A little research history of the gut and its connection to our overall health

This is a short introduction to the history of treating and understanding the gastrointestinal tract. 

At the beginning of the 19th century, the connection between the gastrointestinal tract, the brain, and our psychological health was self-evident. Around 1811 a doctor named Abernathy wrote about the relationship between the gastrointestinal tract, our mood and other health issues. He said that it is better to consume more natural foods instead of the processed ones, that came on the market with the industrial revolution. 

From circa 1828 the gut and the intestines were more and more separated through the better understanding and development in medicine and science. Doctors started to look only at the organs instead of seeing the body as a whole and developed new diagnosing methods. 

They started to operate and give drugs and banned the psychological component completely. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, they began to get frustrated, because despite all the efforts and developments in medicine they did not understand everything. This led to a rethinking of the current methods. 

A lot of doctors at that time insisted that a problem in the gut area is linked to emotions and behavior or rather that psychological problems should be treated alongside and included in the diagnosis if one wanted to see results or heal. The connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract got a new upturn. Despite that upturn, not everyone saw it that way and it was kind of a competition between doctors, psychologists, pharmacologists and so on. Everyone was convinced to be right and the latter were convinced, that the organ should be treated solely as a body part.

At the end of the last century, the causal relationship between psyche and gut problems got attention again and they started to investigate and research it once again. 

Nowadays it is clear, that the gastrointestinal tract has a lot more functions than mere digestion. It has an influence on our emotions and behavior and our psychological health as well. We also know that around 80 percent of our immune system is located in the gastrointestinal tract. Which means that it has a tremendous influence on our overall health. So, if the gut gets sick, it is very likely that the rest of our health suffers. It is more likely that we catch a common cold or the flu, we can get more prone to allergies and we can feel lethargic. The gastrointestinal tract has a nervous system (in the bowel wall) of its own and therefore its nerve cells. They can operate self-sufficiently from the brain up to a certain degree, by sending signals and causing the distribution of many hormones and messenger substances.

These nerve cells are in constant communication with the brain and transmit information about the situation in the gut area. Substances in our gastrointestinal tract give information to the “gut-brain” which sends it to the brain. And the other way around of course. The communication isn’t one-sided. 

You can probably remember, that in certain situations you can feel it in your gut. Or the term gut feeling is surely familiar to anyone. You act upon your gut feeling. It is sometimes difficult, to separate where the feelings are coming from, is it a decision made in your head or are you following your gut? Is that even distinguishable? 

The latest research even suggests that fast food (highly processed foods) can trigger aggression, focus issues, ADHD, or depression.

Also related are psychological stress (Trauma) like psychological illness (e.g. depression or anxiety disorders) and especially early childhood trauma with deteriorating gut health and illnesses in that area. For example: irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn´s disease. 

The treatment of gut-related sickness should thus be accompanied by a treatment of psychic health as well.