Why Depression isn't 'All in Your Head' - It May Be All in Your Gut

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Depression & anxiety are reported to affect at least 45% of Australians, but post the COVID years of lockdowns & restrictions, I would hazard to guess the rate to be far higher.

Anybody suffering the effects of any 'mental' health issue (& I use the term loosely) will have no doubt been thrown the old 'It's all in your head' line, even from a treating GP.

But what if depression isn't an 'in your head' scenario, what if it's origins could be found in your gut?

The reality is that 90% of the body's serotonin is produced in your digestive tract; your gut.

So, if we consider your gut being the powerhouse for the manufacture of a chemical neurotransmitter that your brain requires in order to direct your body to regulate your:

Mood
Digestion
Bowel movements
Bladder control
Sleep regulation
Blood Clotting
Cardiovascular function
Wound healing
Bone health
Stimulate nausea
Sexual function
Behaviour
Memory
Learning
And more...

If altered levels of serotonin can be linked to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, sexual dysfunction, epilepsy, migraine, chronic pain conditions, sudden infant death syndrome, parkinson's disease, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum, multiple sclerosis... to name just a few...

Then how can we justifiably use such ignorant & outdated terminology as 'mental health disorder' to single out some of these conditions, whilst giving biochemical credibility to others? Common sense tells me these fancy labels placed on these 'mental' health conditions should be scrapped & we should consider that these conditions are all symptoms of a physical, chemical malfunctioning process i.e, your neurotransmitter factory (gut) isn't producing adequate amounts of serotonin & that these above mentioned conditions are symptoms indicating a poorly functioning gut.

So why are we not treating the cause & healing a poorly functional gut?
Because if you look at this logically (yes, I am guilty of having a very logical mind):

If 90% of the body's serotonin is made in the gut
And depression & anxiety are a result of low serotonin

Then you do not have a mental illness, you have a gastro-intestinal disorder.

Does this mean you should completely shun prescribed medications?
No, medications may be of use to support your recovery for a short duration.

What it means is that you should promote the healing of your dysfunctional gut by means of getting onto a specific & structured eating plan devised by a nutritionist, eating a clean & healthy diet, avoiding processed foods, junk foods, trans fat, maintaining a healthy weight & getting regular exercise, limiting alcohol, reducing stress & getting enough sunlight to restart the healthy production of serotonin in your natural neurotransmitter factory.

That's right, your gut.

Dee

Further reading on serotonin can be found here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC58642...