Is It All in Your Gut?

Years ago I worked with Stephanie, a college student, who was having terrible digestion issues. Stephanie was suffering so much, she was sure she had a parasite. After many doctor appointments with negative test results, she had to accept that it was “all in her head.” Her issues, the doctors said, were a result of the stress she was under taking a full load of classes and being very involved in her sorority.

While we did work on stress management and relaxation skills, we also cleaned up Stephanie’s college-life diet. She cut back on take-out meals, whittling pizza and tacos down to weekends only, cut back on alcohol, and learned to make inexpensive, healthy meals at home. Stephanie did get better and was able to enjoy her last year of school without issue.

Fast forward to just a few years ago when I worked with Mara. Mara came to me for health coaching with the same kind of digestive issues Stephanie had had: pain, bloating, and chronic diarrhea. But when we looked at Mara’s diet, she was already doing very well, eating a mostly healthy, whole-food diet. Mara’s “Aha” moment came when we talked about what was going on in her life outside the dining room.

“Could this be stress?” she asked. You bet!

There is a direct connection between your brain and your gut. Your gut has the highest concentration of nerves in the body second to the brain, and is sometimes called the "second brain." When you are under stress, the digestive system is suppressed. This is OK for a few hours if you have a big test or a job interview. But living in a state of stress response can slow the digestive system for so long that chronic conditions arise, such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, gastritis, or general discomfort.

Studies also show that a healthy gut microbiome, which comes from eating whole, nutritionally dense foods, stimulates your brain to produce more of the “happy” chemicals that positively affect your mood.

So, is it all in your gut or all in your head? The answer is yes!