Forget Gut Feeling - Your Gut Changes Your Mind & Your Actions

I used to dismiss this as beyond utter nonsense.

I was so wrong.

Make no mistake, the 100 Trillion microorganisms that collectively comprise your gut microbiome are doing far more than helping to digest your food. They are impacting your mood, your decisions and the actions you take.

Anywhere that your body makes contact with the outside world, it is covered in microbes. It's easy to imagine this on your skin - the area we immediately think of as the outside of our bodies. However, the body is effectively a long tube, open at both ends, and so we contact the outside world right through the length of this 9-metre (30 feet) long tube. And most of our microbiome is contained within our gut. And they are supposed to be there. We've evolved to coexist. They need to be healthy for you to be healthy.

And when this inner ecosystem gets disrupted and out of its natural balance - maybe through illness, or maybe through a course of antibiotics attempting to combat an illness, it impacts the equilibrium and diversity of your microbes, which in turn impact the way you feel, think and the way you choose to behave.

I thought this was nonsense because how can a tiny creature in your gut change or even influence a rational human brain?

But the reality is that it's not necessarily the microorganisms themselves, but rather their byproducts and enzymic activity that produce neurotransmitters and chemicals that influence and control your body's processes, feelings, mood and behaviour.

There are multiple instances in nature where hosted bacteria actually cause their host to 'self-destruct' by changing behaviour simply to allow the continuation of the bacteria lifecycle.

What happens when your microorganisms get out of balance? And is such an imbalance responsible for the symptoms you or a loved one are struggling with? Had you been mistakenly putting the symptoms down to some other cause? Has your doctor?

In my recent TEDx presentation, "Nurturing Your Inner Ecosystem" I introduce the importance of your microbiome and 4 simple ways you can look after yours better.

Why should you care?

Well, if you and your family are fit and well, congratulations. Maybe you're already applying some of these ideas either because you've already researched this newly emerging biological frontier or maybe by applying some intergenerational shared ("Grandma's) wisdom. But if you or family or friends are among the millions suffering from:

• Severe allergies
• Food intolerances
• Asthma
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Crohn's Disease
• Autism
• Anxiety & Mental Health Issues
• Obesity
• And many other conditions...

... Then I recommend that you watch this short introduction immediately. The science is new. And it's constantly emerging and being updated. "Facts" that were "true" a few years ago are being re-written.

So don't make the mistake I made and dismiss this.

Follow these 4 simple steps and you may find yourself looking at your body and your health very differently. Don't worry if you're not a medical doctor or scientist. I gave this talk for as a father and as a health seeker to introduce the basics and, I sincerely hope, to inspire you to investigate further how your microbes are impacting your life. You can discover more about the Four Steps in my recent article here on LinkedIn.

You'll find the video of my TEDx Newcastle University presentation here. I hope it inspires you to investigate more, learn more and nurture your inner ecosystem.