Gut Health
Gut Health
How does gut health influence chronic pain?
At first, it may seem bizarre for us to suggest that what is going on in your tummy, bears any relevance whatsoever to the pain you are experiencing.
Frankly, for much of our careers we would have agreed with you!
Some of the key reasons that gut health is important on your chronic pain journey include:
Gut‐Brain Connection
The gut and brain talk to each other. A healthy gut can help your brain work better and improve your mood, which can help you handle pain better.
Inflammation
If your gut isn’t healthy, it can cause ongoing inflammation in your body. This kind of inflammation can make chronic pain worse, like in arthritis or fibromyalgia. Keeping your gut healthy can help control this pain.
Immune System
Much of your body’s immune system is in your gut. An unhealthy gut can mess up your immune system, which might lead to more pain.
Good Bacteria Balance
Your gut has lots of tiny bacteria that are important for health. If these are out of balance, you might have digestive problems that can make pain worse.
Absorbing Nutrients
A healthy gut helps your body take in nutrients it needs to repair itself and manage pain.
Mental Health
Chronic pain often goes along with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. A healthy gut can help improve your mental health, which can make it easier to deal with pain.
The bottom line…
As experienced occupational therapists, we feel the old mantra of “eat a balanced diet and drink lots of water” requires some fine tuning.
Our patients are kept in the loop of cutting‐edge research that gives them the best chance for a healthy gut, and therefore the best chance to minimise the often immense burden of their chronic pain experience.