TBI and Gut Health
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to several physiologic complications including gastrointestinal dysfunction. Specifically, TBI can induce an increase in intestinal permeability, which may lead to bacterial translocation, sepsis, and eventually multi-system organ failure. Intestinal permeability creates a “leaky gut” which means a compromised intestinal wall. The brain to gut connection referring to the gut brain axis. After a TBI, digestion is affected and it may not be from medication, but straight from the source of the injury.
Your gut is your “second brain”. The gut is in constant communication with the brain. That is what we refer to as having a “gut feeling”. Secondary effects of survivors are digestive issues, intestinal dysfunction being most common. Symptoms include but are not limited to intestinal dysfunction, stomach ulcers, and gastritis.
The digestive system includes the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. Mouth to excretion describes the breakdown of the food you eat, turning it into nutrients, trapping, and getting rid of harmful substances. The digestive tract is in constant communication with the brain, therefore promoting healthy digestion. The hormones and nerves work together to regulate the functions to the gastrointestinal tract and control the digestion process.
Along with the digestive system, the hypothalamus is the part of the brain that is used for integrating signals to the brain when you are hungry or satisfied. It plays the key role in appetite regulation, energy homeostasis, and stimulation or inhibition of food intake.
Your brain gut axis is a pathway where nerves connect your central nervous system and spinal cord and digestive system. These particular nerves also control digestive function, for example sending signals to your brain that tell the salivary glands that prepare you to ear. Gut damage can lead to patients having excess gut bacteria, increased rick of injection, and ongoing inflammation. Changing your diet can lower risk of intestinal permeability, it can be as straight to the point as that.
To improve brain health, one must improve gut death. I suggest diet and exercise to prevent further cognitive decline and taking probiotics. Our blood sugar has a direct influence on how the brain functions, therefore adverse complications can occur when we consume excess glucose. This comes from processed foods, sugar, or high glycemic carbs. I encourage clients to keep a food journal/diary along with all the medications and supplements. Just as no two patients suffering from a traumatic brain injury, everyone’s microbiome in our gut is different.
The brain makes the colon more porous, and bacteria from the intestine is able to pass right through it causing infections. In some cases after a TBI, deaths from blood poisoning along with digestive issues are common. A TBI can cause many changes to your body in the future, and I suggest if your TBI was caused by someone else’s negligence, I encourage you to get the help you need from a personal injury attorney medical expenses.