Recent discoveries in embryology research show that the brain and intestine originate from the same embryonic layer.

This means that at some point during the development of the embryo, a number of nerve cells separate from the main brain and migrate to the intestine, forming a distinct nervous system called the enteric nervous system.

The two remain in continual communication via the vagus nerve (also known as the pneumogastric nerve or tenth cranial nerve).

The intestine, just like the brain, contains a multitude of neurons—200 million in fact—and uses most of the same neurotransmitters found in the brain (serotonin, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, GABA, etc.). The most astonishing example of this is serotonin—which influences our state of mind—and is 95 percent produced by our gut!

“The second brain is able to remember; it is believed to produce serotonin during the dream phase of sleep and seems to act as a biological matrix for the unconscious.”

—Michael Gershon, The Second Brain

When you have an important decision to make, ask yourself,” What does my gut feeling tell me?” thereby relying on your full intelligence for guidance.

 

Sources:

Delvaux, Michel. Sensibilité viscérale : Comprendre, diagnostiquer et traiter la dyspepsie et le syndrome de l'intestin irritable. Springer, 2002.

Gershon, Michael. The Second Brain. New York: Harper,1998.

Arizi, Ch., Fr. Gross and JT Blain. Hygiène intestinale - Irrigation du colon. Axiomes,1997.