In 2023 I went through the Functional Mental Health Practitioner course with Brendan Vermeire so I could deepen my knowledge of how to support those with mental health concerns that often accompany hormone health concerns. We got deep into specific labs both conventional and functional, but a lot of what it came back to was the foundations and having a healthy metabolism. While it’s fun to get into all the fancy labs and protocols and nerd out, it’s such an important reminder that if we are not addressing the basics we will never be able to fully restore function and resolve our symptoms, which is the ultimate goal. Our nutrition, mindset, and daily habits are always at the root and can have such a big impact on our overall health and especially, mental health.
I think many of us know that inflammation isn’t great for us. It can lead to a myriad of possible symptoms and dysfunction in pretty much every system of our body. A common source of inflammation for many is in the gut. Some people have had symptoms of digestive or gut health issues their whole life which makes them very aware that this could be part of their mental health concerns once they learn there is a connection. Inflammation in the gut can lead to inflammation in other areas of the body, especially the brain. Inflammation in the brain, also known as neuroinflammation, is a major contributor to anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and many other mental health concerns. Why? Because it leads to a leaky brain, similar to how inflammation in the gut leads to a leaky gut. My mentor, Brendan, has an amazing graphic that visualizes this on his Instagram, which you can see here. When our brains become leaky, this will not only impact our brain cells but it will also impact our neurotransmitters. Most mental health concerns have been boiled down to a chemical imbalance in our neurotransmitters, which can absolutely be the case for many, but there’s a lack of curiosity in the conventional space of what is causing this imbalance in neurotransmitters. This is why I love Brendan’s approach to mental health, not only is it rooted in science, but it’s also about expanding the big picture of what causes mental health disease in the first place. This doesn’t mean we throw out conventional healthcare for mental health, not at all! It’s more about digging deeper into possible imbalances, depletions, and sources of inflammation that could be causing the neuroinflammation in the first place. Again, a lot of this goes back to our nutrition, mindset, and daily habits.
When it comes to foundational habits for a healthy gut, focusing on digestion is one of the first things I implement with clients. Our digestion is our first line of defense in our gut because of stomach acid production. Stomach acid kills bacteria and parasites that we may be getting exposed to through food, water, and our environment and prevents them from entering our GI tract and causing problems. If we are not making enough stomach acid, this is often the first step to dysfunction in the gut. It leads to our bodies not breaking down our food properly, which then puts our immune system on high alert and doesn’t feed our good bacteria. If pathogenic bacteria do get through it can then lead to an imbalance in beneficial vs. non-beneficial bacteria and over time all of these changes lead to inflammation, exhaust our immune systems, and will eventually lead to a leaky gut. Can you see why supporting healthy digestion is so important? I hope so!
So how do we support our digestion? The first step would be to look at how you are eating. If you are doing other things, working, on your phone, and not relaxing and focusing on your meal, this is the first thing to change. We need to be in a relaxed state to have digestion occur properly. Eating meals with other people is great because that connection and conversation can calm us down. I really like eating meals outside as a way to quickly relax and get out of work mode during my working days. If I have other moms reading this, meal times can be a bit hectic, I have found that having a little basket with all the random things we need during meals (wipes, napkins, extra utensils, etc.) plus having everything set up before I sit down prevents me from constantly getting up during the meal. It helps everyone relax and makes the meal more enjoyable. Experiment and find what allows you to relax and enjoy your meal most.
I had Brendan on the Are you menstrual? podcast where we also talked about all things holistic mental health. If you are interested in hearing more about this episode you can listen here!
reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!
