26|oriental medicine journal
• Autoimmune conditions have been found in chronic stress and in a number of psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders. An example of connection between the gut and severe psychiatric symptoms is being studied by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. People with schizophrenia and bipolar
disorder are known to have elevated levels of inflammation in their blood and nervous systems from a heightened sensitivity to gluten proteins. is sensitivity produces elevated antibodies against gluten. e antibodies leak outside the GI tract, enter the bloodstream, and invade the central nervous system, generating
an immune reaction causing inflammation. Leaky gut can occur when a parasitic organism called Toxoplasma gondii, found in raw meat, water, fruits, and vegetables contaminated by feces from infected animals, is consumed. (Severance, 2013)
Weight and Food Intake Regulation • e gut-brain axis is heavily involved in the processes of satiety, food intake, regulation of glucose and fat metabolism, insulin secretion and sensitivity, and bone metabolism. (Romijn, 2008) • Altered gut microbiota, inflammation, and gut barrier disruption are characteristics of both obesity and type-2 diabetes. A higher amount of a beneficial gut bacterium (Akkermansia muciniphila) has been found in thin mice than in overweight mice. ese bacteria have been used to reverse obesity and type-2 diabetes in animal studies. e bacteria are thought to change the gut’s lining and the way food gets absorbed. (Gallagher, 2013) • Researchers took gut bacteria from mice who had undergone gastric bypass surgery and implanted it into obese mice. e obese mice started to grow more healthy bacteria in their guts and lost weight. (Ramlagan, 2013)
Happy Belly