Newsletter- Acne, Anxiety,Depression, and Digestive issues Dr. Jacalyn Sieben – April 2020
It’s ALL connected. It is well-recognized that digestive health issues commonly occur with mental health and skin issues.
The gut-brain axis is now well-established and the influence of digestive health on mental health (and vice versa) has become a huge area of interest in recent years. The proposal of a gut-brain-skin axis through which alterations in gut health affect skin health is now gaining popularity in the literature, though the concept has been around for some time.
The gut microbiome (friendly microbes inhabiting your digestive system) has a significant role in this connection through nutrient & neurotransmitter synthesis, pathogen defence, and immune & endocrine (hormone) signalling. When our guts are a mess from illness, poor dietary choices, stress, lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, or use of certain medications, it can lead to inflammation within the gut and disrupt the normal balance of friendly microbes. Inflammation and imbalance in the gut eventually leads to inflammation and imbalance elsewhere, contributing to anxiety/depression, acne, and other health concerns.
Your gut health is foundational to the proper functioning of all body systems and your skin is an important indicator of your gut health. Topical treatments can work well to keep skin conditions at bay, but a proper work-up to find and treat the cause can help you find a more long-term solution.
https://fhs.mcmaster.ca/forsythe-lab/microbiota_gut_brain_axis.html