Gut Bacteria and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A recent study out of Cornell University found that people ( many, but not all) with CFS have a different microbial species in their gut than healthy people do. The study also reaffirmed that markers for inflammation are found in blood samples from patients with CFS.The good news from this study is that there may be a possible diagnostic marker for CFS, something that has been missing all along...leading many doctors to believe that CFS is "all in your head". Thankfully, the researcher clarified that altered gut flora is only an indicator of CFS, and is not the cause.
When I read about these studies my fear is that the medical establishment will go chasing their results down another rabbit hole, this time trying to find the right probiotic, prebiotic, and diet to heal CFS. Their attention will now be focused on the gut.
So why the altered gut microbes, and chronic inflammation in people with CFS? They signal a autonomic nervous system that is dysfunctional. The autonomic nervous system controls respiration,heart rate,digestion,pupillary response (explaining why some people with CFS can't tolerate bright light) and vasomotor activity. So what controls our autonomic nervous system? The hypothalamus, which receives it's regulatory input from the limbic system, the emotional center of the brain.
What is the overall role of the autonomic nervous system? It regulates our inner and outer environments, keeping us safe. It's our guide between our inner and outer worlds. When our autonomic nervous system is properly functioning, we are in balance, in tune with ourselves, our bodies and minds work in perfect harmony, helping us to negotiate our day. It is the link between our body and mind, our ego and our true self, and it is why and how mind and body work together to create health and disease. It is also why we can recover our health using mind/body therapies, rather than medical or nutritional therapies.
In CFS the autonomic nervous system is in overdrive, constantly pumping out stress hormones, but without the psychological symptoms of fear and anxiety that normally accompany stress hormones that are on alert. Digestion slows, pupillary response may slow, symptoms of POTS may ensue due to alteration in the vasomotor center, and muscles become weak and fatigued, signaling mitochondria dsyfunction. The body stays on "high alert" although the sufferer is unaware of any environmental threats.
The enteric nervous system, the nervous system that controls the gut, is part of the autonomic nervous system. When the autonomic nervous system is sending out signals, in the form of stress hormones, then digestion will slow, gastrointestinal secretions will slow, and blood vessels in the gut will contract. In fact, many people with CFS or Adrenal Fatigue need to take hydrochloric acid in order to properly digest their food, because their stomachs don' t secrete the proper amounts of acid that are required to digest their food. When digestion is altered, and specifically slowed, then gut microbes will alter.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the result of the Autonomic Nervous System being in "overdrive"
The ANS is "Stuck" in fight or flight mode, although the sufferer is unaware of feeling any feelings of stress at all, besides the stress of being chronically and severely ill.
The few doctors I consulted with who understood the cause of CFS to be Autonomic Nervous System dysfunction, all recommended restorative yoga ( the only kind I could do), meditation, and breathing.
These things helped, but did not cure my illness. They only slightly increased my functioning.
If you are suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome then some practical things you can do is to keep a journal of your symptoms. Finding out what triggers an increase in symptoms, or even what triggers specific symptoms, can go a long way in helping you to regain your health and control over your symptoms. Another very helpful thing to do is to practice what yoga teachers call embodiment. This simply means to transfer your attention from your mind into your body. This helps you to "feel into" your body, and to develop a new relationship with your body, which communicates with you via the nervous system. Your body never lies, and learning to listen to it from a "heart centered" rather than a "mind centered" space, will help you to understand its truths.
When I read about these studies my fear is that the medical establishment will go chasing their results down another rabbit hole, this time trying to find the right probiotic, prebiotic, and diet to heal CFS. Their attention will now be focused on the gut.
So why the altered gut microbes, and chronic inflammation in people with CFS? They signal a autonomic nervous system that is dysfunctional. The autonomic nervous system controls respiration,heart rate,digestion,pupillary response (explaining why some people with CFS can't tolerate bright light) and vasomotor activity. So what controls our autonomic nervous system? The hypothalamus, which receives it's regulatory input from the limbic system, the emotional center of the brain.
What is the overall role of the autonomic nervous system? It regulates our inner and outer environments, keeping us safe. It's our guide between our inner and outer worlds. When our autonomic nervous system is properly functioning, we are in balance, in tune with ourselves, our bodies and minds work in perfect harmony, helping us to negotiate our day. It is the link between our body and mind, our ego and our true self, and it is why and how mind and body work together to create health and disease. It is also why we can recover our health using mind/body therapies, rather than medical or nutritional therapies.
In CFS the autonomic nervous system is in overdrive, constantly pumping out stress hormones, but without the psychological symptoms of fear and anxiety that normally accompany stress hormones that are on alert. Digestion slows, pupillary response may slow, symptoms of POTS may ensue due to alteration in the vasomotor center, and muscles become weak and fatigued, signaling mitochondria dsyfunction. The body stays on "high alert" although the sufferer is unaware of any environmental threats.
The enteric nervous system, the nervous system that controls the gut, is part of the autonomic nervous system. When the autonomic nervous system is sending out signals, in the form of stress hormones, then digestion will slow, gastrointestinal secretions will slow, and blood vessels in the gut will contract. In fact, many people with CFS or Adrenal Fatigue need to take hydrochloric acid in order to properly digest their food, because their stomachs don' t secrete the proper amounts of acid that are required to digest their food. When digestion is altered, and specifically slowed, then gut microbes will alter.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the result of the Autonomic Nervous System being in "overdrive"
The ANS is "Stuck" in fight or flight mode, although the sufferer is unaware of feeling any feelings of stress at all, besides the stress of being chronically and severely ill.
The few doctors I consulted with who understood the cause of CFS to be Autonomic Nervous System dysfunction, all recommended restorative yoga ( the only kind I could do), meditation, and breathing.
These things helped, but did not cure my illness. They only slightly increased my functioning.
If you are suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome then some practical things you can do is to keep a journal of your symptoms. Finding out what triggers an increase in symptoms, or even what triggers specific symptoms, can go a long way in helping you to regain your health and control over your symptoms. Another very helpful thing to do is to practice what yoga teachers call embodiment. This simply means to transfer your attention from your mind into your body. This helps you to "feel into" your body, and to develop a new relationship with your body, which communicates with you via the nervous system. Your body never lies, and learning to listen to it from a "heart centered" rather than a "mind centered" space, will help you to understand its truths.
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