Functional MD’s tell some odd punch lines, like this one. They talk about their bacterial neighbors of course. Okay, not expecting any belly laughter on this one, but there is truth in this corny joke. My staff at Sanctuary Functional Medicine are used to my bad jokes though.
Researchers constantly find new interactions between our brains and our guts. The gut – brain axis stands out as one of the hot topics in journals online. So what comes out of these conversations between the gut and brain. For some it appears to be autism. For others it is irritable bowel. For still others anxiety and depression result.
These interactions occur in several “languages”. sometimes they speak immune system as gut bacteria trigger specific immune response. Sometimes they speak neurotransmitters as the bacteria either produce or feed on different brain active chemical messengers. Sometimes they speak endocrine as the bacteria either release or trigger the release of various hormones. At still other times the bacteria practically speak directly through the vagus nerve hotline to affect the autonomic nervous system.
This article is a good read for those wanting a good overview of how this all occurs. The primary downside comes towards the end. While optimism abounds for what the future holds, the current field of therapeutics is still foggy in regards to clinical studies for humans. Despite this, functional medicine already sees patients benefiting from gut restoration therapies such as probiotics, prebiotics, and anti-inflammatories. Sanctuary Functional loves seeing our patients live healthier more abundant lives through these therapies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.