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CHAPTER 1

The Gut Speaks

I get no respect.

— Rodney Dangerfield

Greetings. I am your gut. The funny thing about me is that you don't give me a thought unless you're having a problem of some sort. Say, you're bloated and you can't zip up your favorite jeans. Or you feel nauseous after you eat ice cream, or pizza, or broccoli, or practically anything else. Or you are sitting ... and sitting ... and sitting on the toilet and nothing is happening the way it's supposed to, or, on the flip side, you can't stop what's happening.

I, the gut, have become the root of lots of misery and discomfort for you. If only you could understand me and my language, you would know that I am your closest, most intuitive, wisest, and pretty much all-knowing friend.

I know how you have been living your life and what you need, desire, and feel. I know if you've been eating more potato chips than carrots and drinking more coffee than water. I know what stresses you out and what relaxes and soothes you. I know which people you should get close to and which people from whom you should run away (fast!). The problem is that you don't listen to me.

Somewhere along the way you got disconnected from the vital, sacred, wise part of you: me — your gut, your belly, your inner source of wisdom. Maybe your mother, father, or teacher told you too many times how you "should" or "shouldn't" feel. Maybe someone said that big girls and boys don't cry, don't scream, don't mourn. Maybe you learned a long time ago that our fast-paced society rewards people who talk about what they think, not about what they feel. Maybe you're too busy trying to squeeze 12 hours into eight to pay attention to me and give me what I need instead of stuffing me with fast food and alcohol.

But that's exactly why I've been calling to you. When I feel abandoned by you, I can become a pain. Literally. I might show up as bloat, gas, backaches, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, anxiety, or depression. And if you still don't acknowledge me, I can speak loudly with diverticulitis, ulcerations, even cancer. Every thought and emotion has an affect on me. I get upset when you worry or get angry. I remember old hurts and painful physical and emotional experiences. I take in information even when your intellect doesn't notice.

You unconsciously shut me off when you take a shallow breath, eat poorly, or pop a pill in order not to feel certain emotions or physical discomforts. I nourish every inch of you. I try to guide you with all kinds of sensations. You try to flatten me with sit-ups, girdles, and tight belts. You say mean things: "This bloat is terrible, this bellyache is awful. Make it go away!"

Listen, I'm not bad. I'm just trying to get your attention. These painful signals I'm sending are good and life-promoting. I am working hard to regulate your well-being. The pain and discomfort are warnings, giving you a wake-up call so that you will stop and inquire, "What is really going on?" I want to be heard! I may need a change in diet. I may be telling you to stop and smell the roses ... or the daisies ... or the wheat grass. I may be telling you that it's time for you to start expressing those feelings that are eating both of us up. My voice may also be inviting you to address and heal those terrible hurts you have suffered, which you struggle to repress, which still run your life.

Some changes are simple ones; others may require much more courage, prayer, time, and love.

I am your friend, longing to reconnect with you.

— Your Gut

Have you ever noticed that you do not consciously control your digestion? Do you remember having butterflies in your stomach when you fell in love and intestinal cramps when you fell out of it? Ever follow a "gut feeling" about a situation and you were right on the mark? All these are functions of your gut-brain or enteric nervous system.

Yes, you have two brains! One is located in your skull and the other in your gut in the lining of your gastrointestinal system. Both brains originated during fetal development from tissues called the neural crest. One section turned into your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and the other developed into your enteric nervous system or second brain in your gut. These two brains are connected by a few thousand nerve fibers called the vagus nerve, with most of the nerve fibers coming up from the gut to the brain, so they can relay messages back and forth to each other.

Dr. Michael Gershon, researcher and author of The Second Brain, states, "nearly every substance that helps run the brain has turned up in the gut." The gut-brain has its very own supply of neurons, neurotransmitters, and neuropeptides, just as your cerebral brain does, which means that it can send and receive messages in the same way. The intriguing thing about the gut-brain is that it can operate on its own — like a free spirit, if you will — without any input from your other brain; it coordinates the process of digesting and eliminating food and absorbing nutrients without conscious thought. However, our two brains often act codependently. When one brain gets upset, so does the other. When your cerebral brain experiences stress, such as getting fired from your job or having an argument with your significant other, your gut may respond with cramping, nausea, or a bout of diarrhea.

Your gut-brain can also upset your other brain. Gut discomforts in the form of constipation, cramping, and irritable bowel syndrome can affect your cerebral brain by sending up messages of pain, altering your moods and your behavior.

Lines of Communication

There are several lines of communication that allow conversation between the cerebral brain and gut: the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the enteric system, hormones called neuropeptides, and the energy systems.

Central Nervous System

The central nervous system — which consists of the brain and spinal cord — coordinates voluntary movement, translating your thoughts into electrical impulses that fire in your muscles. The central nervous system directs the muscles that help you pick up a fork, go for a walk, talk to someone, or perform any deliberate action. Your central nervous system also responds to your gut via impulses fired along the vagus nerve that connect cerebral brain to the gut-brain.

Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system has two different types of nerves that perform different actions in the body: one that revs us up and the other that slows us down. In response to real or perceived danger and/or stress, the activating part of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, revs us up by pumping out stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This increases our heart rate and blood pressure, muscle tension, hormone levels, metabolism, and brain activity. Breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Blood is shunted from the digestive tract, which slows digestion and elimination (which can result in indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel flare-ups) and increases flow to the limbs to prepare us for "fight or flight." This is part of the reason why we experience that "sinking feeling" in our guts when we are afraid.

This "fight or flight" response to stress isn't necessarily bad; it enables us to respond to real danger and threats, such as running from a mugger. Unfortunately, we don't just experience racing hearts and a meltdown in our digestive and elimination system in response to real danger; we can experience it in response to anything. Anxious, fearful thoughts about unpaid bills, screaming children, car troubles, problems at work, and so forth can all trigger this "fight or flight" response. Our guts do not distinguish between real physical danger and perceived threats and stress.

However, we're not revved up all the time. In times of rest, the calming and restorative part of the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, is working. This keeps our heart rate and blood pressure stable, keeps our breath slow and deep, and diverts blood back to the internal and digestive organs, allowing our body and gut to rest and heal.

Enteric Nervous System

The enteric nervous system can and does function autonomously, however normal digestive function requires communication links between this intrinsic system and the central nervous system (CNS). These links take the form of parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers that connect either the central and enteric nervous systems or connect the CNS directly with the digestive tract. Through these cross-connections, the gut can provide sensory information to the CNS, and the CNS can affect gastrointestinal function. Connection to the central nervous system also means that signals from outside of the digestive system can be relayed to the digestive system (that is, for example, the sight of appealing food stimulates secretions in the stomach).

Neuropeptide Chemical Messenger System

Neuropeptides are tiny protein molecules that are manufactured and secreted by our top brain, as well as our gut's brain, organs, and immune system.

Neuropeptide chemical messengers are a two-way communication system. They carry our emotions, attitudes, perceptions, and intellectual thoughts from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain.

Experiences of love or joy and fear or depression cause the cells in the limbic system (your brain's emotional processing center) to release neuropeptides to enter the bloodstream. Within a blink of an eye, these chemicals attach themselves to cells' receptor sites throughout the body — altering your body's physiology, so that each cell in your body responds to that emotion. Each emotion is transformed into a physical response, resulting in cellular changes throughout the entire body. Positive thoughts and feelings induce healthful physiological shifts, whereas negative ones have a detrimental effect. When feeling love, you experience feeling light, your heart feels open, and there is an obvious and very real sparkle in your eyes. How about the experience of anger? Your muscles are tight, your face may be flushed, and your stomach may ache.

Not only does the brain communicate through the neuropeptide system directly with the body, but, because the body manufactures these same chemicals, it is able to converse back to the brain.

Again, neuropeptides are not just present and manufactured in the brain, but also in our organs, immune system, and throughout the gut. What this means is that our entire body can, and often does, feel and express emotion. In fact, the entire digestive and elimination tract is filled with neuropeptide messenger chemicals, from the esophagus through the end of the gastro-intestinal system (rectum). Dr. Candace Pert, neuroscientist and author of Molecules of Emotion, implies that the gut has manyneuropeptide messengers that make it a likely spot for us to "feel" a lot of strong feelings (that is, our "gut feelings").

Most importantly, messenger chemicals not only facilitate the two-way communication system between the brain and the gut, but also with the immune system. Actually, 70 to 80 percent of the body's immune cells reside in the gut. Research has shown that our emotional responses influence our immune function:

"Grief, distress, fear, worry and anger are emotions which have horrible effects on the body's function. Researchers have discovered that these emotions cause the release of chemicals — neuropeptides. These potent compounds have a profound immune-suppressive action. Scientists have traced a pathway from the brain to the immune cells [and from the immune system to the brain] proving that negative emotions can stop the immune cells dead in their tracks. ... Once this happens, harmful microbes or cancer cells can invade any tissue in the body."

— Dr. Cass Igram, Eat Right or Die Young

Every feeling and thought we have creates a biochemical response within our body. By changing our mental state, what we eat, whether we exercise, and if we give and receive sufficient hugs, we have the power to influence the production of these chemical messengers with us.

Molecules, Schmolecules — What the Heck Does All This Mean?

* Our body and brain cannot be separated, as one always affects the other.

* Neuropeptides carry our hopes and dreams as well as our fears and concerns to every corner of our being.

* Our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts are all mirrored in the physiology of our body.

* Every thought and feeling create a biochemical response within our body. Some are health-promoting; other are detrimental.

* Production of neuropeptides can be influenced by our mental state and lifestyle choices.

* Your gut is in communication with you.

Energy System

Modern science has only begun to acknowledge the brain's influence on the body, and it has yet to embrace the idea that the body may have some influence on the brain. Yet Asian philosophers and medical practitioners have recognized the interconnectedness of the mind and body for thousands of years. The Asian belief system dictates that the gut does not simply digest and assimilate food, but also acts as the "seat" of our emotions. This ancient paradigm believes that each emotion is literally an expression of energy, and it has understood the undeniable affect our thoughts and emotions have on our health in general and on our gut health, specifically. Fortunately for us, Western medical thought is rediscovering this ancient wisdom. A case in point is the information we are presently learning about neuropeptides: The cells that create and carry emotion exist in our immune system.

Chi, qi, life force, soul, hara, prana — these are just some of the names given to energy, the life force that is central to our health and well-being. Through thousands of years of observation, study, and application, the discovery in China of 360-plus points throughout the body took place. These high-energy areas are found along pathways called meridians and are located within the muscles corresponding to particular physical and psychological functions and responses within the body. For example, anger affects the liver; holding on to toxic thoughts and attitudes affects the function of the large intestine; over-analyzing and obsessions will disrupt sleep patterns and cause a spleen imbalance. Research has shown that these points are "electrically charged" differently than that of the surrounding areas in the body. Additionally, endorphins ("feel good" chemicals) are released by the brain and body when these high-energy points are stimulated through the art of acupuncture or acupressure. This "flow of energy" is also affected by the foods we eat, exercise, and our ability to process emotions.

As does the circulatory system that delivers blood throughout your body, the meridian channels ensure that chi flows through the limbs and organs. Doctors of Chinese medicine believe that repressed emotions can block these channels and prevent the flow of vital energy required to keep the body in homeostasis balance. If our emotional disturbances can't find an outlet through healthy expressions and releases, they can collect in the gut. Consequently, these accumulated "imbalances" will contribute to a myriad of ailments, from lumps and tumors to constipation, gut irritations, headaches, and even heart disorders and kidney imbalances such as diabetes.

In my practice as a colon therapist and in my Gut Wisdom workshops, I've observed my clients as I taught them how to massage, breathe, and bring awareness to their guts using various techniques. They were often surprised at how feelings of sadness, grief, and anger emerged. These feelings were usually underneath symptoms of nausea, cramps, constipation, and diarrhea!

As it turns out, we don't just hold or repress those unpleasant negative feelings but also the positive feelings such as joy or love! Has anyone unexpectedly given you a public display of affection — and it felt so warm and validating? But maybe it was too embarrassing, and you just couldn't take it in. Processing pent-up feelings such as these are equally as important as the negative feelings. Deep-breathing awareness, massage, and other deeper body-mind techniques and therapies may facilitate a healthy release.

Gut Exploration Exercise

Spend a moment gently massaging your own belly, breathing deeply as you massage. Notice if there are any tense or tender areas that may be your own personal holding areas. You may be surprised at how the simple act of touch can cause the release of tension and emotion.

So, we can see that a bellyache may be your gut's way of trying to bring its processes to your conscious attention; it's trying to tell you something.

Can you imagine ignoring, discounting, or dismissing every thought you had? Yet many of us regularly ignore the "thoughts" of our bellies: the rumbles, butterflies, knots, cramps, or even disease. Our guts act in much the same way our cerebral brains do, processing information and inciting chemical riots that can cause us to dance with happiness or double over in pain. Considering the power and influence of the gut-brain, how can you afford to ignore it?

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Excerpted from "Gut Wisdom"
by .
Copyright © 2004 Alyce M. Sorokie.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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