, consume high fiber fruits and vegetables. Then, the good guys will produce beneficial additions to your home, such as peptides, enzymes, and metabolites. Instead of wreaking havoc, these products make things happen at the party, and also clean up before they leave!  That’s my kind of party guest!

The microbiome is the regulator of the communication pathway between the gut and the brain. Dr. John Cryan from University College Cork in Ireland calls the microbiome the psychobiotic because of this brain gut connection.6  If we can take good care of our gut, not only will we reduce disease risk, maintain a healthy weight, and FEEL better, but we can improve psychological disorders.  This microbiome affect can be generational. MOMS, DID YOU READ THAT? You have power over what microbiome you pass down to your baby in utero, how you feed or kill your child’s microbiome after birth, and what bacteria you expose your child to during childhood.  WOW! That’s powerful. When microbiome testing is done generationally, geographically, and ethnically, the composition of bacteria is similar among similar populations.5  This can be good or bad.  As a negative example, if the bacterial microbiome of an obese individual is injected into a nonobese mouse, that mouse will become obese, and if the bacterial microbiome comes from a nonobese individual, that mouse will not become obese.6 WOW!!  STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW!  PUT DOWN THE DONUT, AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN FEED YOUR BODY TO THRIVE NOT SURVIVE!!

Back to PROBIOTICS, the meat and potatoes of this brain gut connection.  Below you will find how probiotics are beneficial and where you can find them naturally.  Along with natural sources of probiotics, supplemental probiotics may be used, but please be careful who you purchase these from because they are not regulated by the FDA.  True Touch of Nutrition stands by Melaleuca products because they have the Oligo-patent. This is basically a carrying system that carries the micronutrient/probiotic directly to its absorption site to minimize breakdown by stomach acid during transport.  Florify by Melaleuca contains seven different strains with over ten billion CFU at a very affordable price. Contact me for more information about Melaleuca!3  There are many other options out there, and ultimately its a personal choice for supplementation.  There are supplements with more CFU and more strands at a higher cost, but just make sure you choose a brand you trust, and do your homework before purchasing.  

Supplemental or natural Probiotics may help:

  • Improve immune function.
  • Protect against hostile bacteria to prevent infection.
  • Improve digestion and absorption of food and nutrients.
  • In the treatment or prevention of many conditions such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, depression, sleep disorders, and more.

Fermented or cultured products are a major source of probiotics:

  • Miso
  • Tempeh
  • Soy beverages
  • Buttermilk
  • Fermented milk
  • Kombucha
  • Kimche
  • Sauerkraut

I want to go into a little detail about Kombucha because it is all the rage today, even though there is evidence of its existence dating all the way back to first century.  Consuming Kombucha, along with other fermented foods, can colonize your gut and provide you with the beneficial army to fight and prevent the above conditions. Some people do not tolerate Kombucha due to its acidic/bitter taste, but Dandi Kombucha is single fermented, which has a mild taste with a hint of sweetness.  This home brew is brewed with love and local produce to bring you great taste with all the benefits of the leading fermented drink. Single fermentation also leads to a decreased amount of alcohol, but a slight increase in residual sugar content.

Who Can Guide me in this Journey of Taking Care of My Brain & Gut?

If food is medicine, and medicine is food, then working with a Nutritionist should be common practice.  Unfortunately, people often wait until symptoms arise, and then seek help from a doctor. The sad truth is, by that time, low grade chronic inflammation has already taken root in the body.  It is much harder to reverse the effects of years of unhealthy consumption as opposed to preventing the inflammation caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to exercise ten times a day, ten times per week to be healthy.  Although exercise is an important piece of the puzzle, good health is centered around a healthy balanced diet. Christina Mazzullo, also known as the True Touch of Nutrition Consultant for Prana Health Obesity, Sleep, and Pulmonology Clinic and The Collective (Cactus Creek Coffee, Evolution Athletics, and Compass Rose Yoga), can help you with your nutritional needs whether they be preventing or reversing damage.  Take back your health, and decide to live a better tomorrow with less psychological and physical pain and weakness.

If you are looking for a total overhaul to your current dietary practice, and you need meal replacement options, contact me for information on Optavia.  Meal replacement can change your life one healthy habit at a time until you are able to make healthy choices on your own, which is the ultimate goal. The “bad bacteria” I mentioned will be purged from your system, and any addiction to processed ingredients and added sugars will be detoxed from your body during the initial phase of the program.  Optavia also provides all the probiotics and micronutrients you need to bring your body back to its healthy state. Your brain connection needs to be rewired, and you can think of me as your electrician who can help you optimize your inputs and outputs! Whether your goals are fitness related or total body overhaul, True Touch of Nutrition can help you eat, sleep, breathe, and perform better!  

References:

  1. National Cancer Institute. November 12, 2018. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/melatonin
  2. Naturopathic Physicians: Natural Medicine Real Solutions. Good Bugs, Good Health. November 12, 2018. https://www.naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=526
  3. Melaleuca the Wellness Company. Beyond Basic Nutrition. November 12, 2018. https://www.melaleuca.com/about/beyond-basic-nutrition
  4. Dr. David Perlmutter. D&D Fitness Radio Podcast. November 11, 2018.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPACW52jiwg
  5. Naveen Jain. Ben Greefield podcast: Poop, Bacteria, & You: The Latest Cutting Edge Science of the Human Microbiome. November 07, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Xm8x5sw0g
  6. Dr John Cryan. University College Cork in Ireland. American Microbiome INstitute podcast. November 07, 2018. http://www.microbiomeinstitute.org/podcast/2015/10/19/episode-10-the-microbiome-and-gut-brain-communications-with-dr-john-cryan
  7. Matthew Walker. The Joe Rogan Experience. Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. 11-30-18. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-joe-rogan-experience-27959911/episode/1109-matthew-walker-29243025/

Contact Information:

christina.mazzullo@prana.healthcare

truetouch.optavia.com/truetouch

truetouchofnutrition.com

christina mazzullo

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