Gut is often referred to as the "second brain" for humans. The brain shares an irrevocable relation with the gut and there exists a super highway, known as "brain-gut axis," between them. Feelings of a person greatly affect the gut, no wonder the phrase "gut feeling" is widely prevalent in conversations.
Similarly, when someone experiences stress, it invariably affects the gut. An anxiety disorder can wreak havoc on one’s gut. Whenever a person feels stressed the gut gets to know immediately. This explains why people have cramps in crunch situations.
“Stress, which is defined as an acute threat to homeostasis, shows both short- and long-term effects on the functions of the gastrointestinal tract,” reveals a study published in the PubMed.
The study by Department of Medicine, Thuringia Clinic Saalfeld, Teaching Hospital of the University Jena, Germany – titled “Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options” – says that stress alters the brain-gut interactions which lead to an array of gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal diseases, food antigen-related adverse responses, peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Studies like this should be helpful in finding better treatment for professionals associated with the leading rehabs like the anxiety treatment centers in Florida. For, the anxiety disorders treatment in Florida is considered among the best in the United States.
The Thuringia Clinic Saalfeld study revealed that “stress evokes adaptive responses that serve to defend the stability of the internal environment and to ensure the survival of the organism” and the “gastrointestinal tract and the immune system are particularly responsive to different stressors.”
Moreover, as a result of the discovery of the bidirectional interaction between the brain-gut axis and gut microbiota, the brain-gut axis has gained more prominence in recent times, the study deduced. The communication that happens between the gut microbiota, the immune system, and the brain-gut axis plays a vital role in the stress response of the gut. It also influences the development of various physical ailments.
Anxiety disorder and gastrointestinal diseases
Anxiety disorder, which affects approximately 40 million American adults or 18 percent of the population, is a primal reason that triggers gastrointestinal diseases in people. When a person is exposed to stressful situations for a prolonged period, it severely impacts the gut and results in many complications in the gastrointestinal track. According to the above study, the major effects of stress on gut physiology include:
Alternatively, chronic gastrointestinal inflammation can also cause anxiety and stress in a person. According to another study, again published in the PubMed, chronic gastrointestinal inflammation induces anxiety-like behavior and alters central nervous system biochemistry in mice.
The study says that anxiety also “induces anxiety-like behavior and alters central nervous system biochemistry, which can be normalized by inflammation-dependent and -independent mechanisms, neither of which requires the integrity of the vagus nerve.” This establishes a clear link between the brain and the gut.
Treatment
Keeping stress at bay also means a healthy gut and keeping away so many of the gastrointestinal disorders. Maintaining a healthy gut also keeps anxiety in check. Medication for anxiety may lead to various side effects, including depression, disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, impaired thinking and judgment, memory loss, nausea, and slurred speech.
When somebody in the family is suffering from an anxiety disorder, professional help is vital to recovery. The experts at Florida Helpline for Anxiety can offer you the help. Call at our 24/7 helpline number 855-920-9834 for immediate help.
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How Yoga Can Help in General Anxiety Disorder Treatment
According to a study – titled “Effects of Yoga versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study,” published in 2010 – due to yoga “there were positive correlations between improved mood and decreased anxiety and thalamic GABA levels.” The study, which was a collaboration of a number of renowned psychiatrists, doctors and scientists, also opined that yoga showed better promises than walking among participants.
