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Change of Gut Feelings Improves IBS
Are you a stress Junkie? If you are very competitive, obsessed with finishing tasks quickly,
have a strong need for control, impatient, time-conscious, hostile, aggressive, or have a hard
time just relaxing, you may just be a stress junkie. Other names for you could be: Type A
personality, workaholic, or just plain stressed.
The Type A personality was first described in 1950 by two cardiologists who hypothesized
that people with certain personality traits would be more likely to suffer from heart disease.
Their research in over 3000 men proved that there were indeed risks to being competitive,
needing control, feeling impatient, stressed, or anxious and certain diseases. They found that
Type A personalities had double the risk of coronary heart disease. It turns out that health
risks don’t just stop at the heart; your gut can be affected as well. Some fascinating new
research is beginning to show that the gut and the brain are more closely attached then
anyone ever imagined and that stress junkies have a much higher risk for Irritable Bowel
Syndrome (IBS) .
A Gut Feeling
The rise of the scientific method in the last century has led us all to believe that we have
individual and separate systems on our bodies. We have a cardiovascular system, a nervous
system, a gastrointestinal system and so on. While this makes a handy tool to be able to
study the body, our bodies act more as a whole than a collection of separate systems. One
part of the body affects the other; they are all communicating with each other.
While we have known for a while that the brain influences organs such as the heart
(remember scientists discovered the relationship between Type A personalities and heart
disease in 1950), no one ever thought that there would be such a relationship with the gut, or
if there were a relationship it would be a minor one. It is now known that the brain and the gut
are intricately entwined .
Research on the brain-gut connection has spawned a new branch of medicine called
neurogastroenterology. Having a “gut feeling” may not just be a phrase, but a true
representation of intelligence of the gut.
Scientists have begun calling the gut “the second brain”, while it is tiny compared to the big
brain, it preforms many of the same functions. The brain has chemical messengers called
neurotransmitters, so does the gut. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin (the brain chemical
that many popular antidepressants increase) is located in the gut. The gut, in a very real way,
thinks and feels. There are more nerve cells in the gut than there are in the entire spinal
column; the gut carries on many of its functions without ever checking in with the big brain
upstairs.
This isn’t to say that there is no connection between the brain and the gut. In fact, how you
think dramatically affects what goes on in your bowels. Remember that last time you had to do
something very stressful? Didn’t your bowels feel the effects of that stress? This relationship
between brain and gut is dramatic in people with IBS. People who have IBS are much more
likely to say that they have stress and anxiety on a daily basis than people who don’t have IBS
.
There is no treatment for the Type A personality, there is, however, much you can do to
reduce the stress and anxiety associated with being a stress junkie.
Stress and Anxiety Reduction Program
The first thing you need to do is put some mileage on. Exercise is one of the most powerful
medicines you have. When you exercise, a whole series of chemicals are released (such as
endorphins) that make you feel good and calm. These chemical “medicines” are delivered at
exactly the right dose, in the right amount, at the right time. Clinical research studies support
that a regular exercise routine will reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you are feeling.
Start slow and choose an exercise that will increase your heart rate for a sustained amount of
time like walking, swimming, biking or jogging. Work you way up to 20-30 minutes 4-5 times
a week.
The next best treatment is deep breathing. While it sounds silly to a lot of people to try deep
breathing (heck, we breathe all the time), it is actually a powerful treatment for both stress and
anxiety.
Normally when you relax, your breathing gets deeper and longer, but you can turn this reaction
around and make it work for you. If you consciously start deep and slow breathing, you are
telling your brain that you are in a relaxed state. Remember, everything is interconnected. You
are relaxed and you deep breathe, or you can deep breathe and tell you body you are
relaxed. It works both ways. Try taking a breath-break at the top of every hour. Let the clock in
your room remind you. If you are near the changing of an hour, take 3 to 5 minutes to relax and
breathe.
While exercise and breathing can go a long way, we all need a little more help sometimes.
There are many powerful supplements that can help you on your way to a healthier you.
There are herbs that can help you relax and include Kava, Passionflower, Valerian, and the
milder Skullcap, Chamomile, Hops and Motherwort. All of these can be taken as a pill or in a
tea.
A Good Thing?
While being a stress junkie places you at a higher risk for certain conditions, it can also be
looked at as a good thing. People who are Type A are some of the most successful people in
the world. A lot of what gets done in the world can be contributed to these driven people. The
key is to balance your competitive nature so that you still get done what you want to get done
and not do any harm to yourself. Exercising, doing breathing exercises and taking
supplements can help you to create the balance you need.
Are you a stress Junkie? If you are very competitive, obsessed with finishing tasks quickly,
have a strong need for control, impatient, time-conscious, hostile, aggressive, or have a hard
time just relaxing, you may just be a stress junkie. Other names for you could be: Type A
personality, workaholic, or just plain stressed.
The Type A personality was first described in 1950 by two cardiologists who hypothesized
that people with certain personality traits would be more likely to suffer from heart disease.
Their research in over 3000 men proved that there were indeed risks to being competitive,
needing control, feeling impatient, stressed, or anxious and certain diseases. They found that
Type A personalities had double the risk of coronary heart disease. It turns out that health
risks don’t just stop at the heart; your gut can be affected as well. Some fascinating new
research is beginning to show that the gut and the brain are more closely attached then
anyone ever imagined and that stress junkies have a much higher risk for Irritable Bowel
Syndrome (IBS) .
A Gut Feeling
The rise of the scientific method in the last century has led us all to believe that we have
individual and separate systems on our bodies. We have a cardiovascular system, a nervous
system, a gastrointestinal system and so on. While this makes a handy tool to be able to
study the body, our bodies act more as a whole than a collection of separate systems. One
part of the body affects the other; they are all communicating with each other.
While we have known for a while that the brain influences organs such as the heart
(remember scientists discovered the relationship between Type A personalities and heart
disease in 1950), no one ever thought that there would be such a relationship with the gut, or
if there were a relationship it would be a minor one. It is now known that the brain and the gut
are intricately entwined .
Research on the brain-gut connection has spawned a new branch of medicine called
neurogastroenterology. Having a “gut feeling” may not just be a phrase, but a true
representation of intelligence of the gut.
Scientists have begun calling the gut “the second brain”, while it is tiny compared to the big
brain, it preforms many of the same functions. The brain has chemical messengers called
neurotransmitters, so does the gut. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin (the brain chemical
that many popular antidepressants increase) is located in the gut. The gut, in a very real way,
thinks and feels. There are more nerve cells in the gut than there are in the entire spinal
column; the gut carries on many of its functions without ever checking in with the big brain
upstairs.
This isn’t to say that there is no connection between the brain and the gut. In fact, how you
think dramatically affects what goes on in your bowels. Remember that last time you had to do
something very stressful? Didn’t your bowels feel the effects of that stress? This relationship
between brain and gut is dramatic in people with IBS. People who have IBS are much more
likely to say that they have stress and anxiety on a daily basis than people who don’t have IBS
.
There is no treatment for the Type A personality, there is, however, much you can do to
reduce the stress and anxiety associated with being a stress junkie.
Stress and Anxiety Reduction Program
The first thing you need to do is put some mileage on. Exercise is one of the most powerful
medicines you have. When you exercise, a whole series of chemicals are released (such as
endorphins) that make you feel good and calm. These chemical “medicines” are delivered at
exactly the right dose, in the right amount, at the right time. Clinical research studies support
that a regular exercise routine will reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you are feeling.
Start slow and choose an exercise that will increase your heart rate for a sustained amount of
time like walking, swimming, biking or jogging. Work you way up to 20-30 minutes 4-5 times
a week.
The next best treatment is deep breathing. While it sounds silly to a lot of people to try deep
breathing (heck, we breathe all the time), it is actually a powerful treatment for both stress and
anxiety.
Normally when you relax, your breathing gets deeper and longer, but you can turn this reaction
around and make it work for you. If you consciously start deep and slow breathing, you are
telling your brain that you are in a relaxed state. Remember, everything is interconnected. You
are relaxed and you deep breathe, or you can deep breathe and tell you body you are
relaxed. It works both ways. Try taking a breath-break at the top of every hour. Let the clock in
your room remind you. If you are near the changing of an hour, take 3 to 5 minutes to relax and
breathe.
While exercise and breathing can go a long way, we all need a little more help sometimes.
There are many powerful supplements that can help you on your way to a healthier you.
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP): 5-HTP is great for reducing stress and anxiety. It
provides the brain with the basic building blocks for brain-calming hormones. - Magnesium and Calcium: Why do people drink a glass of milk before going to sleep? It
is the calcium in the milk that is relaxing and calming. Magnesium is a mineral we all
don’t get enough of and has been used for a long time as a relaxing agent. - B-vitamins: If you are a type A individual, you are burning up B-vitamins. The B vitamins
play an essential role in all parts of the stress response, including acting as co-factors in
the creation of the brain chemicals that return you to a relaxed state. - Amino acids: L- Theanine is an amino acid that helps to reduce both mental and
physical stress without making your feel tired. This makes L – Theanine the perfect
supplement for the Type A personality. L-Tyrosine is another amino acid that can help
the body to restore the neurotransmitters that produce a calming reaction.
There are herbs that can help you relax and include Kava, Passionflower, Valerian, and the
milder Skullcap, Chamomile, Hops and Motherwort. All of these can be taken as a pill or in a
tea.
A Good Thing?
While being a stress junkie places you at a higher risk for certain conditions, it can also be
looked at as a good thing. People who are Type A are some of the most successful people in
the world. A lot of what gets done in the world can be contributed to these driven people. The
key is to balance your competitive nature so that you still get done what you want to get done
and not do any harm to yourself. Exercising, doing breathing exercises and taking
supplements can help you to create the balance you need.