Our Second Brain

The saying “trust your gut instinct” is not just a metaphorical expression describing the connection between gut and brain. Just as your brain can send butterflies to your stomach, your gut can relay its state of calm or alarm to the brain.

The intimate and bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain is a highly researched and studied subject. As Hippocrates stated already in 460 BC “All illnesses begin in the gut”. Well, current scientific research seams to validate this.

This intimate connection is something I witness on a daily basis in my clinic. Patients with “malfunction” of the gut (IBS, acid reflux, constipation.. etc ), suffer from a variety of other symptoms that are apparently unrelated and disconnected to the  gastrointestinal system. Examples of these symptoms are: joints pain, lower back pain, fatigue etc.. the list is long.

The effects and benefits of osteopathic treatment on various gut structures it’s far reaching than you might think.

“I had to visit the osteopath due to a pain in my left shoulder………I have suffered with a hiatus hernia since I was a teenager and have been on medication from my GP for the last 28 years to combat this. ……..after the years suffering with indigestion and being told by my GP that there was nothing could be done, other than a risky operation……….after only four osteopathic treatments I seem to be cured of both the sore shoulder and the indigestion” Gary

The subject of gut-brain connection is hugely vast and complex. My intention here is to try to share in simple terms some basic concept and food for thought. I am a strong believer that a better health starts with an understanding of how our body works.

The bowel contains its own nervous system (a set of nerves) called the enteric nervous system.

It resembles the brain both structurally and neurochemically, basically it is a brain unto itself hence the name “the second brain”.

While our “second” brain cannot compose a piece of music or paint, write…. the way the brain in our skull can, it does perform an important role in managing the workings of our gut which in turn affect other body systems such as: the hormonal, respiratory, immunological etc.

The network of neurons in the gut is highly developed and unique.

Basically if we cut part of the gut, and disconnect it from the nerves that connect it to the brain and spinal cord, its peristaltic reflex will carry on for some time.

This characteristic is unique. No other organ has such a highly developed intrinsic neural apparatus. For example if you cut the connection linking the bladder or the skeletal muscles to the central nervous system, all motor activity ceases immediately. However, if you cut the gut, its peristaltic function persists for some time.

In addition to propulsion of food along the gut tube, the enteric nervous system bears another important function; it is an “immunological powerhouse”. About 80 % of the cells of our immune system are located in the digestive tract.

When gut bacteria are out of balance not only is our digestion and feeling of well being compromised, so is our immune system, and therefore our ability to defend against illnesses and diseases.

The enteric nervous system provides the closest thing we have to a window on the brain.

Every class of central nervous system neurotransmitter has also been found in the enteric nervous system.

For instance the bowel makes more SEROTONIN (around 95%), the master happiness molecule , than the brain in your head. Many neurologists and psychiatrists are now realizing that this may be one of the reasons why  antidepressants are often less effective in treating depression than proper dietary changes.

Like serotonin, there are many other chemicals manufactured in the gut that are also critical for the nervous system.

Another example is provided by GLUTAMATE, a neurotransmitter also produced by gut bacteria, which is involved in cognition, learning, and memory. It is abundant in a healthy brain.

GABA is an amino acid produced by gut bacteria that calms nerve activity by inhibiting transmissions and normalizing brain waves, helping return the nervous system to a “relaxed state” after it’s been excited by stress.

A steady stream of messages flows back and forth between the brain and the gut.

We all experience situations in which our brains cause our bowels to go into “overdrive”.

However messages from the gut to the brain outnumber the opposing traffic on the order of about nine to one. This demonstrates that another important function of our second brain is to listen on the trillions of microbes residing in the gut.

This “gut to brain communication”, is expanding medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health and even the way we think.

For instance, Helicobacter pylori, IBS, constipation etc have started to be seen as the cause of emotional symptoms, rather than the other way around.

A 2013 study involving mice, revealed that mice with chronic anxious and anti-social characteristics experienced relief after having their gut bacteria replaced with that of fearless and social mice. The same experiment worked in reverse: the fearless mice developed strange phobias after having their microbiota replaced with that of anxious mice, a condition that was effectively brought back to normalcy after supplementing their diets with probiotics.

How important it is to have a healthy gut!

In my clinical practice I see on a daily basis patients complaining of gut “malfunction” from oesophageal reflux, to constipation, IBS etc. Osteopathic treatment it’s not just about back pain!

Get In touch to discuss how i can help you to feel better.