Understanding Your Vagus Nerve

The Vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve and is also known as the wondering nerve as it wonders through so many of your internal organs.

These neural fibres stem from your brain through your lungs and heart, your liver, stomach, spleen, kidney’s and both the large and small intestines. So as you can see it is a vitally important part of your communication system in your body.

This important structure is responsible for a number of biological processes in your body, some of which include regulating your breathing and heart rate, altering blood vessel diameter, certain reflex actions such as coughing, sneezing, swallowing and vomiting, and of course regulating digestion and your parasympathetic nervous system, also known as your rest and digest rate.

The Vagus Nerve is a major part of the gut-brain connection. It is a bi-directional current of vital communication between your gut and your brain which stems from not only the enteric nervous system, but the microbiota as well.

Through the Vagus Nerve, sensory information is sent up to the nuclei (clusters of neurons) in the amygdala oblongata (the emotion centre of the brain), and from here motor impulses are sent down to the digestive system.

It is no wonder that there is a link between the gut and the brain influencing our moods, with a direct highway of nerve fibres sending messages influenced by the microbiota in your gut to the emotion centre of the brain.

Vagal Tone

The tone of your vagus nerve, or the strength of this nerve, has a direct link with it’s ability to regulate stress and emotions, as well as it’s ability to regulate metabolism, and immune responses (including inflammation). When there is a lack of tone in the vagus nerve, we see an increase in anxiety, depression, stress, difficulty concentrating, and inflammation.

Some ways in which the tone of your vagus nerve can be compromised includes chronic stress, gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in your microbiota), viral infections, inflammation, obesity, or abdominal surgery.

Increasing vagal tone is associated with an ability to better cope with stress and other mood disorders, as well as a reduction in inflammation and symptomatic relief from many digestive issues.

Having a daily routine which incorporates self-care practices, meditation, stretching, gentle exercise and a balanced diet is a great place to start. By giving yourself just one hour a day, you can increase the tone and strengthen your vagus nerve and restoring balance to your digestion and emotional well-being.

There are also numerous herbs, supplements and specific probiotic strains that have been shown to assist with strengthening vagal tone.

However, these recommendations can vary from person to person as the make up of our individual gut microbiota can be quite vast and unique.

For this reason, I provided online consultations to assess your individual needs and give you the best treatment protocol suited to you.

Book your consultation here.

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Living with Anxiety

Anxiety would have to be one the most common emotional states that I see in my clinic, and that is in general, a driving state of being in this world we live in today.

Very few people have learnt to master this emotional state, and yet it is something that we all experience from time to time. For many of us it is a daily occurrence and something we have been living with for most of our lives.

So what is anxiety and why is it such a big part of our lives today?

I will endeavour to answer these questions from three different perspectives, the physical, lifestyle and from the perspective of the soul.

Physical

The first perspective is about our physiology, that is how our body and our biology can contribute to anxiety being such a common emotional state.

There are two main factors that are involved with the body’s mental health and that is of our gut health and our neurology.

If your gut is not in a healthy state with lot’s of beneficial microbiome, which is also anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing, then the microbes living in your gut are contributing to the anxiety you feel. You see, it’s the bacteria in the gut that communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve. If there is an overgrowth of nasty opportunistic or pathogenic bacteria present then they are sending nasty thoughts and emotions directly to your brain, which can lead to all kinds of emotional states, especially anxiety.

The second factor is your neurology, this is your individual make up of your brain chemistry and just how balanced it is or is not. Our neurotransmitters are derived from amino acids which are found in the foods we eat. Each neurotransmitter has it’s own individual journey as to how it is anabolised into form, however, if your body is not receiving the correct amount of nutrients that it needs to produce the amount of neurotransmitter’s to relax your nervous system, then you will experience anxiety on a daily basis.

Lifestyle

The second perspective is lifestyle, the choices we make and how we live our daily lives.

There was once a time when humanity did not have nearly the amount of stress we see in today’s world. We lived a much simpler life, with less technology, less ‘work’ and less ‘bus-i-ness’. Spending more time in nature and much more time just ‘being’.

During these times, there was a whole lot less anxiety than what we experience today.

So lifestyle is about how you are living your day to day life and how that contributes to the anxiety you’re feeling.

It’s about the foods you choose to eat, the shows you choose to watch, and the way you choose to spend most of your time.

How often to you go into nature, deep in the forest or by a waterfall or creek?

How often do you take some time to just stop and appreciate all that is around you?

Are you breathing deeply into your body each second of the day, or do you often forget to breath and realise you’ve spent the last 30 days (or 30 years) breathing into your throat.

Quality of life is essential for managing anxiety, taking those precious moments each day to really connect with yourself and go deeper into the being-ness of who you truely are.

Soul

The third is from a Soul perspective, how our inner most part of our being is gently calling us home.

When is the last time you were immersed in the silence of your inner most being?

The deeper parts from within, that gentle nudge, that whisper.

Your Soul essence is a part of you and it is buried deep within your being, waiting for you to connect, wanting to share with you all the secrets it holds that are all about who you truely are.

When we get caught up in the ‘bus-i-ness’ of life, we lose this sacred connection.

Quite often the anxiety your feeling is a reflection of this disconnect.

And this shows up in my client sessions time and time again.

When we just simply stop and listen. Really hear what is not being said, but felt. The anxiety dissipates and we are reunited home with all of who we truely are.

 

If you are interested in knowing more of any of these perspectives and how I can assist you to go deeper into them, you can book a free 15 minute discovery call with me today by clicking here.

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Mental and Emotional Stress Changes Your Gut Flora

Stress is a part of everyday life, it is necessary to give us the drive we need to get things done.

However, when it comes to chronic stress, this is something that we have come all to familiar with as a part of a normal way of being.

Stress is defined as a strain or overexertion on our bodies, and our minds.

It is associated with feelings and actions we all know too well, the overwhelm, sleepless nights, excessive thinking, emotional releasing, outbursts, anger, frustration, helplessness, constant worry, nausea, panic and uncontrollable crying.

While these are all outward expressions of stress, it is also relevant to address the internalisations of it as well, for those whom tend to keep the feelings bottled up inside and perhaps not to show a physical exertion, and yet are just as effected by the underlying health issues this can have on the mind and body.

Stress has a huge impact on our physical and emotional body. It effects our gut flora and in turn therefore effects our mental well-being.

The microbiota in our guts are directly linked to our mental and emotional health. As our body breaks down the gut microbiome, it releases by products called metabolites. These metabolites, along with the microbiota, communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve.

When we have a healthy selection of microbiota in our guts then we can send healthy and harmonious messages to our brain.

However, if our gut flora has more of imbalance and therefore is dominated by a higher selection of dysbiotic flora, it can send stress signals to the brain and lead to emotional and mood disorders such as anxiety, stress and depression.

Which in turn leads to more dysbiotic gut flora, and the cycle continues.

Long term stress and the HPA axis

The HPA axis involves the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain, as well as the adrenal glands. It is responsible for many processes in the body including digestion, sexuality, immune response and how you handle stress. It is also crucial for the coordination of your endocrine system with your nervous system, specifically your fight or flight response.

In short summary, when you perceive something to be a danger or a threat, action potentials in the brain trigger neuron’s in your hypothalamus to release a peptide hormone CRH. This hormone takes a short trip through the blood stream to the anterior pituitary gland and binds to a receptor on the target cell. This triggers the release of a hormone called ACTH which travels through the blood to your adrenal glands. This then triggers the release of a frenzy of different ‘freak-out’ compounds known as glucocorticoid and mineral corticoid hormones, simplified as cortisol. This activates the sympathetic nervous system which drives the body into what is known as the fight or flight response.

When your body is in the fight or flight response, a negative feedback loop is triggered in the hypothalamus to switch off the release of stress hormones and begins the slow process of down regulating the nervous system back into a calm parasympathetic state of rest and digest.

Long-term stress however, blocks this negative feedback loop reaction and switches off the HPA axis which in turn making it near impossible to self-regulate back to a calm state with an elevation of stress hormones circulating through your system.

This results in a reduction of brain derived neurotropic factor and serotonin and an increase in glutamtergic action in the amygdala which is associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

What this means for your gut microbiome

The impact of the excess stress hormones in your body dysregulates motility in your gut lining which in turn alters the gut microbiota composition.

This then decreases your gut barrier integrity, a protective epithelial lining, which leave the gut susceptible to invasive pathogenic bacteria and parasites.

Visceral hypersensitivity will also increase under this pressure thus resulting in higher levels of pain in your internal organs such as cramping, stomach aches and other internal sensitivities.

Under these conditions, your gut will continue to multiply the wrong kind of gut microbiota that are thriving in an unhealthy environment, as your gut continues to cater the perfect conditions for them to thrive.

Overall, this will all lead to a case of gut dysbiosis that will in turn increases the pro inflammatory cytokins which further releases more stress hormones, and again, the cycle continues.

Understanding the composition of your gut flora is essential for beginning your healing journey. Different microbiota will thrive in a variety of different environmental and dietary conditions, and sometimes its not just as easy as taking a dose of antibiotics and/or probiotics to restore your GIT back to health long term.

You can learn more about your gut microbiome by ordering a microbiome mapping test. Book an online Naturopathic consultation to start your healing process today.

Detoxing Essentials

When you hear the word “Detox” what immediately comes to your mind?

Do you feel restricted, like you can’t eat the foods or enjoy the lifestyle you like? Or do you feel excited to have a clean, clear body and mind?

In this day and age, we are exposed to toxins everywhere we turn. We inhale them in the air, consume them in our foods and even drink them in our water supply. And all that occurs while we are trying to be healthy!

So what are toxins?

Toxins are small molecules, peptides or proteins that are able to cause a certain level of disease or disorder to the body, either by direct contact or by tissue absorption.

They prevent the body from functioning correctly as they are capable of interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes and cellular receptors.

Your body is designed to continuously strive for a balanced state of equilibrium. Toxins are one of the major contributors which interfere with this, thus resulting in illness and disease.

A regular detox is vitally important to maintain a healthy body and mind.

{why detox? clearer mind.. deeper healing etc}

How Detoxing Effects Your Psyche

Is a foggy mind something that you experience often?

How about poor judgement, low concentration, cloudy thoughts, short attention span or a jumbled mind?

All of these symptoms are evidence that you may have an overload of toxins in your mind.

This can result from unprocessed trauma, an imbalance of the right microbiome in your gut, hormonal imbalance or severe stress.

All of which can be supported through giving your body a nourishing and cleansing detox, balancing the hormones and gut, and processing the unconscious disturbances deep in your psyche.

When we do the deep inner work, as in processing emotional states of being that may be buried deep in our subconscious mind, having a lighter and cleaner body can support you through much more efficiently.

And thus, once having a clean and clear body and mind, you will naturally feel more drawn to process all that has been locked away in your subconscious to open you up to a greater capacity to live a more fulfilled and abundant life.

Where to Start

You may be wondering the best way to get started on your new detox journey.

A great tool for this is my detox program that I have created for this exact purpose, it is located in the online program section of my website, or by clicking this link here:

Detox Program

This programs covers a comprehensive approach to detoxing and includes cleansing protocols for the mind, body and home environment.

It is designed with the busy lifestyle in mind, so you can plan ahead to create a successful, fail proof detox while still going about your regular routine.

 

This program is inclusive of a 3-day cleanse with everything you need including:

Detoxing Meal Recipes

Easy Meditations

Tips to detox the chemicals from your home

Recipes for Natural Home Products

A daily planner

Easy, Simple Step by Step Instructions to Succeed and Feel Great!

 

Purchase the program now by following the above link and begin your detox journey right away!

 

Gut Dysbiosis

Disbiosis is an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut, which can lead to disease and or mental and emotional imbalances.

The human body contains more than 10 times more bacteria cells than human cells, and over 100 times more bacterial genes than human genes.

The total weight of the microorganisms that make up the gut microbiota of a modern Western person contains around 2kg, so much so that this is now considered by some experts as seperate human tissue.

Your gut’s microbiota has a huge impact on physical, mental and emotional health.

Abnormalities in microbiome have been recognised in conditions such as IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and obesity.

Since discovering that some of the microbes in our body can modify the production of neurotransmitters found in the brain, it is becoming more common knowledge that the gut has a direct impact on sleep, moods, depression, anxiety and other neurochemical imbalances.

Disbiotic bacteria are non-health promoting bacteria that do not benefit the health of the host in any way at all.

Encouraging Dysbiosis

As with all living things, the bacteria in your gut rely on food to survive, and each different species of bacteria are accustomed to eating specific types of food.

Because the bacteria in your gut are going to feed off the foods you put in your body, what you feed your body is essentially linked to the health of your gut and therefore your entire body.

The real issue we face in modern times is that the Western diet is mostly focussed on foods that will encourage the growth of bad bacteria to flourish, and discourage the growth of the good probiotic bacteria that we need to thrive.

A diet that is high in refined sugars, overcooked saturated fats, carbohydrates from white flour and processed seed oils only feeds the bad bacteria, creating an overgrowth of disbiosis in the body.

In order to feed the good guys, we need to see a diet that is high in fresh leafy greens and vegetables, lean protein, omega 3 fats, probiotic containing foods, complex carbohydrates and lots of fibre.

The lack of dietary fibre in our Western diet actively discourages the growth of health-promoting probiotic bacteria.

In addition to all of this, these diets also contain the probiotic-killing use of pesticides, disinfectants, and antibiotic residue that is constantly being ingested with these foods which result in the perfect recipe for a weak microbiome. Specifically lacking in lots of different types of microbes (biodiversity).

The diseases that we see today such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, strokes, autoimmune disease and cancers, were virtually unknown in hunter-gatherer societies, and the gut microbiome of those living in developing countries are far more diverse (2-3 times the mass) than those of a Western society.

The Three-fold Effects of Dysbiosis

Firstly, you miss out on the anti-inflammatory effects that a probiotic gut will give you.

Secondly, You are exposed to a multitude of toxic bacterial bi-products and inflammatory effects of a dysbiotic bacteria.

Thirdly, the product of fatty acids, which are fuel for the gut wall cells, is reduced and the function of the gut barrier becomes impaired. The transfer of toxic byproducts of bacterial sugar fermentation across the gut wall occurs and these chemicals end up in our bloodstream. This will not only make you feel unwell but it is also the underlying theory to the development of autoimmune disease. Which is also known as increased gut permeability or leaky gut.

Correcting the Effects of Dysbiosis

The good new is that it can be repaired and reversed.

Studying your gut diversity through a microbiome mapping test will give you an idea of the imbalance that might be present.

Knowing these imbalances is the first step to correcting them and encouraging the growth of a healthy bacterial colony.

My gut protocols will assist you to step through each stage of the gut healing process and guide you back to a healthy state of probiosis and overall physical and mental health.

You can book a consultation with me here.

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IBS and Your Gut Microbiome

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is considered a functional bowel condition, this is because there is structurally nothing wrong with the gut and yet the functionality of it proves something is definitely not ok.

IBS-D is a diagnosis given if you are experiencing bouts of diarrhoea when there is no other explanation for it, such as inflammatory bowel disease, food poisoning or a virus.

When suffering from IBS, one can experience:

  • Excessive gas production
  • Cramping and gut pain
  • Abnormal motility
  • Low-grade inflammation
  • Low-level gut irritation

The Bacteria Involved

There was once a time when IBS was not considered a diagnosable medical condition, as there was very little evidence that anything was physically wrong in the body.

However, with modern research, these days it is not overlooked as a psychological condition but rather a more serious imbalance of gut microbiota, also referred to as gut dysbiosis.

People with IBS-D have consistently shown to have an overgrowth of Ruminoccocus torques as well as a reduction in Clostridium and various species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

An overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut create an intoxication of harsh chemicals and toxic gases that are released by an array of dysbiotic bacteria that are fermenting carbohydrates in the gut which leads to bloating, offensive gasses and pain.

Living with IBS 

The development of IBS will almost always begin with a bout of gastroenteritis, traveller’s diarrhoea, a stressful event or a course of antibiotics. You may recover from the original condition but are never quite the same again.

Experiencing further bouts of bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort, randomly at first, however the condition continues to worsen over time.

You might have tried over-the-counter remedies, or spoken to your doctor about possible treatments, or perhaps you just put up with the symptoms and tell yourself it will get better over time, it’s not that bad.

You’ve tried all the diets, all the medications, and all the recommended protocols, both natural and medical, but yet it still comes back, and continues to get worse.

Perhaps you have even reached the point that you are too afraid to leave your house, and if you do then you need to know the location of every bathroom from your home to your required destination, and just like that IBS now controls your life.

And if having the symptoms of an irritable bowel isn’t bad enough, you’ll also notice that the imbalance of gut bacteria is also effecting your moods, your emotions and your sleep.

You’re probably also feeling anxious, frustrated, fatigued and suffering from lack of sleep, not to mention the deterioration on your physical body due to malabsorption from poor gut permeability including damaged hair, weak fingernails and perhaps dull, baggy eyes.

There is Help Available

The good news is that we can definitely turn IBS around, and it does not have to be something you just have to live with for the rest of your life.

A gut protocol consisting of a microbiome mapping test as well as a weed, seed, feed program will have your gut back to normal in no time at all.

The microbiome mapping test is an essential step in uncovering the level of dysbiosis in your gut so you know exactly what you are working with.

The composition of gut flora is very specific and therefore it is a mandatory step in the process to uncover the workings of your inner world in order to be able to correct the imbalances that are creating all of your symptoms.

Once you have completed your microbiome test, the next step is to assist your body in finding it’s way back to a state of equilibrium by eliminating any bad bacteria present and supporting the growth of the good guys.

All of this can be achieved in a matter of a few months if the protocol is followed correctly, and of course taking in to consideration the severity of your individual symptoms.

To get started on your health journey, simply book an online consultation today via the booking link: BOOK ONLINE. 

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Keeping our cardiovascular system healthy is one of the most important aspect of overall health. If this organ fails to function correctly, the results can be fatal. Cardiovascular disease is the term used for all disorders of the heart or blood vessels, and is the leading cause of death and in Australia. There are a number …