Guest guest Posted September 27, 2008 Report Share Posted September 27, 2008 I'm trying again to get this email through; yesterday's post vanished and has yet to resurface. Maybe I can phrase things better today [grin]. It's a somewhat complicated subject. Serotonin is an important biochemical for our body's functioning. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, and is found in many plants and vegetables (and mushrooms). Serotonin plays an important role in modulating anger, aggression, moods; helps regulate digestive functions, metabolism, body temperature, appetite, and influences vomiting. Interesting bit of trivia is that 80% of the body's serotonin is found in the intestinal tract. If' you've heard the terms tryptophan and 5-HTP, then you're talking about serotonin. Many antidepressants and antianxiety medications affect serotonin levels, which is why some doctors are using them to try to improve digestion. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin; in other words, the body synthesizes serotonin from tryptophan. Unfortunately eating foods high in serotonin or tryptophan, doesn't always help, either because of malabsorption issues (caused by digestive disorders) or because of the amino acides and other enzymes used in the digestive process. And taking serotonin as a supplement (orally) doesn't help with brain function, as it won't cross the blood/brain barrier. But taking tryptophan or 5-HTP can help. Many experts are suggesting that many digestive disorders are due to altered serotonin levels, but there is still a lot of research to be done on this issue. Wikipedia has a good basic article on serotonin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin Another helpful site is: http://neuromolecular.wordpress.com/category/digestion/ When I did a lot of reading on serotonin just after my diagnosis 5 years ago, I found a lot of information in libraries and on the web. I didn't bookmark any particular website, but you can Google -- serotonin digestion -- and get a large amount of helpful sites. I work in a library, so have access to medical literature databases, so I gather a lot of my information there. I'll pull out some article citations on this issue and post the list next week. One of the books I saw mentioned frequently in my research is The second brain by Gershon. I had my library find me a copy through Interlibrary Loan, and read it. Very helpful and I recommend it if you're interested in the neurological side of digestion, and how neurological disorders affect digestion. Also explains why so many of our doctors are clueless when it comes to dealing with neurological dysfunctions, especially when it comes to digestion. Some of the terminology in the book is technical, though. I am looking for a used copy of the book so I can reread it again; now that I've learned a lot more neurological terms I should understand Gershon's book better. It's one of those books that give you something new to understand every time you read it. That brain/blood/gut connection at work.... Kim M. SCD 5 years dealing with functional digestive disorders and neurological deterioration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2008 Report Share Posted September 27, 2008 Thanks for posting this Kim. Very helpful. The Gershon book is still in print, it looks interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Brain-Groundbreaking-Understanding-Disorders/dp/006\ 0930721/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8 & s=books & qid=1222532361 & sr=8-1 http://tinyurl.com/47etul I think I'm going to get it, as I've long been interested in the gut as a second " mind " , gut reactions, etc. Let alone, now having a medical interest in it as well. Mara ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:15:54 -0500 > >Subject: Serotonin & digestion >To: <BTVC-SCD > > > I'm trying again to get this email through; > yesterday's post vanished and has yet to resurface. > Maybe I can phrase things better today [grin]. > It's a somewhat complicated subject. > > Serotonin is an important biochemical for our body's > functioning. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, and > is found in many plants and vegetables (and > mushrooms). Serotonin plays an important role in > modulating anger, aggression, moods; helps regulate > digestive functions, metabolism, body temperature, > appetite, and influences vomiting. Interesting > bit of trivia is that 80% of the body's serotonin is > found in the intestinal tract. > > If' you've heard the terms tryptophan and 5-HTP, > then you're talking about serotonin. Many > antidepressants and antianxiety medications affect > serotonin levels, which is why some doctors are > using them to try to improve digestion. Tryptophan > is a precursor to serotonin; in other words, the > body synthesizes serotonin from tryptophan. > > Unfortunately eating foods high in serotonin or > tryptophan, doesn't always help, either because of > malabsorption issues (caused by digestive disorders) > or because of the amino acides and other enzymes > used in the digestive process. And taking serotonin > as a supplement (orally) doesn't help with brain > function, as it won't cross the blood/brain > barrier. But taking tryptophan or 5-HTP can help. > > Many experts are suggesting that many digestive > disorders are due to altered serotonin levels, but > there is still a lot of research to be done on this > issue. > > Wikipedia has a good basic article on serotonin: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin > > Another helpful site is: > http://neuromolecular.wordpress.com/category/digestion/ > > When I did a lot of reading on serotonin just after > my diagnosis 5 years ago, I found a lot of > information in libraries and on the web. I didn't > bookmark any particular website, but you can Google > -- serotonin digestion -- and get a large amount of > helpful sites. I work in a library, so have access > to medical literature databases, so I gather a lot > of my information there. I'll pull out some article > citations on this issue and post the list next week. > > One of the books I saw mentioned frequently in my > research is The second brain by Gershon. I > had my library find me a copy through Interlibrary > Loan, and read it. Very helpful and I recommend it > if you're interested in the neurological side of > digestion, and how neurological disorders affect > digestion. Also explains why so many of our doctors > are clueless when it comes to dealing with > neurological dysfunctions, especially when it comes > to digestion. > > Some of the terminology in the book is technical, > though. I am looking for a used copy of the book so > I can reread it again; now that I've learned a lot > more neurological terms I should understand > Gershon's book better. It's one of those books that > give you something new to understand every time you > read it. > > That brain/blood/gut connection at work.... > > Kim M. > SCD 5 years > dealing with functional digestive disorders and > neurological deterioration > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 > > The Gershon book is still in print, it looks interesting: I loved this book when I was first DX'd I am going to find and reread it now that my brain is functioning better. I bet I get a lot more out of it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Interesting! When I took Paxil (SSRI) several years ago, my digestion improved *dramatically*. It was bizarre. I had never noticed digestive issues before that, but suddenly food was moving through me so lightly and happily. I thought people would think I was imagining things if I told them that. (Of course, I did anyway but no one ever provided scientific back up --just looked at me funny!)I had wondered if it was because I was no longer clenching my entire body in stress but also felt there must be more to it. Neat. Baden_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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