Does “All Disease Begin in the Gut”? 

“All disease begins in the gut.” This statement was proclaimed by Hippocrates over 2000 years ago.

Today, his ancient words are echoed in many of the treatment rooms of modern integrative, naturopathic, and functional medicine practitioners. Was he (and are they) right?

In this video blog, we’ll dig into answering this vital question.

Topics include:

  • the importance of having a healthy gastrointestinal tract
  • the many functions of our digestive system
  • the gut brain-connection
  • the vital role the microbes residing inside our bellies play in overall wellness
  • how essential oils can optimize intestinal and whole body health

In future posts, I’ll explore more on how essential oils impact key areas of digestive function, including the microbiome, stress, and mental health. Then, I’ll highlight some of my favorite essential oils for aiding digestion and how I use them.

As always, all the links to the research studies will be available in the accompanying article and previous posts and references will be available in the resource section.

Let’s get started.

 

The Many Functions of Our Digestive System

Many associate the digestive system with digestion, assimilation, and absorption of nutrients, but it has many other functions. These include:

With all the ways our digestion can influence our health, you can understand why so many doctors are touting that our gut is key to our vitality, resiliency, and a positive mood.

 

The Trillions of Tiny Microbes Fueling Our Digestive and Overall Health

Much of the physiological processes of our gut are fueled by a proportion of the trillions of tiny microbes (microbiota) inside and outside our bodies. (Spooky!) In fact, our GI tract alone is home to 1014 cells of thousands of different species of microbiota.

Astonishingly, these bugs in our bellies literally have a “brain” of their own and are involved in a two-way communication with our head brain. This bi-directional connection between the enteric (gut) nervous system and the central nervous system is termed the “gut-brain axis.”

Furthermore, these VIP microbes also produce chemical and molecular signals which influence what our brain tells the rest of our body to do.

Some of the main functions of the gut microbiome (the sum of all our microbiota and their genetic blueprint in our bellies) include:

  • Digestion and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) – our intestinal microbes help to break down complex carbohydrates and fiber, producing SCFAs. These metabolites serve as an energy source for colon cells, regulate gastrointestinal pH, and influence metabolism, appetite, inflammation, and cognition.
  • Balancing immune function- our gut bugs help to support our immune response and inflammatory processes. They assist with the differentiation between detrimental pathogens, beneficial microbes, and self.
  • Production of vitamins – our belly bacteria synthesize certain vitamins, including B-vitamins and vitamin K.
  • Supporting intestinal integrity – the gut microbiome defends and competes against harmful bugs as they help maintain the gut epithelial barrier. This prevents a “leaky gut” from allowing in damaging substances and microbes and releasing them into circulation.
  • Manufacturing neurotransmitters- our digestive bacteria and brain both produce and react to the same neurochemicals. These include:
    • GABA
    • serotonin
    • norepinephrine
    • dopamine
    • acetylcholine
    • melatonin (a byproduct of serotonin)
  • Balancing hormone metabolism – there exists an aggregate of colonic bacteria that directly impact hormonal health via metabolizing estrogens. This collective of enteric bacterial genes are termed the estrobolome.

Today research continues to emerge on new and important discoveries about the influence of the gut microbiome on human health and disease processes. As the evidence accumulates, even mainstream medicine is being convinced that Hippocrates’ statement has validity.

So, although all diseases may not be caused by dysfunction in the gut, there are no exceptions of diseases that I can think of that don’t have a connection to it.

 

The Many Wellness Benefits of Essential Oils

In my video blog on the four ways that essential oils support detoxification, I explored how their biological effects help to correct the brain and body imbalances that occur from the exposure to dangerous chemicals. These same properties impact all areas of health, including our digestive processes.

This is based on how these aromatic molecules:

  • Modulate the immune system and inflammation.
  • Support several enzymes that help the body detoxify.
  • Act as antioxidants protecting cellular and mitochondrial health.
  • Are neuroprotective, preserving cognitive function.
  • Are antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal, aiding in mitigating stealth infections that can accumulate from toxin-related immune compromise and could damage our gut lining.
  • Impact neurotransmitters.
  • Directly aid digestion, assimilation, elimination, and a healthy microbiome.
  • Modulate stress, cortisol, hormones, and blood sugar issues which influence gut health.
  • Support vagal tone, enhancing parasympathetic activity for an optimal “rest and digest” state.
  • Enhance our emotional health through their biochemical properties, psychoaromatherapy, influencing neuroplasticity, and shifting brain electrical activity.

As you can see, all these aspects have system wide-effects and are relevant to our gut.

 

Summing Up On Gut Health and Essential Oils

Having a well-tuned digestive system is paramount to recovering from any imbalance. It not only aids in digestion, assimilation, and absorption of nutrients, but it also impacts almost every area of our health. This is through its communication to our brain (via the “gut-brain axis) and its bidirectional relationship to most other organs.

The microbes in our intestinal tract are key players in influencing our essential bodily processes. They help to regulate immune, hormone, brain, intestinal, and systemic health. Essential oils support our digestion through their various biological properties that influence all these vital aspects of wellness.

In future posts, I’ll explore more about how essential oils benefit some of the main areas of digestion, including the microbiome, stress, and mental health. Then, I’ll highlight some of my favorite essential oils for gut function and how I use them.

I hope this information gives you an appreciation of all your belly does for you and highlights why using essential oils is a good approach to keeping it happy.

What do you think?

After reading the blog or watching the video, I’d love to hear from you on how you use essential oils to support digestion and keep your gut healthy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn how to nurture your mind, body, heart, and soul.

Sending you many blessings.

 

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Disclaimer: This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)

This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.

Thanks Pixabay and Canva.