The human gut is a long tube that runs an intricate course on its’ passage through the body. It has many components and compartments and a myriad of complex functions to perform. The gut must perform these functions correctly and synchronize them collectively or the unlucky owner will experience the common distresses of heartburn, indigestion, constipation, and bloating for example. A malfunctioning gut can give rise to leaky gut syndrome, Crohns’ disease or colon cancer, and an inability to digest and absorb nutrients eventually leads to death.The gut is one of the first lines of defense for the body and is monitored vigilantly by the immune system. In fact, the contents of the gut are not considered to be ‘inside’ the body proper until they cross through the gut lining, pass by the immune system and enter the blood stream. With digestion, absorption, assimilation of nutrients and immune response all dependent upon the efficient function of the gut it is accorded a whole brain of its’ own.

The human gut is under control of the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), the third and often forgotten or ignored branch of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ENS is an independent site for neural integration and processing, and possesses cells that are more similar in structure to the brain than any other peripheral organ. The ENS produces and uses a vast array of neurotransmitters similar to the brain, which allow the gut to communicate intelligently with itself and others. The gut is actually the site of greatest production for Serotonin, the feel good hormone, thus giving rise to the expression ‘gut feeling’.

So the gut cells look like a brain, act like a brain, use the same chemical language as the brain, and if the gut is severed completely from the brain in the cranium it still functions and mediates reflexes under its’ own command.