Gut Health and the Nervous System
Many of you know that I've been focused on my gut health for years.
Gluten free, Dairy free, sometimes meat, oil, grain, alcohol, and sugar free.
I've aimed to heal my gut by:
eliminating consumption of certain foods
receiving physical and energetic bodywork
detoxing
using supplements and probiotics
healing from infections
Along the way, I learned a tremendous amount about what works and doesn't work for me, and how my experience of digestion has changed overtime.
What's the magic solution? What foods do we need to cut out to return to a state of gut health?
I've come to realize that it's not about the food!
I realize that sounds crazy.
Typically we blame gluten for bloating, sugars for exhaustion, grains for brain fog, seed oils for sluggishness. Often these foods DO have a noticeable impact on the body.
But why is the effect of food so personalized?
How can some people eat all the things without any reaction?
Some people can get away with eating fast foods, processed foods, and non-organic produce.
Within the same family, one person can eat without restriction and feel good, while another is debilitated with food intolerances.
For examply, I have been strictly gluten-free for 10 years, without cheating. Since I am not celiac, practitioners have led me to believe that my digestive system can heal from this intolerance.
Eliminating gluten from my diet has reduced bloating, improved sleep, and calmed my nervous system.
On occasion, I experience cross-contamination, and consume microscopic amounts of gluten. Instantly my digestion reacts as it did in the past.
Why haven't I healed in the last 10 years? Why didn't the elimination of gluten, taking supplements to heal gut lining, and other methods shift my digestive reaction? Is this a chronic food intolerance? Will I ever be able to eat gluten again?
I hypothesize that the root cause of these digestive issues is not the gluten. I haven't healed because the root cause has not yet been addressed.
What is the solution to our digestive needs?
I am coming to realize that it's all about the nervous system.
The Joe Dispenza series, "Rewired", on Gaia TV suggests that rewiring our brains can bring the body back to a state of health. In episode 4 he talks about the limbic system, specifically the hypothalamus. This part of the brain controls the autonomic nervous system: breath, heartbeat, temperature regulation, digestion, hunger, thirst, and more.
The hypothalamus sends messages to the digestive system, telling it how to process foods. When the nervous system is in fight-or-flight and the mind is scattered, the hypothalamus has difficulty sending clear messages to the digestive system. The communication from the brain to the gut about how to digest food is compromised.
If we eliminate difficult-to-digest foods, our digestion improves because the limbic system communication is sufficient for simple foods.
But when we eat the troublesome foods again, the limbic communication is still not adequate for this more difficult digestion process.
Instead of focusing on the food by limiting and controlling intake, we would be better served by focusing on the nervous system. Relaxing our minds, calming our bodies, and bringing peace to our lives brings the brain into a state of coherence. A brain that is vibrating in coherence has a clear, strong, direct communication path with the digestive system and the rest of the body.
You may ask, how do I bring my brain into coherence?
Joe Dispenza recommends meditating throughout the day to retrain the brain to operate in a peaceful state. He has conducted years of scientific research on the effects of meditation on human health, with startling results published in his books.
As for me, I continue to experiment with different techniques: Qigong movements, daily meditation, reducing my stress load, receiving energy work, and more.
I hope to unlock the secrets to a healthy nervous system and move into a full state of digestive health. Watch for another article in the future as my experiences unfold!
Until then, I hope this article gave you ideas of how to shift your digestion. Please share your successes and learnings along the way!
