From March 15-21, we are celebrating National Brain Awareness Week! This is a global campaign (by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives) dedicated to spreading awareness and enthusiasm for brain science.
In honor of this campaign, we’re going to share a little but about the gut. You may be thinking this is counterintuitive, but brain science has contributed to a better understanding of the gut-brain axis and its role in the development of autoimmune disorders, specifically Alzheimer’s. The nervous system connects the brain and colon, generating a network for communication. This communication is facilitated by the microbes within the gut, which send signals along our “gut-brain axis” . Further research has indicated that individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have less microbiome diversity than those without this autoimmunity disease.
These findings suggest that Alzheimer’s is affected not only by genetics, but also environmental factors that we can control. Thus, promoting microbiome diversity through probiotics and dietary changes could impact your autoimmunity! Check out the GLIM on-line apothecary for probiotics, or speak with our certified functional medicine practitioner, Maureen Milota, APRN for more personal information. With brain awareness comes the potential to take control of your destiny!