As a nutritionist, one of the most common things I hear is: ‘I tried probiotics, but they didnt help’. And honestly, that makes sense. Gut symptoms are complex and have many different root causes, sometimes probiotics can be helpful, but the mistake is thinking that probiotics are the answer to everything. When helping clients with gut symptoms such as bloating, heart burn, constipation, loose stools, food intolerances or stomach cramps, I will always look beyond the digestive system to see what else is going on in the body that may be driving these symptoms. The first place I turn to is the nervous system because the digestive system is under the influence of the nervous system, so if there is an imbalance there then it’s going to affect the digestion – they are in constant communication.
The nervous system is constantly in a state of adaptation from the time we wake in the morning, go about our business during the day, adjust to changing temperatures, socialising, studying and even sleeping, it never switches off. It’s constantly moving through cycles of alertness and relaxation. But with the increasingly busy and stressful lives we are leading and the worry of poor health, money, work deadlines, exams, family problems etc. the more this system can start to move out of balance. Some people naturally have strong resilience and won’t be affected by these changes straightaway, but for others the impact can be imediate. This is also why some people are able to associates their symptoms with stress, whereas others don’t make the connection because the stress has been chronic and has now become the norm. Symptoms can be dramatic or creep in slowly, here are some of the ways an imbalanced nervous system can affect the digestive system:
* Digestion slows down which can lead to reflux, nausea, excessive burping and bloating.
* Muscles become contracted causing bloating, constipation and abdominal discomfort.
* Gut motility can either be stimulated causing loose stools, or it can become tense which slows things down leading to constipation.
* The nervous system needs to be in a rested state known as ‘rest and digest’ when eating, this allows for stomach acid and digestive enzymes to be released so our food is broken down and able to be absorbed. If this doesn’t happen then partially digested food starts to ferment causing the majority of all digestive symptoms.
How do we support the nervous system? Here are just a few ideas to get started:
* Deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing, meditation and anything that you find relaxing, even hobbies.
* Gentle exercise like yoga and walking in nature.
* Singing, gargling, humming – these all stimulate the vagus nerve which helps to switch the nervous sytem into a restfull state.
* Herbal medicines are very good at supporting the nervous system, adaptogens and nervines like lemon balm, passion flower, reishi, chamomile and hops. If you take medications or have a health condition then it’s advisable to see a herbalist before taking herbs because some interact with medications and are not suitable with some health conditions.
So when is it recommended to use probiotics? I usually use strain-specific probiotics with some health conditions or gut disorders rather than a general multi strain product. Conditions such as SIBO can usually be made worse by adding in probiotics, plus they are not our normal resident microbes so there is debate as to whether we should be introducing these bacterial strains into our gut in the first place. My preferred method is to start growing up your own resident strains as they are the ones that colonise and stay in the gut, probiotics are transient. Even if you’ve had lots of antibiotics you can still support your gut microbiome with their growth as they are not all killed off, many are burried in the gut mucosa. To grow your own microbiome you need to consume the foods that they eat such as fibre, polyphenols and inulin.
Over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates famouly said. ‘All disease begins in the gut’. Although not every condition originates there, research continues to show just how connected gut health is to the rest of the body. If you need help with digestive symptoms, or any health condition then you can reach me here where I offer a free 15 minute call to discuss how I can help you.
