As the tiny nerve filaments that innervate the neighboring cells join with one another, they form nerves, which are bundles of axons, extensions of the neurons that live in the gut. Amazingly, if you were to isolate these neurons and clump them all together, they would form a mass of neurons larger than the ones in your head. In fact, the brain in your gut is way more active in the production of neurotransmitters than the brain in your head. Serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for the feeling of happiness and well-being, is primarily manufactured in the gut—90 percent of it, in fact.”
– Alejandro Junger, M.D.
from Clean Gut
I’m ALWAYS blown away by the fact that our GUT has more neurons than our BRAIN.
Alejandro shares this in the context of talking about his own health challenges—at one stage at the peak of his medical practice when he was running around all hours of the day and eating poorly, he suffered from depression, irritable bowel syndrome and a bunch of other issues. He was on something like 7 prescriptions to deal with all of the challenges.
When he was diagnosed with depression, his psychiatrist pointed to his head and told him his brain was not producing enough serotonin.
In hindsight, Alejandro tells us, the psychiatrist should have been pointing at his gut.
Remember: Up to 90% of our serotonin is produced in our gut. (Nuts.)
Keep that in mind the next time you consider how to most effectively deal with your or a loved one’s depression.
Start with the GUT!
