Have you ever had an
anxious moment and felt “butterflies” in your stomach? This is an excellent
example of the connection between your gut and your brain. In fact there is a
direct connection between the two; your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a nerve
directly from your brain to your gut. It tells your gut what the brain wants it
to do. As well, the gut sends an enormous amount of information to the brain
that affects how your nervous system functions. This article will highlight some
of the important ramifications of overlooking this connection.

There are many different
ways the brain and the gut have direct connections: the vagus nerve, hormones,
neurotransmitters, and chemical messengers called cytokines. The vagus nerve
connects the brain in your skull to the brain in your gut; the enteric nervous
system. The enteric nervous system is a vast network of nerves surrounding every
inch of your intestines. If you could take all the nerves of your enteric
nervous system out of your body and roll them up into a ball it would be the
same size as your brain. The communication is a two-way street. If something is
wrong in the brain, something will go wrong in your gut and
vice-versa.

Most of us are familiar
with the neurotransmitter serotonin. Many of the drugs used to treat depression
are serotonin type drugs. The traditional healthcare approach to depression is
to give drugs that help increase serotonin levels in your body. What is often
overlooked is the fact that 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut. Thus,
if there is a problem in your gut that decreases serotonin production,
depression can be the final manifestation. Decreased serotonin production can
occur with gut infections, dysbiosis, and leaky gut. If these are the cause of
decreased serotonin wouldn’t it make more sense to rid your body of infection,
repopulate the gut with probiotics, or repair the leaky gut as opposed to adding
drugs? Unfortunately, this is not the norm in health care in the United States
these days.

Gut infections can have a
devastating effect on your brain health. Dysbiosis is a condition when the
normal population of bacteria is thrown off kilter. Your gut is populated with
trillions of good bacteria. When you get a gut infection the ratio of good to
bad bacteria is thrown off. The condition can actually be worsened when powerful
antibiotics are used. Yes, they will kill off the bad bacteria in most
instances, but they also destroy the good bacteria that we need to have proper
digestive health. One recent study showed a connection between autistic children
and problems with normal gut bacteria. They have even isolated a never before
seen bacteria in “normal” guts that is widely prevalent in “autistic”
guts.

Another side effect of gut problems is leaky gut. This is a condition when your gut literally has holes punched in it from the inside out. This is due to eating foods that your body has an immune reaction against. Gluten, dairy and soy are common offenders. These foods tear holes in your intestines allowing large, undigested proteins to pass directly into your blood stream. This is the leading cause of Autoimmune Disease in the industrialized world. Autoimmune reactions cause a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and allow toxic, inflammatory chemicals called cytokines to leak into your brain. This sets of a massive chain reaction where your brain starts creating more inflammation against itself. This is what causes the major neurodegenerative diseases we see nowadays: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, etc.

If you want to make sure
your brain is healthy you need to make sure your gut is healthy. If you are
unsure how to do this, call our office for more information.

Dr. Robert McCarthy

Board Certified Chiropractor

www.greenvillehealth.com  

www.greenvillefibrocare.com     

www.PittThyroid.com  
www.PittNeuropathy.com    

www.PittMigraine.com  

www.PittSD.com 

Neurotransmitters (NT) are chemical messengers produced by your body to send signals along a nerve pathway. In order for messages to be relayed along the miles of nerves within your body, neurotransmitters must be produced, released, received and cleared from the spaces between the nerves, the synapse. For example, if you step on a sharp piece of glass in your bare foot you immediately feel pain. The pain message is relayed along a series of nerves from your foot to your brain. The message jumps from nerve to nerve by specific neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are proteins that are produced inside your body. They are synthesized from amino acids obtained from the foods you eat. Different combinations of amino acids form different neurotransmitters. If your dietary choices do not supply all the necessary amino acids you could potentially wind up with a specific neurotransmitter deficiency. There are dozens and dozens of different neurotransmitters produced in your body and each one has a different purpose. Some have the job of exciting other nerves and some have the job of calming down or inhibiting other nerves. Each neurotransmitter has a unique molecular form that allows it to attach to only one type of receptor on the next nerve. It is similar to a specific key to open your front door and a different one to open your office door. If you try to open your front door with your office key you won’t get the desired effect. If you don’t eat the right foods you won’t have the necessary amino acids to produce neurotransmitters to give you their desired effect.
Some of the more common neurotransmitters you may have heard of are GABA, acetylcholine, glutamate, serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine. Different causes of NT deficiencies include poor dietary intake, emotional stress, physical stress, medication use/abuse and surprisingly, weight loss diets. Studies from several major universities have shown the same thing: Improper weight loss diets will deplete your body of serotonin, which in turn leads to increased cravings, lack of motivation, and increased moodiness all of which leads to rebound weight gain.
Another symptom of NT deficiency is depression. Most people in today’s world are either taking an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or they know somebody who is. These are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications. The most common complaint I hear from patients, particularly females, is the weight gain associated with taking these drugs.
Different NT deficiencies can lead to abnormal thyroid gland function. If your thyroid gland starts to slow down, so does your metabolism. Thus, your weight goes up. You can try one of the many fad diets to lose weight, but if you don’t crank up the thyroid again by balancing NT’s, you will never succeed.
NT’s affect the way the adrenal glands function. This is a big issue in today’s fast paced, high stress world. Adrenals are already stressed by poor diet, emotional stress, poor sleep habits, excess caffeine and soft drinks. Add to that NT imbalance and you are staring at adrenal fatigue. Blood sugar dysregulation, cortisol surges and insulin spikes all just compound the problem.
Traditional health care is not equipped to deal with these types of chronic health problems. Typically you will be given a drug to cover up the symptoms, your metabolic condition will persist, and you will have to deal with the side effects of the medications, most notably, unwanted weight gain. This is a flawed system of trying to regain health.
In our office we utilize a very detailed history including asking about any drugs or medications you have ever taken. We also have all of our patients fill out two very in-depth questionnaires: one that explores their metabolic profile and another that evaluates their NT levels. This is the only way to truly get at the root cause of patients chronic health problems and helping people regain their health while losing weight.

Dr. Robert McCarthy
Board Certified Chiropractor
916 Evans Street
Greenville, NC 27834
252.758.2222
www.greenvillehealth.com

Dr. Robert McCarthy
Dr. McCarthy graduated from the prestigious S.U.N.Y.@ Stony Brook with a bachelors degree. He then attended New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, NY, graduating with a Doctorate in Chiropractic. After graduation Dr. McCarthy accepted an appointment to the NYCC faculty where he was a distinguished instructor in orthopedics, neurology and radiology.
Dr. McCarthy has been in practice for the last 15 years in Greenville. Having focused on meeting the health needs of entire families, Dr. McCarthy offers unique treatments for children, adults, and elderly patients. He has a passion for helping people who have “been everywhere” and “tried everything”. Chronic conditions that destroy peoples lives are given special attention in his office.
Dr. McCarthy served as the chairman of the Research Committee for the North Carolina Chiropractic Association. He lectures regularly on health topics ranging from weight loss and thyroid gland function to immune system function and autoimmune disease management. For more information please call 252-758-2222 or visit our websites at:
www.greenvillehealth.com.
www.greenvillefibrocare.com
www.PittThyroid.com
www.PittNeuropathy.com
www.PittMigraine.com
www.PittSD.com

A.H., Greenville, NC