Did you know that we all have a ‘second brain’ in our gut?

It surprises several to be told that they have an enteric system. Have you ever heard of it? It controls and regulates the stomach, esophagus, small intestine and colon. It also has 5 times the amount of neurons as your spinal cord!

You’ve most likely heard the saying “trust your gut.” Turns out, this is actually a very wise recommendation. If you’ve ever felt butterflies in your stomach, or detected that the crab cakes were a touch “funky,” you would have detected that from your “second brain.” In your gut.

Have you ever vomited?

Then you’ve experienced the wonderful knowledge of your enteric system first hand. You most likely did not feel well, however the intelligence of your system caused those funky crab cakes to become projectiles. This in turn produced the necessary contractions to push the bad food back up your esophagus. A healthy response despite the fact that you didn’t feel well.

The enteric system is believed to play a serious role in our emotional well-being, as well. It connects to the brain, directly affecting feelings of unhappiness or stress, even influencing memory, learning and decision-making.

Many gastrointestinal disorders like acid reflux, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and colitis begin with the brain in our gut.

Do you recognize somebody that should be seeing a chiropractor to help balance their enteric system?