In the past few decades, we’ve learned more and more about the fascinating complexity and critical nature of what we call the gut-brain connection, or how our brains and digestive systems affect each other.
It’s common for someone to feel too nervous to eat, or for an event they might be dreading to cause stomach upset. These are just two examples of the intricately intertwined systems.
At In Touch Counseling, we both recognize and honor the gut-brain connection by providing care for patients with physical and mental health conditions based on the most advanced understanding of what we know to be true about the interrelationship between our brains and digestive systems.
Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR, emphasizes innovative treatment that focuses on the gut and brain connection by providing care based on our knowledge of nutritional psychology, food sensitivity testing, and treatment for gastrointestinal health issues related to age, lifestyle, genetic conditions, and more.
Because of the interdependent relationship between your gut and brain, what affects one impacts the other.
The fascinating evolutionary origins of this go back eons. Still, since what we ate was literally a life-or-death decision thousands of years ago, our brains became a trustworthy warning system about food safety, how we would digest different foods and absorb nutrition, and more.
Not unlike our endocrine systems and hormones, our brain-gut connections impact many critical body functions:
This list alone clearly illustrates the myriad ways your unique brain-gut connection can affect your mental and physical health, as well as your overall quality of life.
The relationship between your gut and brain can lead to health challenges like irritable bowel syndrome, constipation or diarrhea, obesity, chronic pain, fatigue, and stress. It’s even linked to neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and nerve-associated pain disorders such as multiple sclerosis.
You may also have read about your microbiome, the unique combination of gut microbes that create the chemical neurotransmitters that help your gut and brain communicate. Research also shows that your gut microbiome might affect mental health, neurological conditions, and functional gastrointestinal disorders (these cause continuing symptoms but lack a clear physical cause).
This supports the finding that those with functional gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome are also frequently diagnosed with mental health disorders.
Because we recognize the importance of the gut-brain connection in your health, we take a holistic approach, whether you visit us with gastrointestinal issues or mental health challenges, by examining your condition through this all-important lens.
We talk to you about your eating habits and how they might be affecting your gut and brain, whether you suffer from symptoms like heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal or appetite problems, and assess other symptoms that can lead us to creating an individualized treatment plan for you. Our goal is to take your personal and family health history into account as well, and design care that successfully alleviates your symptoms.
This may involve adopting a new eating approach, seeking counseling, undergoing food sensitivity testing, considering factors in your work or home environment, and implementing lifestyle changes such as increased exercise or quitting smoking.
If you feel like you may be dealing with a health challenge that’s related to the delicate balance between your gut and brain, please contact our Camas office at 360-953-8740, or book an appointment with us online.
