Gut/Skin
The skin and the lining of our digestive system, collectively known as the gut, form one continuous surface. The skin comprises our external interface, while the gut makes up our internal interface with the world. Both are heavily populated with microbes, which are designed to act as a protective shield for the body. This shared microbial presence means that the two are inextricably linked, constantly influencing each other through various biochemical signals and immune responses. It’s little wonder, then, that there is a deep connection and ongoing communication between the gut and the skin. This relationship highlights the importance of maintaining balance within both systems, as disruptions in one can often manifest in the other.
Skin is much less permeable as it is in direct contact with the environment and has to act as a physical shield but the gut lining can be as delicate as a single cell thickness because of the need to readily absorb nutrients to supply our body with the fuel and building blocks it needs to function and repair. Supplying each of these ‘surfaces’ with the correct nutrition is key to the health of our system as a whole and our skin quality, so nutrition should be carefully considered to achieve optimal health for us and for our skin.
We literally are what we eat!
Where chronic skin conditions arise we cannot look at the skin in isolation and must consider nutrition and emotional health.
Gut/Brain
Did you know? Even when you’re preparing food, your brain sends signals to your gut to initiate the process of digestion, producing saliva and digestive enzymes, as it anticipates the arrival of food. The main bidirectional communication channel between these organs is The vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve isthe cornerstone of the parasympathetic nervous system – responsible for the involuntary responses within the body such as heart rate, digestion and immune responses. It is often referred to as the “wandering”nerve because it is a neural superhighway connecting the brain, heart, lungs and almost every major organ in your body. The parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve control your ‘rest and digest’ response allowing the body to calm down, manage stress and to recover and repair.
When your body is exposed to internal or external stressors the vagus nerveIs overpoweredby the sympathetic nervous system which Is your ‘fight or flight’ response increasing blood pressure and heart rate but slowing down digestion – which, of course, is a necessary response when we are seriously threatened – but in our modern lifestyles where many people are chronically stressed (long term low-level stress) the sympathetic nervous system is never quiet and continually sends signals which suppresses normal digestion, commonly manifesting as IBS, and because the vagus nerve touches so many organs of the body it is also believed to be linked with auto immune conditions.
With our new knowledge of our gut microbiome we know that when we eat a healthy diet high in fibre and a good variety of plant based foods gut bacteria actually produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, all of which positively influence our emotional brain chemistry and immune function.
Embedded in the lining of the gut is our enteric nervous system, often referred to as our ‘second brain’, which consists of millions of nerve cells responsible for communicating with the brain to control digestion and blood flow. Studies have shown that emotional stress profoundly affects the enteric nervous system, increasing inflammation in the gut and causing digestive problems.
Furthermore, we know that diets high in inflammatory foods such as processed sugars, alcohol and low in fibre and few plant based foods etc triggers the release of cytokines—stress signals that can make us feel anxious as well as reducing the amount of feel-good neurotransmitters produced of Even mainstream medicine recognises that conditions such as IBS are heavily influenced by our emotions, highlighting the profound connection between our gut, brain, and overall wellbeing.
Resources:
“The enteric nervous system relays psychological stress to intestinal inflammation”
“Vagus nerve as modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in psychiatric and inflammatory disorders”