By: Dr. Michelle Irwin!

Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach? For the most part, people know that it’s our stomach trying to tell us something, but how do we know what it is trying to say?

Whether good or bad we know that something is going to happen, or our intuition tells us to act on something. We think nothing of it because it is just part of how things work, but why? Why does it work this way?

Well, researchers wanted to know the same thing, so they have been studying it for at least a century. Remember Pavlov and his dogs? This experiment showed that even just the thought of food would elicit a response in dogs and people do the same thing. You think about something you want to eat without being hungry and then your stomach starts growling because your digestive system is preparing for you to eat it. That’s why food commercials are so effective especially around dinner time.

But this isn’t the only way our brain and our digestive system are connected. Stress can cause your stomach to hurt because you feel that nudge from deep down inside to take action. Stomach pain can also cause you to get stressed out as well because of that connection.

With this knowledge, researchers have found out that people with digestive issues experience pain more acutely due to the sensitivity of their gut. Any added stress can cause more intense pain, that’s why one person’s pain scale doesn’t match another’s, it is all subject to our internal environment.

Among the most common gut and digestive issues related to stress include:

• Heartburn
• Abdominal cramping
• Bloating

Long-term stress can also lead to more serious issues, but the good news is that researchers have also found that people who are able to reduce stress have seen significant improvement in their digestive complaints!

Some great ways to reduce stress include:

• Meditation
• Exercise (4-7-8 Breathing Technique is Amazing!)
• Chiropractic adjustments
• Good nutrition
• Good sleep

Remember that your brain and your gut are constantly communicating so our mood affects our gut, and our gut affects our mood. Eat right to think right!