Gut Health: Fermentation + Hydrogen Water

The Gut-Brain Axis - You are what you eat?

Most people don't realize that our bodies have something called the enteric nervous system - that is, our gastrointestinal system has its own segment of the autonomic nervous system. On its own, this system is what helps to regulate our gastrointestinal functions (digestion and waste elimination, for example), even without input from the central nervous system. However, just because functions like digestion can function without the overarching nervous system, realistically this isn't the case.  Things that impact our nervous system - like stress levels - also impact our gut, and its ability to maintain homeostasis.

Not only does communication between the gut and brain impact your body's overall functioning, but because the gut produces dopamine and serotonin-making bacteria, this relationship becomes extremely important when it comes to our mood regulation. 

The link between the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the enteric nervous system is the vagus nerve, which helps both segments communicate. This relationship runs in both directions. This means that nervous dysfunction impacts gut health and microbiology, and that a lapse in gut health impacts overarching nervous system functioning (contributing to issues like depression and anxiety). 

This can cause chronic loops of nastiness, because developing issues like anxiety or depression (whether caused by poor gut health or trauma), can prompt someone to unconsciously deprioritize their gut health (causing more anxiety or depression). Or even if someone does begin to focus more on gut health, not actively working to rebalance the nervous system somatically (releasing stress and working through blockages healthily). will continue to wreak havoc on the gut (even causing the gut lining to begin to thin). Issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut reflect these issues.

The ultimate conclusion is that we must care for both our minds and our bodies harmoniously, without prioritizing one over the other.

So how do I prioritize my gut health?

We prioritize our gut health by making sure that we are maintaining our gut microbiome and feeding it well - this is where probiotics and prebiotics come into play. You can take supplements that contain both, but the healthiest way to take care of your gut is to eat healthy bacteria (probiotics) and fruits/vegetables (prebiotics). These days, fermented foods like kombucha, probiotic yogurt, kefir, and real pickles (a.k.a. foods that "catch" lactobacillus bacteria in order to pickle - not vinegar) are not hard to come by.

In fact, I have one kid-friendly recipe for kefir over on my Instagram page. Because although I sell hydrogen and hypochlorous products, I am ultimately an advocated for the overall shift in what health looks like for our children!

DAO Deficiency

That being said, be wary if you or your children possess a DAO deficiency, also referred to as a histamine intolerance. Our bodies use an enzyme called diamine oxidase, or DAO, to break down excess histamine. Some sensitive individuals cannot easily breakdown histamine (which is plentiful in fermented foods), and it ends up causing symptoms like upset stomach or headache. Recently this has been correlated with the condition ADHD, contributing to the severity of some of its cognitive symptoms. Check out my Instagram page @agua_mama_ and look for my post about DAO for more information!

Because our body systems impact one another, it becomes important to remember to manage your stress and clean house (emotionally!) every so often. Grounding, meditation, or even therapy can help reduce your body's load - thus benefiting the gut microbiome.