The Second Brain

Since the gut is closely connected with your overall well-being, improving its health and keeping it happy makes a lot of sense, says Raji Menon Prakash

- Raji Menon Prakash

After years of struggling with lupus an autoimmune disorder), I was very upset to learn that I had also developed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis another autoimmune disorder) despite being careful about my health, I seemed to have immunity-related problems. A desperate call to my vaidya ayurvedic physician) gave me some insights. He asked me to fix my gut and explained that my gut health is directly proportional to my well-being. Most impediments that I was facing in my physical and mental well-being were simply a manifestation or reflection of my unhappy gut.

The gut was not the first place that I thought I must look to find the cause of my autoimmune disease, but as my body’s second brain, I discovered that my gut is closely connected to my immune system and that the gut microbiome, the environment of bacteria in my gut, influenced and interacted with multiple aspects of my health, including my mood and metabolism. The brain in my head and the one in my gut are also constantly exchanging information it seems! My vaidya, Dr K V Vijith the chief physician and MD at Dr K V Vijayan Institute of Ayurveda and Medical Science), explained that dysbiosis—or an imbalance between good and bad bacteria in the gut—has been associated with numerous diseases, including autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and even Parkinson’s disease. The Johns Hopkins Medicine website pointed out something very similar: Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this brain in your gut’ is revolutionising medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health, and even the way you think.”

Tapping into the gut’s wisdom