Gut Health and Mood
Mood issues can develop when gut health is out of balance. Gut inflammation, intestinal permeability (a.k.a. “leaky gut”), and the microbiome have an enormous role in mood. Some important neurotransmitters are formed in the gut, and the formation of these neurotransmitters depends on having healthy gut flora. Abnormal gut flora (bacteria colonies, yeast, etc) can release compounds that cause depression and other mood symptoms when they circulate to the brain and nervous system. Plus, gut health affects mood through what is now known as the “Gut-Brain Axis”.
What's Causing Your Depression?
When I say lifestyle, what I mean is the basic requirements of life—food, exercise, sleep, stress, and substance use. In short, it means the way you live—too much excitement or stress, too little sleep, forcing your body to deal with constant alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or poor diet. These contributors are the foundation of the chemistry of your body and mind, and will influence how your brain chemistry operates; and they may contribute to episodes of depression along the way if they are out of balance.
Most of us thrive when we keep our pace of life in the slow to medium range. Unfortunately the modern lifestyle doesn’t make this easy for us, because we are often saturated with responsibilities, work, tasks, information, commutes, and expectations to keep up with the pace of others. Depression can develop when dealing with difficult life situations, especially when the situation is long term.
Neurotransmitters are the main chemical messengers of mood, and they include "uppers", which lift your mood and stimulate excitement and activity, and "downers" which calm and relax. Neurotransmitter imbalances are pivotal treatment areas for mood disorders, and they can be tested and treated individually. Imbalances in neurotransmitters can result from many areas, included genetics, gut health issues, and hormone imbalances in the adrenals, thyroid, and sex hormones.
Depression can be a result of several different neurotransmitter imbalances, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The two main branches of depression are serotonin dependent, which presents as a weepy, sad, melancholic 'blues' type of depression; and dopamine/norepinephrine dependent depression, which presents as a tired, lethargic, brain-fogged, and unmotivated type of depression.
Gut Health and Mood Mini-Course
Did You Know?
70-90% of Serotonin is made in the intestines
Abnormal gut flora release compounds into the blood stream that hyperstimulate the nervous system and cause anxiety, insomnia, and depression
Intestinal Permeability (or Leaky Gut) can cause inflammation that can affect the nervous system and brain
Food intolerances affect the gut directly and create problems with malabsorption and inflammation, both of which affect the mood.
Gut issues are associated with anxiety, depression, insomnia, autism, PANS/PANDAS, bipolar disorder, fatigue, and many other symptoms.
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