Chronic stress and trauma negatively impacts survivors mentally, emotionally, and physically. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be in a state of fight or flight. We are only meant to be in fight or flight for a very short period of time. Traumatic events are much more prevalent today. In addition, the amount of chronic stress that we are under daily is incredible from the amount of toxins in our environment, our food, our water to constantly being connected to information, notifications, and EMF’s to working more hours and so much more. Our nervous system cannot tell if we are going into battle or driving on I-77 north of Charlotte during rush hour through a rainstorm or opening an urgent email from our boss. Urgency has become the norm for so many of us. Many of us become stuck in fight or flight or are in that fight or flight mode more so than not. Fight or flight has become a way of life and there are consequences in the form of dis- ease. Our nervous system was not meant to be in sympathetic (fight or flight) dominance more than parasympathetic (rest and digest).
Digestion supports the body’s balance in many ways. Digestion is a foundation that is required for optimal health and homeostasis of the body. Digestion supports the healthy function of endocrine health, immune health, cardiovascular health, detoxification, and the nervous system. While recovering from chronic stress and trauma, understanding the impacts of stress on the body can help with healing.
When your body is stuck in fight or flight like it is from a trauma or chronic stress it is doing all of the things to keep you alive so that you survive. During this time your body is not working on endocrine health and keeping you fertile to build a family. It is not focused on immunity or cardiovascular health. When you are in fight or flight your body is not concerned with detoxing. We have heard the saying, stress causes dis-ease, but it is not explained how stress correlates to dis- ease. In my opinion and after my personal experiences with chronic stress and trauma, stress is the most underrated factor for creating dis-ease within the body.
Stress
Stress is any thing or any event that contributes to an emotional and or physical burden on the body’s ability to work towards or maintain homeostasis. According to the NTA, “Stress has a huge negative effect on the physiology of digestion. It’s not just the big stressful events, like moving or losing a job, that can wreak havoc on digestion. The body is not wired to handle even acute stress in combination with digestion. Our
responses to stress are guided by the sympathetic nervous system while many
important processes of digestion are reliant on the parasympathetic nervous
system. During times of stress the body will use all its energy to focus on the
stages of stress response discussed above. Depending on the intensity of the stress this may cause digestion to drastically downregulate. (Nutritional Therapy Association, 2020). Stress can create dysfunction in all of the foundations of health. According to the NTA, “although each of us has unique bio-individual needs, and our genes will respond differently to various foods and lifestyles, the NTA does believe that there are certain fundamental factors that must be in balance to experience optimal health.” The NTA includes the following six factors to be the foundations
‣ Nutrition Eating nutrient-dense, whole food diet.
‣ Digestion: Absorbing and assimilating the nutrients we eat.
‣ Blood Sugar Regulation: Ensuring a steady, balanced supply of energy.
‣ Fatty Acids: Absorbing and utilizing healthy fats for fuel, structure, and
healing.
‣ Mineral Balance: Absorbing and utilizing macro and micro minerals.
‣ Hydration: Supplying cells and tissues with sufficient water. (Nutritional Therapy Association, 2019).
When these foundations are disrupted through something like trauma or chronic stress it is important to come back to the foundations and begin again. If chronic stress or trauma is not addressed we can see long term consequences in our endocrine system, immunity, cardiovascular system, detoxification. Last but not least our nervous system can be affected as much as it can contribute to the cause. Working with the foundation of digestion can be a helpful step in the right direction to bringing your body back to balance.
The Endocrine System and Digestion
The endocrine system includes hormones and how the hormones communicate within the body. “The coordinated movement, synthesis, and dispersal of hormones is like an orchestra…all the instruments need to play together to achieve harmony. “ (Nutritional Therapy Association, 2020). Digestive organs perform functions of the endocrine system by secreting hormones. The digestive organs included in endocrine function are the liver, kidneys, stomach, and small intestine. Though the hypothalamus is not necessarily a digestive organ, digestion begins in the brain so it is included in the process of digestion. The hormones needed for optimal digestion are gastrin, secretin, and CCK. The endocrine system is incredibly sensitive to stressors like stress/ trauma, toxins like endocrine disruptors, poor diet, poor digestion, blood sugar dysregulation, fatty acid deficiency, mineral deficiencies, and dehydration. Supporting your body’s ability to effectively digest and assimilate nutrition will help your endocrine system. Be sure to sit down for meals, take a few deep breaths and relax, then enjoy your food by eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly.
Immune Health and Digestion
Healthy digestion is crucial for immune health. Digestion plays a role in immunity through the upper gi, small intestine, and large intestine. When there is poor stomach acid production macronutrients are left partially digested or undigested. This alone can make the body vulnerable to harmful pathogens and bacteria but it can also contribute to food reactions. When undigested food and microbes move into the small intestine they can cause damage and/ or cause an immune response. The undigested food and other particles can then enter into the bloodstream aka “leaky gut” which can trigger an immune response. Chronic stress is a major contributing factor to a weakened intestinal tract. Any particles that make it into the large intestine can push out good bacteria which can then lead to an overpopulation of things like parasites, fungus, and bad bacteria. “The microbiome is mainly disturbed by antibiotics, stress, and diet. Any long- term imbalance in the diet can disturb the intricate optimal balance of the gut microbiome. “( Nutritional Therapy Association, 2020)
Cardiovascular Health and Digestion
The cardiovascular system is very much affected by the digestive system. Not only is healthy gut bacteria needed for the health of the cardiovascular system but gut dysfunction like leaky gut can contribute to high LDL numbers which is a sign of inflammation with the cardiovascular system. Proper digestion is necessary for making necessary amino acids for the heart. Good stomach acid balance is needed to absorb calcium and to digest B vitamins needed for cardiovascular health. Proper liver and gallbladder function is needed for the digestion of healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins needed for cardiovascular health. Finally proper bowel flora is needed to produce vitamins B1, B2, B12, and K2.
Detoxification and Digestion
Detoxing is a function that occurs when we are in a parasympathetic state, when we are resting and not fighting or flighting or under chronic stress. The detoxification system includes the cardiovascular system, our skin, the lymphatic system, urinary system, respiratory system and digestive system. The gastrointestinal tract plays a major role in detoxing. It scans the food we consume for pathogens, bacteria, and more and then it detoxifies poorly digested food and fermented toxins. It filters the food and intestinal bacteria and then it eliminates toxins and other unusable substances from the body. The digestive system provides detoxification through the integrity of the GI membrane and maintaining the necessary bacterial and chemical environment. Optimal digestion is necessary for detoxing.
The Nervous System and Digestion
The nervous system is like water. It can be still or slow and calm and relaxing or it can be fast and forceful, creating a life or death situation. The nervous system can become dysregulated through trauma and chronic stress and in turn the dysregulation creates dysfunction with the foundations through digestive stress, blood sugar imbalance, mineral depletion and more. A dysregulated nervous system can be a contributor to dis-ease. However, a dysfunctional digestive system can contribute to a dysregulated nervous system. Regardless of what initiated the dysfunction, one can become stuck in an unpleasant cycle of dysregulated nervous system and dysfunctional digestive system and that can result in a lot of uncomfortable symptoms like anxiety, brain fog, depression, and more. When going through a healing phase it is important to address both the digestive system and the nervous system. What happens in the gut is communicated to the nervous system and what happens in the nervous system is communicated back to the gut. If the digestive system senses trouble it stops the process of digesting food and allows the body to focus on surviving through heart rate, stress hormones, and breathing. This creates vulnerability with the potential to allow pathogens, bacteria, viruses and more to enter the body. On the other hand, if we are eating in a rush while driving in rush hour traffic, our nervous system is going to sense danger and basically do the same thing by taking the focus away from digestion and focusing on surviving.
All systems of the body work together in a beautifully orchestrated way that is always trying to keep us alive. When we provide our body with the materials, tools, and energy that it needs it can not only work towards keeping us alive, it can help us thrive. Regardless of what we have been through or have experienced the body is always wanting to work in our favor and healing is possible. Start with digestion. Eat your meals sitting down, take a few deep breaths, smell your food, and then eat slowly. Chew your food into a consistency of applesauce, savor it. To help with digestion even more, you can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 4 ounces of water and drink that before eating. Avoid drinking during your meals so that your digestive juices can focus on the incoming nutritious food. Short, gentle walks after meals can also help with the digestive process. Small, simple steps can be taken on your path to recovering from trauma and chronic stress.
References
(Nutritional Therapy Association 2020). Sleep, Stress, Movement Module. Retrieved from: https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/247/pages/ssm-%7C-core-reading?module_item_id=20925
(Nutritional Therapy Association, 2019). Student Welcome Guide. Retrieved from: https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/247/pages/class-resources?module_item_id=20706
(Nutritional Therapy Association, 2020) Endocrine Module. Retrieved from: https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/247/pages/endo-%7C-core-videos?module_item_id=20947
(Nutritional Therapy Association, 2020) Immune Module. Retrieved from : https://nutritionaltherapy.instructure.com/courses/247/pages/imm-%7C-core-reading?module_item_id=20961
Pictures:
#1 picture from @betheobserver . Retrieved from https://www.pexels.com/photo/city-cityscape-florida-sunset-sky-8948802/
#2 picture from @betheobserver. Retrieved from
https://www.pexels.com/photo/waterfalls-17722464/
No comments:
Post a Comment