The Gut-Brain Connection

What is it? How does it work?

Hiya!

In observing society today, I noticed we have a hard time communicating what we feel. Often, we lack the language completely. But that hasn’t stopped us from finding ways to express the most important ones, or at least the easier ones to pin down.

For instance, when someone says they have a “gut feeling,” you probably know what they’re talking about — a literal feeling in their gut, pulling or guiding them in some way toward a particular choice. You probably also know that this feeling is one to be respected. While not completely understood, or understood at all really, “gut feelings" have a way of being right.

This sense seems to be a trait shared throughout humanity as if our gut has a mind of its own. Now we know that, in a way, it actually does, and it’s often referred to as our “second brain.” Further, our gut brain and the brain in our head work together to keep us mentally and physically healthy and happy.

What Exactly is the Gut-Brain?

My brain was all over the place the first time I learned about it. I mean, how is it possible we have a “brain” in our gut? Do our organs talk to each other? Are all of our organs involved, or just a few? Does it think?

Well, from my research, the gut-brain isn’t like the one in our head. Researchers only just learned how it works — at least until the next discovery.

Enteric Nervous System

Scientists call our second brain the enteric nervous system (ENS), it’s a thin, two-layer lining running along your gastrointestinal (GI) tract from your esophagus to your rectum. Oh, and it contains over 100 million nerve cells. Your ENS also controls your involuntary functions, like your organs, in addition to its connection with the brain in our head. (Not to be confused with our central nervous system, which controls our voluntary movements.)

Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, Jay Pasricha, M.D, has captured international attention regarding his research on the enteric nervous system. In an article by Johns Hopkins Medicine he explains:

“[ENS’s] main role is controlling digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination.”

But now we know ENS is capable of more than that. In the same article, Dr. Pasricha points out,

“The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.”

The communication between the ENS and the brain in our head is fascinating because the findings are revolutionizing the health and medical industries. This leads to the second aspect of the gut-brain connection, the method of communication.