Digestive health and intuition

Intuition is the ability to grasp something immediately and without conscious thought. We often describe it as a “gut feeling”. Although difficult to explain, it has an important role in decision- making and problem solving.

While its exact mechanisms are yet to be fully explained, researchers believe that intuition is a complex interaction between conscious and unconscious processes. When we use intuition in the right way, it can guide us to more creative solutions and better decisions.

The discovery that signals from the gut to the brain can influence feelings, emotions, and cognition, including beliefs and decision-making processes, has attracted considerable attention from both the professional and general public.

Psychosomatic medicine has accumulated a mass of evidence that various emotions and stress can alter the functioning of the digestive system.

The suggestion that the gut and brain are closely linked and that this interaction plays an important role not only in the functioning of the digestive system, but also in certain emotions and intuitive decision-making, is generating a great deal of public interest. Recent neurobiological research focusing on the intestine and brain has revealed a complex, bidirectional communication system that not only maintains digestive homeostasis and digestion, but probably also has a number of effects on mood, motivation and higher cognitive functions, including intuitive decision-making. Moreover, disturbances in this system are associated with a number of problems, including functional and inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and eating disorders.

The gut and the brain: two-way communication

Our intestines are home to trillions of microorganisms that form the gut microbiome. These microorganisms not only help us to digest food, but also produce a number of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which are key to regulating mood and emotions. Communication between the brain and gut is a bidirectional process, involving not only efferent but also afferent connections that transmit information from the digestive tract to the central nervous system. Extrinsic sensory neurons of the vagal and spinal nerves, which transmit mechanical and chemical stimuli, are one of the components of the gut-brain axis. Other important components of the gut-brain communication network include endocrine chemical messages transmitted by intestinal hormones, secreted from enteroendocrine cells of the intestinal mucosa, mediators (cytokines) of the digestive immune system, metabolic factors related to the absorption and digestion of nutrients, and messengers produced by the gut microbiota.

The link between healthy digestion and intuition is complex and multifaceted. However, we do know that taking care of your gut is a key step towards better mental health and strengthening your ability to listen to your inner voice.

By eating a balanced diet, managing stress, and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you can improve your digestive health and strengthen your intuition.

References:

• Holzer P. GutSignalsandGutFeelings: Science at the Interface of Data andBeliefs. Front BehavNeurosci. 2022 Jul 5;16:929332. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.929332. PMID: 35874652; PMCID: PMC9296981.