Anxiety and Your Gut

March 24, 2010 Wednesday

"We are the greatest thing that will ever happen to us. You must believe it because it makes life much easier."

Yesterday we discussed the inflammation of your small intestines. Remember the anatomy lesson. Your mouth is where food enters. It travels down your esophagus to your stomach. The stomach acids churn the food and break it down. It enters the first part of the small intestine. A stomach doctor (Gastroenterologist) will study the esophagus and stomach using an endoscope. Also, the same doctor can study your colon (large intestine) through your anus all the way to the beginning of the large intestine (called your cecum). Between where the stomach ends and the large intestines begin is some 14 feet of bowels, called the small intestine. This is where the inflammation begins when you consume too many carbohydrates, and/or have allergies. Both of these will decrease the pH.

The small intestine is responsible for 1. absorption, 2. producing Vitamin D and 3. producing 90% of the happy hormone called serotonin. If your small intestine is inflamed, then none of this will happen. The nice fluffy shag-like villi of the small intestine are flattened or have turned to berber villi. The interior designers love this analogy. Let's concentrate on the low serotonin.

The serotonin is supposed to travel to the brain. When the brain detects that it is only getting a small amount of serotonin, it must start to perform other functions to protect you. One of those functions is to produce more epinephrine or adrenaline. Thus the low serotonin level, which predisposes to depression and "the blues", will now be intensified with feelings of anxiety and stress. This is due to the brain increasing the neurotransmitter epinephrine. Feelings of panic, symptoms of palpitations and sweatiness will start to happen. You might even have a tremor. You are now in the fight/flight mode. Imagine all of this because you are allergic to dairy or continually eat too much bread. Tomorrow we will discuss what other neurotransmitters in the brain compensate for the low serotonin level.

It doesn't matter what we have done in the past. We are here now and living for just today. We all have a past. It would take about two days to listen to mine! Like needle work is woven with wool, threads and cotton, our past is woven with mistakes, successes and learning experiences. We should own our past, not lie about it. Do not dwell on the past but look at it with kindness.

The needlepoint below is an example of the past. When it was given to my aunt, I had not seen her for almost 28 years. Circumstances allowed us to get together. I believe I made my amends. I gave her this pillow for her 75th birthday. Again as circumstances happened, and we did not speak again. Perhaps it was a brief gift that I had to experience. This experience has allowed me to turn around. I have spent too much time being ashamed in the past and being apologetic. I will no longer doubt the beauty and serenity in myself. This is what the flowers represent.

Until tomorrow