My Gut Feelings - what happens in Vagus does not stay in Vagus

Welcome to the fifteenth post on Rejuvenated Life by a She. It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen weeks since that very first post. Time does fly when one is having fun. From scribbling to posting to repackaging and selling raw honey…………..it still feels surreal. 

Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of my dear doctor, Dr. Amole. He was not just my doctor but a friend and brother. He listened to me as long as I spoke and gave me tissue when I needed to wipe away tears. Thank you for encouraging me to fight HBP and assuring me I could do it. I will miss you for a very long time.

Vagus is a Latin word that means wandering. Today’s post is on the Vagus Nerve. Trust me, I’m not here to confuse you but inform you that your gut is directly connected to your brain, so watch what you eat. This wandering nerve is one of the longest and most important nerves, and it does get around. It stretches from the base of the brain all the way down the spinal cord and reaches key organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys etc along the way to end in the stomach. 

It connects the brain to the gut and can affect everything from mood and stress levels to digestion, heart rate and immune response. If the nerve is not at its best, it can aid inflammation and various chronic illnesses.

The vagus nerve sends sensory information to the brain (e.g. sights, smells, tastes and sounds), and controls certain motor functions throughout the body.

The signals run up and down the nerve, affecting different parts of the body including the brain, heart, lungs and gut. In the brain, it affects the mood, helps to make and store memories, and is essential for human connection. It slows down the heart rate, allows the lungs to breathe, promotes healthy digestion and helps the gut bacteria to talk to the brain.

An important communication that runs up and down the vagus nerve is hunger and fullness signals. Obesity can be linked to a lower sensitivity of the vagus nerve to fullness signals, and there’s a lot of evidence that this is caused specifically by diet. Obesity-inducing diets can actually alter the sensitivity of the vagus nerve to fullness signals, so it takes more food for your brain to get the “full now” signal. And just as you might expect, a higher sensitivity of the vagus nerve to satiety signal should lead to weight loss.

If a bad diet affects the sensitivity of the vagus nerve, it could be the one reason why gut health is so important in overall health.

Damage to the vagus nerve can trigger a variety of symptoms including changes in heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety, depression and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Most symptoms are due to under activity.

An under active vagus nerve can be stimulated by:

-      Cold showers.

-      Singing and laughter.

-      Gargling.

-      Yoga, Exercises and Deep Breathing.

-      Chewing food well and eating in a relaxed state.

-      Tensing stomach muscles.

-      Fish oils.

-      Prebiotics and probiotics

There’s a lot of research going on and the findings may lead to treatments for obesity, depression, autism, all of which have been linked to malfunctioning gut. It also has the potential to help those suffering from anxiety disorders, tinnitus, autoimmune conditions, memory and mood disorders, heart diseases etc.  

There will be no post for the next three weeks so I can plan, enjoy and relive my birthday. Until I resume, live well and eat like a king. Arrivederci!