Healing Through the Gut

[Honeycomb913]

I suffered anxiety and depression for many many years although I was never 'officially' diagnosed with it, it wasn't very hard to put together. And I had barely realized the surges of panic and fear were panic attacks up until two years ago, during which they turned for the worst. None of this is from any professional knowledge only information that Ive gathered from my own studies and personal experiences while trying to overcome my own struggles but there are countless studies about the connection of the gut to the mental and emotional wellbeing in human beings. There are millions upon millions of gut microflora located inside the lining of the intestine with equally as numerous neurons that send electrical signals up to the brain. There's a connection between the brain and the GI tract called the enteric system. This enteric system is a two way connection in which the brain and gut can interact with each other. It allows the gut to do more than just tell the brain when we're hungry which is why whenever anxiety, unease, or fear sets in it majority of the time (at least for me) comes in the form of a heavy lump a knot or a drop in the stomach and also why we feel 'butterflies in our stomachs' or get 'gut feelings'


Stress and anxiety resides in the gut and goes up to the brain and not the other way around which is why a lot of the time (at least for me) fear panic stress and anxiety comes in the form of a lump, a knot, or a sudden twist or drop in the stomach.. What we eat has a major effect on our emotional wellbeing (the fact that comfort eating proves only a fraction of this fact) I don't want to go too long and drone on and on about all the different studies I'll only hit a couple key points and maybe post some links for anyone willing to read.


In the gut there are 'good' bacteria and 'bad bacteria and there's been a lot of research (and I've witnessed it in my own experiences) that links anxiety, depression, irritability, etc to the imbalance in the GI tract, Before I began my recovery I ate a highly acidic diet full of meats soda sweets and all kinds of unhealthy foods that fed the bad bacteria. And during my recovery I began utilizing this gut-brain connection to help me get a grip on myself. I still struggle sometimes and the road was a painstaking and outstretched one but I've gotten a good deal of control over my anxiety since beginning this last year.


A Probiotic-rich diet (probiotics feed/ help strengthen the good bacteria inside your body) has helped me a lot with my anxiety and depression. Some foods known to help boost emotional wellbeing through the brain and gut axis are:


-Maca


-Turmeric (depression)


-Apple Cider Vinegar contains pectin which is a prebiotic that promotes the growth of good bacteria


-Healthy leafy green vegetables and whole fruits


-And lowering the intake or cutting out completely meats, dairy, and refined sugar and finding healthier alternatives.


Mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing all ties together and trying to ease in a small exercise plan in there like walking (I fricken LOVE walking) helps regulate the pent up energy we hold in our body and gives us an outlet to get rid of the toxic emotions also.


Here's a couple articles for anyone interested in trying to use this to help their recovery (I know its helped me a LOT and continues to help as after a grueling year of trying to get my flora back in line I have more control of my thoughts, my emotions, and haven't had a full out anxiety attack in over three months. The most I get now is an insistent unease that I work myself through until I calm down. But this took a lot of hard work, faith, and perseverance)


GI Tract the Second Brain


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-feelings-the-second-brain-in-our-gastrointestinal-systems-excerpt/


Disrupting the Microflora in mice results in Anxiety related behavior


http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-anxiety-gut.html


Anxiety Links to Gut microflora in Mice


http://www.foodrenegade.com/study-shows-anxiety-may-be-caused-by-gut/


Boosting Good Microbria has Anti-Anxiety Effects


http://www.livescience.com/49248-gut-bacteria-mental-health.html

 

[Surrender]

What kind of probiotics do you take?


I do believe all this to be true as well. However for me it is so hard to get under control, even the slightest bit of meat, bread, dairy, etc. can throw me off, it is like the few bad things I eat completely negate the rest of my more plant based diet and take away it's benefits.


There was a time I was much stricter with myself and only ate fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, period. That was the time my digestion was most regular and I felt the healthiest.

 

[Honeycomb913]

What kind of probiotics do you take?
I do believe all this to be true as well. However for me it is so hard to get under control, even the slightest bit of meat, bread, dairy, etc. can throw me off, it is like the few bad things I eat completely negate the rest of my more plant based diet and take away it's benefits.


There was a time I was much stricter with myself and only ate fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, period. That was the time my digestion was most regular and I felt the healthiest.

Hey! I don't take pill form or capsule probiotics I'm completely devoted to all natural ways as much as possible BUT when I first started out I would make my own fermented jars (You can look up at-home fermenting if you'd like it's a great read and feeding the brain good food is just as important as feeding the body ) But I will have to note that I don't use the dairy that a lot of the processes use.


If you'd like one fun way is just to put all your favorite kinds of fruits or just some papaya pineapple pears etc. and put some slices into a jar fill it up with water and seasalt (healthy salt is prefered) or you can use Apple Cider Vinegar. But if you'd like it to taste sweet you should put a few tablespoons of REAL raw honey (the purpose of the sea salt and or the ACV and honey is so that the fruits won't spoil and start to produce bad bacteria only the good) and leave it for two three days and then drink the contents.


Just a couple ounces a day every day until it's low is great and you can always refill back up and leave for another couple days and do the same again! If not you can add the remaining fruits into a smoothie and have yourself a YUMMY probiotic rich smoothie. I Highly recommend looking up how to ferment your own things. WellnessMama posted many fermenting articles one of which is fermented Beets which is amazing for the body and blood cleansing. Fermented foods are highly probiotic rich because they're left for a number of days (with the proper healthy natural preservatives) to encourage good bacterial population. This good bacterial growth is the stuff that's going to help your little gut buddies look out for you. I LOVE my microflora especially after experiencing firsthand this past year just how much they take care of me.


Feel free to look up a list of probiotic foods but for your convenience a good list is:


Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)


Kimchi (a japanese dish f fermented mixed veggies, this is spicy however and spice is extremely key to burning off a parasitic environment in the gut)


Kombucha (a form of fermented tea but I personally haven't used this because it uses sugar but you could use it if you'd like.


Pickles (because they're fermented cucumbers.


Basically ANY veggie and fruit that is fermented is a perfect source of probiotic. PREbiotics also are very helpful as they promote the growth of PRObiotics. One example of which is ACV. I will mention that yogurt is often listed as probiotic rich but I don't eat it myself as I try to keep from dairy as much as I can, but again if you'd like you can feel free to take some as well.


I know what you mean about difficulty. This past year I had the hardest time trying to redirect my eating habits toward healthier grounds and I'm still in the interim. But I learned that when it comes to any kind of change, I have to be gentle patient and kind to myself if I want to keep to it long enough to see results. I hope this helped! Have a great day, ok?

 

[Surrender]

Can fermented foods be packed in oil? I am thinking of pickled vegetables (eggplant specifically) that are packed in oil. If they are pickled, does that mean fermented? So they have probiotics? Does the oil negate that, or is it still probiotic?


My only experience with probiotics are kefir (which I'm not sure if the dairy portion negates the probiotic digestive element for my body) and pills. Neither of those have been life changing on their own.


So is feta cheese fermented then too? And then would have probiotics?

 

[Honeycomb913]

cheese is a kind of fermented food. Fermentation is the process of letting something sit for an amount of time so that bacteria can be cultivated. Once something is fermented (don't take my word for it it's very important to look things up on your own) it can't be Unfermented as the bacteria is already there. I'd imagine the only way that could happen is if there was an agent added that killed bacteria like antibiotics etc. Oil doesn't negate fermentation to my knowledge. I've read somewhere that cheese is a source of probiotic but it's best to use the internet and look it up on your own it's really easy just type in Sources of Probiotics Probiotic rich Foods, Fermentation without dairy etc. Pickled foods are fermented foods but the PROCESS used to ferment them isn't always healthy for instance they could've used iodized salt etc. or added preservatives harmful to the body

 

[listener1987]

Moved this topic to the "natural remedies" section =)