Are you stressed or feeling anxious about what you hear on the news about COVID 19? Or perhaps, worse than that, a family member or friend has the virus? Or maybe your hours at work have been reduced?

All of this wears on us. Mental and emotional challenges make it harder to stay strong and healthy. Stress can weaken you by sabotaging your immune system.

Consider turning off the news and watching a comedy, or connect online with family and friends. Laughing boosts your immune system.

Do stretches, and incorporate movement in your day. Go out for a walk and get some sunshine and soak in that Vitamin D to strengthen your immune system. Breathe our fresh Montana air.

Meditate, pray, or do affirmations that activate a calm, inner feeling and trigger your enteric nervous system, called the second brain. This mass network of nerve tissue in the lining of the gut connects with the brain in the skull, and partly determines our responses to stress.

Cutting-edge research is investigating how the second brain mediates the body’s immune response. At least 70 percent of your immune system is in the gut and aims at targeting foreign invaders, like viruses. The second brain in our gut also plays a big part in our emotions. Butterflies in the stomach is an example of a response of this nervous system.

Do you have an irritable gut?  Do you have an irritable mood?  Do you sometimes wonder which came first? 

 Studies on the gut-brain connection are finding that both the gut and the cerebral cortex are key players in determining your moods. It works bi-directionally. Food can drive mood. Depression and anxiety can be triggered by an unhealthy gut. Or your mood can drive you to crave certain types of food.

The nCenter’s nutritionist, along with our counselors, are here to help you address your mental, emotional, and physical wellness by addressing the health of both your brains.

Our nutritionist will help you address your food intake, food intolerances, and any of your underlying gut or other health issues that may affect your immunity, moods, and well-being and our counselors can work with you from a mental health perspective.

 

Candice Vann, RD, LN, CLC

To find out more about our integrative approach, call the nCenter today 406 599 2492 or submit a contact form here.