This Is What Happens to Your Brain When You Heal Your Gut

Sep 1, 2025

Explore the fascinating connection between gut health and brain function. Learn how the vagus nerve and microbiome can impact mood and cognitive clarity. Discover the hidden disruptors that threaten your mental wellness, including stress and dietary choices. Plus, find out how specific foods, probiotics, and lifestyle changes can enhance brain health and combat issues like anxiety and memory loss. This insightful discussion reveals practical strategies for restoring balance and improving overall well-being.

43:14

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

menu_book

Books

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Vagus Nerve Controls Gut-Brain Communication

The vagus nerve is the main communication highway between gut and brain controlling digestion, mood, and immunity.
Activating the vagus nerve shifts you from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest improving nutrient absorption and calm.

insights

INSIGHT

Gut Microbes Make Key Brain Chemicals

The gut microbiome produces major neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA that shape mood and sleep.
About 90% of the body's serotonin is made in the gut, not the brain.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Treat Stress Alongside Gut Symptoms

Address stress as part of gut treatment instead of only seeking pills or supplements.
Combine dietary changes and probiotics with stress reduction for gut healing.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Understanding the Gut-Brain Connection and Its Disruptors

02:15 • 17min

chevron_right

The Gut-Brain Connection: Understanding the Impact of Stress

19:29 • 3min

chevron_right

The Gut-Brain Connection: Healing Through Diet and Probiotics

21:59 • 19min

chevron_right

The Inextricable Link Between Gut Health and Brain Function

41:21 • 2min

chevron_right

#2215

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

Wheat Belly

Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health

William Davis

In this book, Dr. William Davis argues that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic and that its elimination is key to dramatic weight loss and optimal health. He provides a user-friendly, step-by-step plan to navigate a new wheat-free lifestyle, supported by cutting-edge science and nutrition, as well as case studies from patients who have experienced significant health improvements after giving up wheat. The book exposes the harmful effects of modern wheat and offers practical advice on how to adopt a wheat-free diet to achieve better health and disease resistance.

#2049

• Mentioned in 14 episodes

Grain Brain

David Perlmutter

Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter reveals how carbohydrates, including those from whole grains and fruits, can trigger inflammatory responses in the body, leading to various health issues such as dementia, ADHD, epilepsy, anxiety, and depression. The book argues that a diet high in 'good fats' and low in carbs, especially those containing gluten or high in sugar, is crucial for cognitive function and long-term health. Dr. Perlmutter provides a 4-week plan with easy-to-follow strategies, recipes, and weekly goals to help readers maintain a healthy brain and reduce the risk of neurological diseases without relying on drugs.

#6944

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Eat Dirt

Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It

Josh Axe

In 'Eat Dirt', Dr. Josh Axe explains the hidden causes and widespread effects of leaky gut syndrome, a condition where microscopic tears in the intestinal walls lead to widespread inflammation and weakened immunity. The book argues that modern 'improvements' to our food supply, such as refrigeration, sanitation, and processed foods, have contributed to this condition. Dr. Axe provides diagnostic quizzes and simple regimes to heal the gut, including reducing antibiotic use, eating seasonally, spending more time outdoors, managing stress, and incorporating probiotic-rich foods into the diet. The book emphasizes the importance of restoring bacterial diversity in the gut to achieve optimal health.

Ever wonder why anxiety, brain fog, or even memory loss often come hand-in-hand with digestive issues?

In this episode, Dr. Josh Axe unpacks the fascinating science of the gut-brain connection, showing how your microbiome and vagus nerve directly shape your mood, focus, and long-term brain health. You’ll also discover the hidden gut disruptors sabotaging your mental clarity—and the foods, herbs, and daily habits that can restore balance, sharpen your mind, and protect against everything from depression to Alzheimer’s.

Watch The Dr. Josh Axe Show every Monday & Thursday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drjoshaxe?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Early Access!

Our listeners enjoy every episode before anyone else! Tune in below and join our exclusive group of listeners →

Spotify: https://bit.ly/DrJoshAxeSpotify

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3JDvWcS

Pre-order my NEW BOOK, The Biblio Diet → https://bit.ly/4oPEP3t

Check out Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis → https://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609614798

Read Grain Brain By Dr. David Perlmutter → https://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar-Your-Killers/dp/031623480X

Order my book, Eat Dirt → https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Dirt-Health-Problems-Surprising/dp/0062433644

Uncover what’s really going on in your body with advanced biomarker testing for hormones, thyroid, and metabolism— plus a 1-hour consultation with a Senior Health Advisor! → MyBloodWork.com

CONNECT WITH DR. JOSH AXE

Instagram→ https://www.instagram.com/drjoshaxe/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshAxe/

TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thedrjoshaxeshow/

X → https://x.com/drjoshaxe/

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshaxe

Website → http://thehealthinstitute.com

Ask Dr. Axe → http://speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe

Links:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin
https://www.webmd.com/ibs/stress-anxiety-ibs
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2020.572912/full
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/fo/d4fo00660g/unauth
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12025785/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5591346/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7651765/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10316519/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6678997/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10893170/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5641835/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.00421/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8609682/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/12/does-parkinsons-start-in-the-gut-brain-microbiome/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5766597/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7285525/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6471505/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9881072/
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/gut-microbiome-changes-linked-to-multiple-sclerosis-ms-new-study-finds/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9881072/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7703666/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-024-01743-1

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books