We remind you all of the time about the importance of keeping your digestive system in good working order; but research is being done that shows it's more than preventing a tummy ache - it could effect your entire body.

From the esophagus to the intestine the entire system is sometimes referred to as the gut and is a single digestive organ. What is really amazing is that it also has it's own nervous system that allows it to operate independently from the brain. This nervous system also controls the pancreas and gall bladder and, like the brain and spinal column, is full of nerve cells. The small intestine alone contains around 100 million neurons which is about the same number found in the spinal cord. It is believed that the vagus nerve - the large nerve running from the gut to the brain - actually transmits more information to the brain than it carries "orders" from the brain. Interesting, but what does it mean?

Researchers don't yet know how all of this effects the entire body, but there are some really amazing issues being studied. For example:

• 95% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut! So research is being done to link GI disorders with depression and anxiety. Serotonin also is necessary for digestion of food, cell repair in the liver and lungs, heart development, and bone-mass accumulation.
• electrically stimulating the vagus nerve has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and epilepsy. Another study of a similar procedure has been shown to help improve learning and memory in an animal study.
• a very small study marks the beginning of research of autistic children and a bacterium that is found in intestines
• Parkinson's Disease damages the neurons in the brain, it also damages neurons in the gut. There is research being done in France to see if Doctors can track the disease through easily procured colon biopsy samples rather than dangerous brain biopsies.

All of these studies are in the early stages and it may be years before we see any office level treatments for these health concerns; but, it should give us all a greater motivation to take care of our "guts". If you have any concerns about your health you should seek medical treatment right away. If you would like to make an appointment with a physician at GI Associates please call 601-355-1234.