1. Scientists have found that the human intestine has autonomy: if the brain is disconnected from it, then it continues to live. Moreover, most of the signals go from the gut to the brain, and not vice versa. 2. The intestine has its own nervous system. It consists of neurons. Scientists call it the "second brain". 3. They also found a link between gut health and anxiety, ...
1.
Scientists have found that the human intestine has autonomy: if the brain is disconnected from it, then it continues to live. Moreover, most of the signals go from the gut to the brain and not vice versa.
2.
The gut has its own nervous system. It consists of neurons. Scientists call it the "second brain."
3.
They also found a link between gut health and anxiety, autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
4.
The way our gut controls us is related to the bacteria that live in it. They stimulate the production of certain hormones in the intestines. So, for example, if the microflora of adventurer mice is transplanted into timid mice, they begin to show greater interest in the study of objects.
5.
In general, it is beneficial for microorganisms that we communicate, that is, exchange microflora. They can also change the sensitivity of our taste buds so that we eat exactly what is beneficial not for us, but for them.
6.
Bacteria can be harmful and beneficial. The more vegetables, fruits and dairy products we eat, the better our microflora. Fatty foods and foods high in carbohydrates deplete our microflora. Some bacteria begin to prevail over others and this is bad.
7.
You also need to drink probiotics with beneficial bacteria. This improves the microflora, which means it directly affects the quality of life: the better the microflora, the better the hormonal background, and hence the mood.
Every human body has a small intestine. Its human length exceeds four meters. It is removed in the human body due to the fact that the organ is compactly folded. In the human small intestine there are several folds, as well as villi - small outgrowths. On a small area of \u200b\u200bthe organ, the size of a nail, there are several thousand of them. Due to this, useful substances and trace elements enter the body quickly enough through such villi. The intestinal walls contract, and thus, the masses move through the small intestine, being absorbed into the walls.
The large intestine has the ability to secrete digestive juices with a small amount of enzymes into the lumen. Salts, alcohol and other substances can be released from the blood into the intestinal lumen, causing irritation of the mucous membrane and the development of diseases associated with it.
The microflora of the large intestine plays a huge role in the life of the body and the functions of the digestive tract. The normal microflora of the gastrointestinal tract is a necessary condition for the normal functioning of the body.
Intestinal function
The base of the intestine is where the stomach ends. In this area, the alimentary tract passes into the intestines. In total, the intestine has three sections - the duodenum, large and small intestine. The large intestine ends in a straight short process.
The duodenum is a kind of beginning of the small intestine. They call it that because the length of this organ is approximately twelve fingers folded together. Then the small intestine is gently laid in waves in the central part of the abdominal cavity. The large intestine has a "P" shape. At the bottom, she has a sloppy stroke - the rectum.
The large intestine creates an arch or even a garland of balls in the abdominal cavity over the complex labyrinth of the small intestine. The junction of the colon and small intestine is near the appendix.
The main purpose of the intestines is the work of the digestive system. Partially digested food passes from the stomach into the duodenum, where it is exposed to pancreatic juice, bile protruding from the liver, and juice from glands in the duodenal mucosa. The food then enters the small intestine. There food is digested, and the small intestine absorbs fat-soluble substances, zinc, vitamins and calcium. After that, the food moves into the colon. Already here water is absorbed into the intestinal walls. Colon bacteria are further involved in digestion.
The gut and brain exchange signals through the vagus nerve, which travels down the neck into the chest and abdomen. Julia Enders, author of the best-selling book Charming Gut. How the most powerful organ governs us, ”compares the vagus nerve to a telephone wire that connects the intestines to the individual centers of the brain.
The brain conducts all organs of the body, and many through the vagus nerve, but only the intestine has autonomy: if the nerve is cut, "disconnecting" the brain from the intestine, the latter will continue to work. It has its own nervous system, which scientists call the "second brain". It consists of a huge number of neurons and auxiliary cells and produces several dozen neurotransmitters. The functions of such a developed nervous system cannot be limited to the regulation of digestion.
Hello, are they germs?
Most of the signals on the vagus nerve are not transmitted from top to bottom, but from bottom to top - to the brain. Scientists suggest that the gut affects our mental health. An electrical vagus nerve stimulator is already being used to treat depression that does not respond to drug therapy. It makes the nerve generate the "right" impulses.
The intestines produce 90% of serotonin, the hormone of happiness. Maybe the cause of depression is not in the brain, but in the gut. Scientists have also found a link between gut health and anxiety, autism, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Moreover: not only the intestine itself sends signals through the vagus nerve, but also the microorganisms that inhabit it. They do this in different ways - for example, by stimulating the production of serotonin by cells in the intestinal lining. The influence of microflora on behavior and mood has been proven in numerous experiments on laboratory mice.
Do you like to communicate? Share the bacteria
Gut bacteria also influence social behavior in laboratory mice. Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston (USA) studied the relationship between maternal obesity and autism spectrum disorders in offspring. The control group of mice ate normally, and the experimental group received food with a high fat content. As expected, the females from the second group gained extra weight. Mice of overfed mothers were much less interested in communicating with their relatives than the offspring of the control group.
Animals were placed in one cage, and living together inevitably leads to the exchange of intestinal bacteria. After four to five weeks, the microflora of noncommunicative mice became the same as in the control group, and social behavior returned to normal.
Scientists have found that mice with autistic disorder have severely reduced intestinal numbers of the bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri. This microorganism affects the production of oxytocin, a hormone that regulates social behavior. A high-fat diet suppresses Lactobacillus reuteri in the mother's intestines, and she passes on her disturbed microflora to her offspring.
You are what you eat. And vice versa
Microorganisms may have evolutionary reasons for controlling our behavior. According to scientists, bacteria stimulate their hosts to communicate, because it promotes the exchange of microflora. They are also able to influence the food habits of the host, forcing them to consume foods that promote their growth and reproduction. Perhaps when you can't resist the cake, it's not a weak will, but microorganisms.
Some bacteria like fat, some like sugar, and sometimes obesity has to pay for their preferences. But the more diverse the composition of the intestinal microflora, the less likely one species will begin to prevail over others and take over the command of the brain.
A diet high in fat and simple carbohydrates depletes the intestinal microflora; to maintain a variety of bacteria, you need to eat more vegetables, fruits and dairy products. A study of the effect of diet on weight, which covered 120 thousand people, showed that the main product for weight loss is yogurt.
Microbes for depression
Experiments investigating the effect of gut microflora on the psyche show that depression and anxiety disorder can be treated with probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria. Scientists use a new word for them - psychobiotics.
Japanese scientists investigated the effect of kefir containing the Shirota strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei on the psychological state of medical students during an important exam. They found that kefir normalizes levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases serotonin levels. In addition, the probiotic reduces the manifestation of ailments associated with stress, such as colds and abdominal pain.
Research indicates that the study of psychobiotics is a promising avenue. But until the magic pill is invented, help your intestines in proven ways: eat yoghurts, vegetables and fruits. Then bacteria will not take over the brain control panel.
Illustration: Sonya Korshenboim.
Current page: 1 (total of the book has 5 pages) [available passage for reading: 1 pages]
Julia Anders
Charming intestines. How the most powerful body governs us
Darm mit Charme: Alles über ein unterschätztes Organ
© by Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin. Published in 2017 by Ullstein Verlag
Originally published © 2014 by Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin
Umschlaggestaltung: Jill Enders
Umschlagfoto: Jill Enders
© Perevoshchikova A.A., translation into Russian, 2015
© Design. LLC "Publishing house" E ", 2017
* * *
The theses and advice given on the pages of this book have been considered and weighed by the author and the publisher, but they are not an alternative to the competent opinion of medical professionals. The publisher, its employees, as well as the author of the book do not give guarantees with respect to the given data and are not liable in case of any (including material) damage.
Expert review
The book gives a general, but detailed idea of \u200b\u200bthe human digestive tract, its structure, functioning, both as a whole of its different departments, and their connections with each other. Non-standard comparisons are given: "nimble esophagus", "lumpy intestine", etc. Explanations of disorders of the digestive system, such as vomiting or very "popular" constipation, are given, accompanied by recommendations on how to cope with them. Important diseases (allergies, celiac disease (gluten intolerance), lactose deficiency and fructose intolerance) have been described.
Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation,
doctor of Medical Sciences,
professor S.I. Rappoport
Dedicated to all single mothers and fathers who give a sea of \u200b\u200blove and care to their children, like our mother to me and my sister and Hedi
A short preface for updating
When in 2013 I was working on texts on the interconnection of the gut and the brain, for a whole month I could not write a single word. This scientific field was quite new at that time - there was almost only research on animals, and, thus, in this area there were more assumptions than real facts. I certainly wanted to talk about what experiments and reasoning existed - but at the same time, I was afraid to awaken erroneous expectations too early or to state the incomplete truth. But when on one gray Thursday I, sniffling, was sitting at the table in my sister's kitchen, worried that I would not be able to make the text sufficiently accurate and clear, at some point she, in an almost commanding tone, said to me: "Now you will simply write that you yourself understood all this - and if more specific information appears in the coming years, it will probably also be possible to add it."
No sooner said than done.
Foreword
I was born as a result of a cesarean section and was artificially fed. The classic case of the 21st century is a child with a defective bowel. If at that time I knew more about the structure and work of the gastrointestinal tract, I could predict with 100% probability a list of those diagnoses that will be delivered to me in the future. It all started with lactose intolerance. But it didn't surprise me in the least when, at the age of just over five, I was suddenly able to drink milk again. At some times I got fat. In some - she lost weight. For quite a long time I felt good, until the first wound formed ...
When I was 17, for no reason a small wound formed on my right leg. It took a long time to heal, and after a month I had to see a doctor. The specialists could not make an accurate diagnosis and prescribed some kind of ointment. Three weeks later, the entire leg was affected by ulcers. Soon the process spread to the other leg, arms and back, ulcerations even affected the face. Fortunately, it was winter, and the people around me thought I had herpes, and there was an abrasion on my forehead.
Doctors made a helpless gesture and all as one diagnosed neurodermatitis 1
Chronic skin disease of a neurogenic-allergic nature. - Approx. ed.
Some of them suggested that the cause was stress and psychological trauma. Hormonal cortisone treatment helped, but immediately after discontinuation of the drug, the condition began to deteriorate again. For a whole year, in summer and winter, I wore tights under my trousers so that the liquid from wet wounds would not seep through the fabric of my trousers. Then at some point I pulled myself together and turned on my brains. Quite by chance, I found information about a very similar skin pathology. It was about a man in whom the first manifestations of a similar disease were noted after taking antibiotics. And I remembered that a couple of weeks before the first ulcer appeared, I also took a course of antibacterial drugs!
From that moment on, I stopped considering ulcers a manifestation of a skin disease, but perceived them, rather, as a consequence of intestinal disorders. Therefore, I gave up dairy products and those that contained gluten, took in various bacteria that are beneficial for the intestinal microflora - in general, I adhered to the correct diet. During this period, I set myself the most insane experiments ...
If at that time I was already a medical student and had at least some knowledge, I would simply not get involved in half of these food adventures. Once, for several weeks, I took zinc in shock doses, after which I reacted sharply to odors for several months.
But with some tricks I finally managed to get the better of my illness... It was a victory, and by the example of my body I felt that knowledge is really power. And then I decided to enter the medical faculty. In the first semester, at one of the parties, I sat next to a young man, from whose mouth a very strong unpleasant odor emanated. It was a peculiar smell, unlike either the smell of acetone typical of an adult uncle in a state of constant stress, or the sweetish putrid aroma of an aunt overusing sweets, or any other. The day after the party, I found out that he was dead. The young man committed suicide. Later, I very often remembered this young man. Could serious changes in the intestines cause such an unpleasant odor and even affect the mental state of a person?
In the process of studying some of the issues, I noted that this is a new, rapidly developing direction in scientific circles. If ten years ago it was possible to find only a few publications on this topic, then today several hundred scientific studies have been carried out on the influence of the intestine on human well-being, including mental health. This is indeed one of the most popular scientific directions of our time! Famous American biochemist Rob Knight in the magazine Nature2
International scientific journal founded in 1896. Website - www.nature.com. The information is provided in English. - Approx. ed.
He writes that this direction is as promising as the sensational research of stem cells in its time.
From that moment on, I plunged headlong into the topic that simply fascinated me.
While studying at the Faculty of Medicine, I noted how poorly future doctors are taught this particular section of human physiology and pathology. And with all this the intestine is a unique organ.
The intestine makes up ⅔ of the immune system.
It is in the intestines that the absorption of nutrients from bread or soy sausage takes place, which are energy resources for the body's work. The intestines even synthesize about 20 of their own hormones! Many future doctors in the process of studying at medical faculties do not learn about this at all or receive only superficial knowledge on this matter. In May 2013, I was at the gut microflora and health congress held in Lisbon, and I noted for myself that about half of the attendees were representatives of such large institutions as Harvard, Oxford, Yale University, the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology laboratories in Heidelberg - they could afford to be pioneers in developments in this area.
It amazes me that scientists behind closed doors discuss important developments without informing the public about it. Of course, sometimes foresight is better than hasty conclusions.
Among scientists, the fact has long been known that people suffering from certain digestive problems often have a violation of the activity of their own intestinal nervous system. Their gut is able to send signals to a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe brain that is responsible for generating negative emotions. The person feels depressed and cannot in any way determine the cause of this state. Often such patients are sent for consultation to a psychoanalyst, but this approach, as you understand, is unproductive. This is just one example of why new knowledge and experience gained by scientists in this field should be introduced into medical practice as quickly and widely as possible.
The purpose of this book - to summarize the existing scientific knowledge and data that are hidden behind the doors of specialized congresses, and convey them to a wide range of readers, who, meanwhile, are looking for answers to questions that have long been resolved in the world of scientists. I assume that many patients with bowel disorders have long become disenchanted with mainstream medicine. However, I am not selling a miracle cure. Also, I am not suggesting that a healthy gut is a panacea for any disease.
My task - to tell the reader about this amazing organ, new scientific data about the intestines in a fascinating way, and how, having this knowledge in the arsenal, you can improve the quality of your daily life.
My studies at the Faculty of Medicine and the defense of my doctoral dissertation at the Institute of Medical Microbiology helped me a lot in assessing and sorting the information available today. Thanks to personal experience, I was able to tell the reader in an accessible and interesting form about the most complex mechanisms acting in the intestine and affecting the entire human body.
My sister supported me at all stages of writing this book, encouraged me not to stop before the difficulties that arose and helped me to finish the work.
1. Charming intestines
The world is much more interesting if we not only observe what lies on the surface, but also try to discover some sides invisible to the eye. For example, a tree at first glance resembles a spoon very much in shape, although there is little in common between them. Our organ of vision can build its associations: what does a trunk look like with a rounded crown? Our eye perceives a tree in the shape of a spoon. But underground there are approximately the same number of roots, invisible to our eye, as the branches of the crown. Our brain builds this picture without taking into account the structure of the tree. After all, the brain in most cases forms images, receiving signals from the eyes, and not during the study of images in books on botany, which fully shows the structure of a tree. And when we drive along the road along the forest, we have the thought every now and then: “Spoon! The spoon! The spoon! Another spoon! "
The brain, receiving associative signals from the organ of vision, forms our idea of \u200b\u200bobjects and phenomena.
While we, stepping through life, sort objects "according to the type of a spoon", amazing things and events pass around and inside us that we do not notice. All sorts of processes take place under the skin of our body around the clock: something flows, pumps, absorbs, excretes, bursts, is repaired and rebuilt. And the collective in the form of organs and cells that make up them, works so harmoniously, flawlessly and productively that for normal activity, the body of an adult requires exactly the same amount of energy per hour as an incandescent lamp of 100 watts. Every second, the kidneys filter our blood like a filter in a coffee machine - and, as a rule, the kidneys are able to do their job throughout our life. And the lungs are so cleverly designed that energy is required only for inhalation. Exhalation, as we know from the school course, is effortless. If we were transparent, we could observe a mechanism working continuously, like a car mechanism, only the picture would be enlarged and in 3D mode. While someone sits and torments himself with thoughts like “no one loves me,” “no one needs me,” his heart is hitting the 17,000th beat in the last 24 hours and has every right to be offended and feel offended.
Just imagine what an immense world lives inside each of us!
If we could see what is hidden from the eye, we could also observe how the accumulation of cells in the mother's abdomen turns into a small person. Studying this process, we would understand that initially each of us consisted of only three pipes.
The first tube passes through us and folds into a knot in the middle. This is our cardiovascular system, in the center of which is the main node - our heart.
The formation of the human body begins with three main systems: cardiovascular, nervous and digestive.
The second tube runs parallel to the first and is concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bour spine. It forms a bubble that migrates upward and remains there for life. This is our nervous system: the spinal cord, from which the brain and nerves further develop, penetrating every part of our body.
The third tube runs from top to bottom and is called the intestinal tube. It shapes our insides like buds blossoming on a branch and gives rise to lungs. A little lower, the liver develops from it. It also forms the pancreas and gallbladder. The intestinal tube itself is capable of many tricks: it is involved in the formation of the oral cavity, the esophagus, which in turn gives rise to the stomach. And only at the very end of its development, the intestinal tube forms an organ, the name of which it actually carries - the intestine.
As you already understood, thanks to the intestinal tube, the digestive system of our body is formed.
The objects of creation of the other two tubes - the heart and the brain - are very popular and are of great interest from scientists, doctors, and humans in general. The heart is considered a vital organ because, by performing a pumping function, it supplies blood to all parts of our body. The brain delights us with its work related to the formation of thoughts, images and emotions. But the intestines, as many believe, are intended only to relieve themselves. In between going to the toilet, he is not busy with anything - he just lies in our stomach and from time to time gives off gases (farts). How amazing this organ is, almost no one knows. We can say that we underestimate this body. And we are not just underestimating, but even ashamed of him: "Shameful intestines!" Why is there such discrimination of the organ, which, in fact, is the main one in the human digestive system?
The goal of my book is to fundamentally change the stereotype of gut perception. We will try to do the incredible: to see the other side of visible things. After all, a tree is not a spoon. And the intestines are such a charming organ!
How we poop ... and why is it worth talking seriously about a seemingly frivolous topic
A neighbor with whom I rented an apartment once went into the kitchen and asked: “Julia, listen, you’re a medical student. How do we poop? " Perhaps not the best start to my fascinating story. But this question became decisive for me in many ways. I returned to my room, sat down on the floor and spread the books around me that I had in my arsenal. I was completely at a loss while looking for an answer to his question. This daily banality turned out to be a much more complicated and thoughtful process than it seemed at first glance.
The process of defecation, it turns out, is the result of well-coordinated work, in particular, of two nervous systems... The result is the most complete and hygienic disposal of waste from our body. In no living organism, except for a human, defecation does not pass so exemplarily and accurately. For this, nature in our body has developed special devices and tricks. It all starts with an incredibly sophisticated system of locking mechanisms (or sphincters). Almost everyone is familiar only with the external locking mechanism, which opens and closes by conscious impulses. A similar locking mechanism is located a few centimeters higher - it is beyond our control, and its work is regulated unconsciously.
Defecation is a complex, coordinated process between the intestines and the brain.
Each of the mechanisms represents the interests of its own nervous system. The outer mechanism works in conjunction with our consciousness. As soon as the brain decides that the moment is unfavorable for going to the toilet, the external locking mechanism obeys this order and closes as tightly as it can. The internal locking mechanism is unconsciously regulated. Whether Aunt Bertha likes to fart or not, he is of little interest. Its priority is maintaining comfortable conditions inside the body... Gases that pressurize accumulate? The internal locking mechanism tends to remove all negative factors from the body as quickly as possible. He is ready to remove gases as often as is required to perform his main task, and in what ways is already a secondary issue.
Both locking mechanisms work hand in hand. When the waste of our digestion approaches the internal locking mechanism, it opens reflexively. Before all the contents go towards the external sphincter, the process of testing it takes place. A large number of sensitive cells are located in the space between the locking mechanisms, which analyze information about the incoming content: is it gaseous or solid in nature. The information received is then sent by cells to the brain. He, in turn, proceeds to form needs such as "I want to go to the toilet" or "I want to fart."
The brain begins to confer with its consciousness: it is guided by what is happening at the moment around us, collecting and analyzing information from our organs of vision, hearing and already existing experience. In just a few seconds, the brain composes a complete picture and sends data to the external locking “device”: “I looked, we are here in Aunt Bertha's living room. Fart is still possible, but only if quietly. But going to the toilet because of great need is probably not worth it ... not now. "
The external locking mechanism accepts the received information and contracts even more tightly than before. The internal sphincter respects a colleague's decision - and the test sample is sent to the withdrawal queue. someday the wastes of digestion will be excreted. But not here and not now. After some time, the internal locking mechanism again sends the test sample for evaluation. At this time, we are already sitting at home, comfortably sitting on the sofa. Now you can!
Our internal locking mechanism is a stubborn comrade! His main postulate: "What should come out will be brought out."... And that means exactly what it means, and is not negotiable. The external locking mechanism is in continuous contact with the outside world and constantly evaluates: “Will it be convenient to use someone else's toilet, or is it better not? Are we close enough to allow ourselves to fart in front of each other? If I don't go to the toilet now, I can only do it in the late afternoon, which means that I will have to feel uncomfortable throughout the day! "
Perhaps the mental activity of locking mechanisms is not so outstanding as to qualify for a Nobel Prize, but the processes in question are very complex and are the most important components of a person's life in society. How important is the comfortable state of our body to us and what compromises do we make in order to fit into our environment and the circumstances of reality? One, to fart, swears out of the living room where his family members are. Another at a family grandma's birthday party allows himself to fart so loud and revealing that he makes a whole show out of it.
In everyday life, it is probably best to try to find a compromise between the two extremes described.
If we restrain ourselves from going to the toilet, suppressing urge after urge, then we suppress the work of the internal locking mechanism and as a result we can even damage it. The internal sphincter is in constant subordination to the external locking mechanism. And the more the external sphincter commands the internal, the more tense their working relationship becomes, the higher the risk of developing problems and constipation.
Conscious suppression of natural processes in the body should not be frequent. Don't let this become a habit.
Even if you do not suppress bowel movements, constipation can develop, for example, in women after childbirth. This is due to the rupture of nerve fibers, through which external and internal locking mechanisms communicate with each other. Now for the good news: damaged nerve fibers can grow together... It doesn't matter if the fibers break during childbirth or for some other reason, there is always the opportunity to undergo bioremediation therapy, as a result of which the locking muscles of both sphincters, which have existed separately for a long time, will again learn to work together well. Similar treatment is carried out in some gastroenterology departments. A special device records the impulse relationships of the external and internal sphincters. Each contact lights up green or beeps. Roughly like on an intellectual TV show: if one of the participants answered the question correctly, the lights are turned on and music is played. Only everything happens not in a television studio, but in a doctor's office, where you lie with sensory electrodes inserted into the intestinal cavity. Over time, the impulse coordinating the joint work of the external and internal locking mechanisms is recorded more and more often, the coordination of their joint activities is achieved, they begin to act synchronously, and the person gets rid of constipation.
Muscles of locking mechanisms, consciousness, electrodes and an intellectual show in the pope ... my flatmate did not even expect that everything was so clever. Students of the Faculty of Economics who, together with a neighbor, celebrated their birthday in our kitchen, even more so. But the evening turned out to be funny, and I realized that the topic of the intestines is actually interesting to a large number of people, just for some reason it is not customary to talk about it out loud.
Synchronous work of impulses of the external and internal sphincters ensures ease of defecation.
Many new interesting questions arose: Is it true that we all sit on the toilet the wrong way? How to make the belching invisible? Why do we extract energy from steaks, apples or chips when it takes one particular brand of fuel to refuel a car? Why do we need a cecum and why is the feces always the same color?
My neighbors already knew from the expression on my face when I entered the kitchen that there would be a new anecdote on the intestines.
The gut is our second brain, responsible for intuition. It is not for nothing that the expression “I feel with my guts” or “I feel with my guts” has survived in the Russian language. Therefore, you need to treat it with care, and you should not suppress defecation.
Current page: 1 (total of the book has 18 pages) [available passage for reading: 5 pages]
Font:
100% +
Julia Anders
Charming intestines. How the most powerful body governs us
© Perevoshchikova A.A., translation into Russian, 2015
© LLC "Publishing house" Eksmo ", 2016
* * *
The theses and advice given on the pages of this book have been thought out and weighed by the author and the publisher, however, they are not an alternative to the competent opinion of medical personnel. The publisher, its employees, as well as the author of the book do not give guarantees regarding the data provided and are not liable in the event of any (including material) damage.
Expert review
The book gives a general, but detailed idea of \u200b\u200bthe human digestive tract, its structure, functioning, as a whole of its various departments, and their connections with each other. Non-standard comparisons are given: "nimble esophagus", "lumpy intestine", etc. Explanations of disorders of the digestive system, such as vomiting or very "popular" constipation, are given, accompanied by recommendations on how to cope with them. Important diseases (allergies, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, lactose deficiency and fructose intolerance) have been described.
Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor S. I. Rappoport
Dedicated to all single mothers and fathers who give a sea of \u200b\u200blove and care to their children, like our mother to me and my sister and Hedi.
Foreword
I was born as a result of a cesarean section and was artificially fed. The classic case of the 21st century is a child with a defective bowel. If at that time I knew more about the structure and work of the gastrointestinal tract, I could predict with 100% probability the list of those diagnoses that will be delivered to me in the future. It all started with lactose intolerance. But it didn’t surprise me in the least when, at the age of just over five, I was suddenly able to drink milk again. At some times I got fat. In some - she lost weight. For quite a long time I felt good, until the first wound was formed ...
When I was 17, for no reason a small wound formed on my right leg. It took a long time to heal, and after a month I had to see a doctor. The specialists could not make an accurate diagnosis and prescribed some kind of ointment. Three weeks later, the entire leg was affected by ulcers. Soon the process spread to the other leg, arms and back, ulcerations even affected the face. Fortunately, it was winter, and the people around me thought I had herpes, and there was an abrasion on my forehead.
Doctors made a helpless gesture and as one diagnosed neurodermatitis 1
Chronic skin disease of a neurogenic-allergic nature. - Approx. ed.
Some of them suggested that the cause was stress and psychological trauma. Hormonal cortisone treatment helped, but immediately after discontinuation of the drug, the condition began to worsen again. For a whole year, in summer and winter, I wore tights under my trousers so that the liquid from weeping wounds would not seep through the fabric of my trousers. Then at some point I pulled myself together and turned on my own brains. Quite by chance, I found information about a very similar skin pathology. It was about a man in whom the first manifestations of a similar disease were noted after taking antibiotics. And I remembered that a couple of weeks before the first ulcer appeared, I also drank a course of antibacterial drugs!
From that moment on, I stopped considering my condition as a skin disease, and saw it more as a consequence of intestinal disorders. Therefore, I gave up dairy products and those that contained gluten, took in various bacteria that are beneficial for the intestinal microflora - in general, I adhered to the correct diet. During this period, I set myself the most insane experiments ...
If at that time I was already a medical student and had at least some knowledge, I would simply not get involved in half of these food adventures. Once, for several weeks, I took zinc in shock dosages, after which I reacted sharply to odors for several months.
But with some tricks I finally managed to get the better of my illness... It was a victory, and by the example of my body I felt that knowledge is really power. And then I decided to enter the medical faculty. In the first semester, at one of the parties, I sat next to a young man who had a very strong bad breath. It was a peculiar smell, unlike either the smell of acetone typical for an age-old uncle in a state of constant stress, or the sweetish putrid aroma of an aunt overusing sweets, but some other. The day after the party, I found out that he was dead. The young man committed suicide. Later, I very often remembered this young man. Could serious changes in the intestines cause such an unpleasant odor and even affect the mental state of a person?
In the process of studying some of the issues, I noted that this is a new, rapidly developing direction in scientific circles. If ten years ago it was possible to find only a few publications on this topic, then today several hundred scientific studies have been carried out on the influence of the intestine on human well-being, including mental health. This is indeed one of the most popular scientific directions of our time! Famous American biochemist Rob Knight in the magazine Nature2
International scientific journal, founded in 1896, http://www.nature.com. The information is provided in English.
He writes that this direction is as promising as the sensational research of stem cells in its time.
From that moment on, I plunged headlong into the topic that simply fascinated me.
While studying at the Faculty of Medicine, I noted how poorly future doctors are taught this particular section of human physiology and pathology. And with all this the intestine is a unique organ.
The intestines make up 2/3 of the immune system.
It is in the intestine that nutrients are absorbed from bread or soy sausage, which are energy resources for the body's work; the intestine even synthesizes about 20 of its own hormones! Many future doctors in the process of studying at medical faculties do not learn about this at all or receive only superficial knowledge about it. In May 2013, I attended the gut microflora and health congress, which was held in Lisbon, and I noted for myself that about half of the listeners were representatives of such large institutions as Harvard, Oxford, Yale University, Heidelberg University - they could afford to become pioneers in developments in this area.
It amazes me that scientists behind closed doors discuss important developments without informing the public about it. Of course, sometimes foresight is better than hasty conclusions.
Among scientists, the fact has long been known that people suffering from certain digestive problems often have a violation of the activity of their own intestinal nervous system. Their gut is able to send signals to a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe brain that is responsible for generating negative emotions. The person feels depressed and cannot in any way determine the cause of this state. Often such patients are sent for consultation to a psychoanalyst, but this approach, as you understand, is unproductive. This is just one example of why new knowledge and experience gained by scientists in this field should be introduced into medical practice as quickly and widely as possible.
The purpose of this book - to summarize the existing scientific knowledge and data that are hidden behind the doors of specialized congresses, and convey them to a wide range of readers, who, meanwhile, are looking for answers to questions that have long been resolved in the world of scientists. I assume that a large number of patients with bowel disorders have long become disenchanted with mainstream medicine. However, I am not selling a miracle cure. Also, I'm not suggesting that a healthy gut is a panacea for any disease.
My task - to tell the reader in a fascinating way about his amazing internal organ, new scientific data about the intestines and how, having this knowledge in his arsenal, you can improve the quality of your daily life.
My studies at the Faculty of Medicine and the defense of my doctoral dissertation at the Institute of Medical Microbiology helped me a lot in assessing and sorting the information available today. Thanks to personal experience, I was able to tell the reader in an accessible and interesting form about the most complex mechanisms that take place in the intestine and affect the entire human body.
My sister supported me at all stages of writing this book, urged me not to stop at the difficulties that arose and bring the work to the end.
1. Charming intestines
The world is much more interesting if we not only observe what lies on the surface, but also try to reveal for ourselves some sides invisible to the eye. For example, a tree at first glance resembles a spoon very much in shape, although there is little in common between them. Our organ of vision can build its own associations: what does a trunk with a rounded crown look like? Our eye perceives a tree in the shape of a spoon. But underground there are approximately the same number of roots, invisible to our eye, as the branches of the crown. Our brain builds this picture without taking into account the structure of the tree. After all, the brain in most cases forms images, receiving signals from the eyes, and not during the study of images in books on botany, which fully shows the structure of a tree. And while driving along the road along the forest, we now and then have a thought: “Spoon! The spoon! The spoon! Another spoon! "
The brain, receiving associative signals from the organ of vision, forms our idea of \u200b\u200bobjects and phenomena.
While we, stepping through life, sort objects "like a spoon", amazing things and events pass by us. All kinds of processes take place under the skin of our body around the clock: something flows, pumps, absorbs, excretes, bursts, is repaired and rebuilt. And the collective in the form of organs and cells that make them up, works so harmoniously, flawlessly and productively that for normal activity the body of an adult needs exactly the same amount of energy per hour as an incandescent lamp of 100 watts. Every second, the kidneys filter our blood like a filter in a coffee machine - and, as a rule, the kidneys are able to do their job throughout our life. And the lungs are so cleverly designed that energy is required only for inhalation. Exhalation, as we know from the school course, is effortless. If we were transparent, we could observe the mechanism working continuously, like the mechanism of a car, only the picture would be enlarged and in 3D mode. While someone sits and torments himself with thoughts like “no one loves me”, “no one needs me”, his heart is hitting the 17,000th beat in the last 24 hours and has every right to be offended and feel offended.
Just imagine what an immense world lives inside each of us!
If we could see what is hidden from the human eye, then we could also observe how the accumulation of cells in the mother's abdomen turns into a small person. Studying this process, we would understand that initially each of us consisted of only three pipes.
1. The first tube passes through us and folds into a knot in the middle - this is our cardiovascular system, in the center of which is the main node - our heart.
2. The second tube runs parallel to the first and is concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bour spine, it forms a bubble that migrates upward and remains there for life. This is our nervous system: the spinal cord, from which the brain and nerves further develop, penetrating every part of our body.
3. The third tube runs from top to bottom and is called the intestinal tube.
The formation of the human body begins with three main systems: cardiovascular, nervous, digestive.
The intestinal tube forms our insides like buds blossoming on a branch and gives rise to the lungs; just below the liver develops from it. It also forms the pancreas and gallbladder. The intestinal tube itself is capable of many tricks: it is involved in the formation of the oral cavity, the esophagus, which in turn gives rise to the stomach. And only at the very end of its development, the intestinal tube forms an organ, the name of which it actually carries - the intestine.
As you already understood, thanks to the intestinal tube, the digestive system of our body is formed.
The objects of creation of the other two tubes - the heart and the brain - are very popular and are of great interest from scientists, doctors, and humans. The heart is considered a vital organ because, as a pumping function, it supplies blood to all parts of our body. The brain delights us with its work related to the formation of thoughts, images and emotions. But the intestines, as many believe, are intended only to relieve themselves. In between going to the toilet, he is not busy with anything - he just lies in our stomach and from time to time gives off gases (farts). How amazing this organ is, almost no one knows. We can say that we underestimate this body. And we are not just underestimating, but even ashamed of him: "Shameful intestines"! Why is there such discrimination of the organ, which, in fact, is the main one in the human digestive system?
The goal of my book is to fundamentally change the stereotype of gut perception. We will try to do the incredible: to see the other side of visible things. After all, a tree is not a spoon. And the intestines are such a charming organ!
How we poop ... and why is it worth talking seriously about a seemingly frivolous topic
A neighbor with whom I rented an apartment once went into the kitchen and asked: “Julia, listen, you’re a medical student. How do we poop? " Perhaps not the best start to my fascinating story. But this question became decisive for me in many ways. I returned to my room, sat down on the floor and spread the books around me that I had in my arsenal. I was completely at a loss while looking for an answer to his question. This daily banality turned out to be a much more complicated and thoughtful process than it seemed at first glance.
The process of defecation, it turns out, is the result of well-coordinated work, in particular, of two nervous systems... The result is the most complete and hygienic disposal of waste from our body. In no living organism, except for a human, defecation does not pass so exemplarily and accurately. For this, nature in our body has developed special devices and tricks. It all starts with an incredibly sophisticated system of locking mechanisms (or sphincters). Almost everyone is familiar only with the external locking mechanism, which opens and closes by conscious impulses. A similar locking mechanism is located a few centimeters higher - it is beyond our control, and its work is regulated unconsciously.
The bowel movement is a complex coordinated process between the intestines and the brain.
Each of the mechanisms represents the interests of its own nervous system. The outer mechanism works in conjunction with our consciousness. As soon as the brain decides that the moment is unfavorable for going to the toilet, the external locking mechanism obeys this order and closes as tightly as it can. The internal locking mechanism is unconsciously regulated. Whether Aunt Bertha likes to fart or not, he is of little interest. Its priority is maintaining comfortable conditions inside the body... Gases that pressurize accumulate? The internal locking mechanism tends to remove all negative factors from the body as quickly as possible. He is ready to remove gases as often as is required to perform his main task, and in what ways is already a secondary issue.
Both locking mechanisms work hand in hand. When the waste from our digestion approaches the internal locking mechanism, it opens reflexively. Before all the contents go towards the external sphincter, the process of testing it takes place. A large number of sensitive cells are located in the space between both locking mechanisms, which analyze information about the incoming content: whether it is gaseous or solid in nature, and the received information is sent by the cells to the brain. At this moment, the brain forms a need such as "I want to go to the toilet" or "I want to fart."
Now the brain begins to confer with its consciousness: it focuses on what is happening at the moment around us, collecting and analyzing information from our organs of vision, hearing and already existing experience. In just a few seconds, the brain has a complete picture and sends data to the external locking device: “I looked, we are here in Aunt Bertha's living room. Fart is still possible, but only if quietly. But going to the toilet because of great need is probably not worth it ... not now. "
The external locking mechanism accepts the received information and contracts even more tightly than before. The internal sphincter respects the decision made by a colleague, and by joint decision, the test sample is sent to the queue for removal, someday the garbage intended for disposal will be removed. But not here and not now. After some time, the internal locking mechanism again sends the test sample for evaluation. At this time we are already sitting at home, comfortably sitting on the sofa: now we can!
Our internal locking mechanism is a stubborn comrade! His main postulate: "What should come out will be brought out."... And that means exactly what it means, and is not negotiable. The external locking mechanism is in continuous contact with the outside world and constantly evaluates: “Will it be convenient to use someone else's toilet, or is it better not? Are we close enough to allow ourselves to fart in front of each other? If I don't go to the toilet now, I can only do it in the late afternoon, which means that I will have to feel uncomfortable throughout the day! "
Perhaps the mental activity of locking mechanisms is not so outstanding as to qualify for a Nobel Prize, but the processes in question are very complex and are the most important components of a person's life in society. How important is the comfortable state of our body to us and what compromises do we make in order to fit into our environment and the circumstances of reality? One swears out of the living room, where his family members are, to fart while at home. Another at a family grandma's birthday party allows himself to fart so loud and revealing that he makes a whole show out of it.
In everyday life, it is probably best to try to find a compromise between the two extremes described.
If we restrain ourselves from going to the toilet, suppressing urge after urge, then we suppress the work of the internal locking mechanism and as a result we can even damage it. The internal sphincter is in constant subordination to the external locking mechanism. And the more the external sphincter commands the internal, the more tense their working relationship becomes, the higher the risk of developing problems and constipation.
Conscious suppression of natural processes in the body should not be frequent, do not allow it to become a habit.
Even if you do not suppress the natural process of bowel movement, constipation can develop, for example, in women after childbirth. This is due to the rupture of nerve fibers, through which external and internal locking mechanisms communicate with each other. Now for the good news: damaged nerve fibers can grow together... It doesn't matter if the fibers break during childbirth or for some other reason, there is always the opportunity to undergo bioremediation therapy, as a result of which the locking muscles of both sphincters, which have existed separately for a long time, will again learn to work together well. Similar treatment is carried out in some gastroenterology departments. A special device records the impulse relationships of the external and internal sphincters. Each contact lights up green or beeps. Roughly like on an intellectual TV show, if one of the participants answered the question correctly, the lights are turned on and music is played. It's the same here. Only not in a television studio, but in a doctor's office, where you lie with sensor electrodes inserted into the intestinal cavity. Over time, the impulse coordinating the joint work of the external and internal locking mechanisms is recorded more and more often, the coordination of their joint activities is achieved, they begin to act synchronously, and the person gets rid of constipation.
The synchronous work of impulses of the external and internal sphincters ensures the ease of the process of defecation.
Muscles of locking mechanisms, consciousness, electrodes and an intellectual show in the pope ... my flatmate did not even expect that everything so clever... Students of the Faculty of Economics who, together with a neighbor, celebrated their birthday in our kitchen, even more so. But the evening turned out to be funny, and I realized that the topic of the intestines is actually interesting to a large number of people, just for some reason it is not customary to talk about it out loud.
Many new interesting questions arose: Is it true that we all sit on the toilet the wrong way? How to make the belching invisible? Why do we extract energy from steaks, apples or chips when it takes one particular brand of fuel to refuel a car? Why do we need a cecum and why is the feces always the same color?
My neighbors already knew from the expression on my face when I entered the kitchen that there would be a new anecdote on the intestines.
The gut is our second brain, responsible for intuition. It is not for nothing that the expression “I feel with my guts” or “I feel with my guts” has survived in the Russian language. Therefore, you need to treat it with care, and you should not suppress the natural process of defecation.