In this episode, Wendy speaks with gastroenterologist, author, and microbiome researcher Emeran Mayer. Emeran is a world renowned expert in the connections between the gut and the mind, and brings a biological lens to the concept of interconnection. This conversation covers many topics, including:
- his interest in mind-body connection;
- microbiome overview & current questions;
- how we've inherited systems of communication from microbes;
- gut-brain connections, and the concept of the "second brain";
- how meditation might affect our microbes;
- gut-immune connections;
- the importance of barriers, and what goes wrong in "leaky gut";
- barrier compromise as common core of nearly all chronic disorders;
- stress and diet as key factors affecting our gut permeability;
- what we can do to protect our gut;
- equity issues around healthy food access;
- the gut as a sense organ;
- reductions in the diversity of microbes on the planet;
- the role of antibiotics and environmental destruction;
- development of the microbiome in pregnancy and infancy;
- implications for our concept of self;
- balance between reductionism and embracing complexity in science;
- and the need for more of the feminine archetype in our world.
Full show notes and resources
