Just A Gut Reaction....

[elye]

Didn't quite know where to put this post...I guess it has to do with symptoms and testing.

I have just read the most fascinating article in the latest Prevention magazine by Sarah Mahoney, and all sorts of bells are going off in my head. It is a feature on intuition called "Going with your gut", and after discussing the nature of hunches and insight, the author talks about why we sometimes call a moment of intuition a "gut feeling":

"The brain may not be our only source of intuitive wisdom. Doctors are now paying more attention to the way nerve cells in the gut interact with the brain....The gut has more nerve cells than the spinal cord. And although researchers don't yet know why, there do seem to be people who experience emotions and insights more at the gut level than others. Those intestinal nerve cells contain most of the body's serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, as well as our emotional and psychological well-being...The particular receptor these gut cells use to process serotonin is identical to the receptor used in the portions of the brain where intuitive thinking occurs. Learning more about the continual interaction between the brain and belly may lead us to more balanced decisions."

Wow.

Undiagnosed celiacs are destroying their lower intestine, and are therefore likely wiping out a lot of nerve cells containing serotonin. Lack of serotonin causes all kinds of conditions, depression and anxiety being only the start, but apparently this neurotransmitter also likely causes us to generate "hunches" or intuition. This is fascinating...by extension, we of the damaged small intestine aren't as intuitive. I did the quiz that is part of the article to determine how intuitive you are, and I came out as fairly strong. Then I realized that I answered the questions differently than I would have two or three years ago....when I was eating gluten and wrecking my intestinal nerve cells! So I urge everyone to grab the July issue of Prevention and read the article, and do the test. Maybe now that you are gluten-free, you are having more "gut reactions!"

[Mango04]

That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

[BRUMI1968]

I definitely don't lack intuition, but sometimes I lack the fortitude to stick with it in the face of adversity - you know, if I don't know "Why" I feel something ... but isn't that the whole point of intuition? Interesting. I'm going to look up this magazine. Thanks.

[ajay]

wow...

I find this pretty interesting. If I remember correctly, the cells that form your nervous system and the cells that form your skin develop from the same part of the developing embryo. And the lining of your gut is part of your skin (it's true, we're just donuts with a very complicated "hole" in the center).

This comes to my mind whenever people talk about something making their "skin crawl" or having "gut reactions." And I know plenty of folks who get upset or aching stomachs as a reaction to stress.

Hm.