The Gut-Brain
Connection

Gut bacteria also manufacture about 95 percent of the body’s supply of serotonin, our ‘happiness’ hormone, which influences both mood and GI (Gastro-intestinal) activity.

The gut-brain connection can link anxiety to stomach and intestinal problems, and vice versa. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to all of our emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, elation, etc. which are triggered by our “gut feelings”.

For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach’s juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person’s stomach or intestinal distress, such as constipation, heartburn, abdominal cramps or loose stools, etc. can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That is because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected.

Gut-brain connection, anxiety, and digestion

Our gut or colon is often referred to as our ‘second brain’, hidden in the walls of the digestive system, and it is revolutionizing medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health and even the way you think.

Scientists call this ‘second brain’ the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). which consists of two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum.

The ENS may trigger big emotional shifts experienced by people experiencing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain and stomach upset. For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to these problems, but studies have shown that it may also be the other way around. It follows therefore, that re-educating abdominal tissues would facilitate the healthy flow of information that create our feelings.

Colonics have a therapeutic influence on how we feel about our bowels, which are often the seat of emotional afflictions. This would account for the fact that a colonic generally leaves someone feeling peaceful, uplifted and clearer headed. Colon cleansing facilitates the conscious connection with our gut in a clean and safe situation, harmonising the delicate and reciprocal interactions that exist between the mind, the gut and its microbiome.