The Brain + Gut Connection

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the brain + gut connection is in the wheelhouse of the spleen. The organ of the spleen in TCM is in charge of digesting the things you consume. This applies to both your food and your thoughts. If the spleen is not functioning optimally common symptoms are brain fog, fatigue, indigestion, bloating, and gas. We often try to mask these symptoms with caffeine or maybe some Pepto-Bismol. However, without nourishing the spleen directly these are only band-aid solutions that do nothing over time. The spleen likes to be warm and pampered with soups, stews, cooked veggies, and easily digestible grains. It also prefers not to work too hard so foods that are raw, cold, greasy or too heavy will burden the spleens function over time. Everyone's spleen has a different tolerance for how much it can handle, and that tolerance will fluctuate over time. Burdening the body physically with difficult-to-digest foods will create mental-emotional fatigue and vice versa. When the spleen is forced to digest too many thoughts it can negatively impact our digestive functions. This makes people who are prone to overthinking more likely to experience digestive concerns like IBD, indigestion, and gas. This overthinking can be ruminating over thoughts, studying excessively or even working too hard if you have a mentally taxing job.

Aside from having an easily digestible diet full of nourishing foods; we can be more present during meal times, chew our food more thoroughly, and try to be more mindful of what our minds consume. Any small change we choose to make will help lighten the load our dear spleen has to bear.