Have you ever experienced “butterflies in your stomach” before an important presentation or felt your appetite disappear during a stressful situation? Well, you’re not alone. Our gut and brain are closely connected, and this communication is referred to as the gut-brain connection.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how this two-way communication occurs and affects our overall well-being. Specifically, we’ll examine the three primary pathways that connect our gut and brain. So, get ready to learn something new and fascinating about the incredible relationship between our gut and brain!
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Why Understanding the Gut-Brain Connection is Important
Whether you have anxiety, depression, headaches, brain fog, or digestive issues like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, autoimmune disease, skin issues, or neurodegenerative diseases, we must consider our gut-brain access. This amazing bi-directional communication between our gut and brain is connected through three primary pathways.
Three Pathways That Connect The Gut And The Brain
Pathway 1: Nervous System
The first pathway, the nervous system pathway, is connected via the vagus nerve.
As you may have read in my previous posts, the vagus nerve is our wandering nerve. It is a pair of cranial nerves (10th cranial nerve). It wanders down with branches into the throat, ear, esophagus, lung, heart, and entire digestive tract. The vagus nerve is also 80% of our parasympathetic system, which connects our gut and brain. It is one of the best visual representations of this connection.
Therefore, whether we think about specific health conditions or concerns, we want to understand and appreciate this connection and how we can influence it. For example, we can work on diaphragmatic breathing before we eat to bring ourselves to a parasympathetic state and optimize our gut-brain connection.
Pathway 2: Hormonal
The second pathway is the hormonal connection. We want to think of our neurotransmitters, which are our chemical messengers. The gut bacteria help produce these neurotransmitters, so we need proper nutrient intake for that.
For example, approximately 90 percent of our happiness hormone, serotonin, is in our gut, and around 50 percent of our dopamine is also there.
GABA, which inhibits anxiety and fear, is also in our gut. Therefore, to optimize brain health, we can address our gut. Gut dysbiosis, for example, will likely contribute to health conditions that may include but not be limited to anxiety and depression.
Pathway 3: Immune System
The third pathway is the immune connection. Seventy percent of the immune system is in our gut, which is called GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue).
We want to consider that if there is inflammation in the gut from food sensitivities and allergies, parasitic infections, pathogenic infections, leaky gut, or IBS/inflammatory bowel disease, this can cause systemic or excessive inflammation.
If we have inflammation in the gut and the lymphoid tissue, which is 70% of our entire immune system, it can ultimately affect everything in our body, especially the gut-brain connection.
The Bottom Line
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve seen others about the gut-brain connection. I hope that this information has been useful and that you find the topic as fascinating as I do.
If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like, share it with your friends, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for more weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
Do you ever feel like you’re not reaching your full potential? Do you struggle to achieve your goals, despite putting in the effort? Your mindset may be holding you back. But don’t worry; there are simple “mindset hacks” you can use to unleash your potential and achieve your dreams.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of my most effective mindset hacks that can help you overcome limiting beliefs, develop a growth mindset, and increase your motivation and productivity. So, if you’re ready to unlock your full potential, keep reading and discover some of my favorite mindset hacks that can help you transform your life.
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Subconscious vs. Conscious Mind
One of the things I always like to discuss regarding mindset is the difference between our subconscious and conscious minds. Our conscious mind accounts for only one percent of our mind, while our subconscious mind accounts for 99 percent.
When we set goals, such as losing weight, exercising more, or achieving a specific objective, we use our conscious mind, representing that one percent. On the other hand, our subconscious mind includes our past experiences, thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and day-to-day activities.
To avoid constant conflict, we must align these two aspects of our minds. A perfect example of this is our inclination to move away from pain and towards pleasure. For example, after a long week, we may feel more drawn to pizza and beer or wine instead of a salad with chicken, which we might have eaten during our workweek. This tendency towards pleasure will always be a challenge to overcome.
Mindset Hacks
1. Identify what your conscious goal is
First, it’s important to identify your conscious goal and then begin setting yourself up for success. Consider the Triune Brain Theory. First, there’s the early Reptilian Brain, which is like our autopilot, responsible for fight or flight responses. Then there’s the early Mammalian Brain, which can be thought of as our limbic system or emotional brain. Finally, there’s the Neocortex, where we reason, gain insight, and have rationale.
To shift our mindset, we must move away from constantly avoiding pain due to fear. If we want to move out of our comfort zone, we need to shift into the Neocortex. We must think with reason and insight. Unfortunately, our nervous system is designed to protect us, and it can be difficult to leave our comfort zone. We may only peek out before quickly retreating because our nervous system signals that it’s dangerous, and protection mechanisms must be in place.
2. Think about your comfort zone
Now that we have identified both our subconscious and conscious minds, let’s focus on our comfort zone. It’s important to recognize when we are in a state of fear and understand that our nervous system is doing what it should. However, it’s even more reason why we should challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone safely and gradually.
For example, if we want to exercise more, we shouldn’t go from not walking at all to walking 60 minutes, five days a week. This can trigger an unrealistic nervous response and lead to a crash. Instead, we should start with something small like walking for five minutes a day and gradually increase it.
Doing this builds safety and resilience in our nervous system, body, and emotions. It’s important to move at a slow pace and signal to our nervous system that it’s safe to step out of our comfort zone and into a growth zone.
3. Changing our wiring
From a neuroplasticity perspective, we have something called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). With BDNF, we can rewire our brains in as little as 20 to 30 seconds by creating new patterns.
For example, if you tend to immediately go to the kitchen and overeat when you come home, you can change that behavior by taking just 20 seconds to shift your environment, such as by going for a short walk outside instead. By doing this repeatedly, you can effectively re-pattern and rewire your brain.
This is important because many of the subconscious patterns we have are what hold us back. However, by forming a new habit in 30 days and reinforcing it for 45 days, you can make remarkable progress. So, the next time you want to make a change, remember that even small adjustments, when repeated consistently, can lead to significant improvements.
4. Think about the neurotransmitter mix
The fourth aspect to consider is the mix of neurotransmitters that are released when we attempt to make a change. Initially, norepinephrine is released, which signals a bit of fear, danger, alertness, and focus.
As we continue to make progress, acetylcholine is released, which helps us to focus on the task at hand. Then, dopamine is ultimately released, which feeds the reward cycle, reinforcing our progress and motivating us to continue our efforts.
5. Sense of urgency
Lastly, it’s important to create a sense of urgency by setting a deadline. This can be highly effective when paired with SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, and action-oriented. Setting a deadline helps to ensure that we are working towards achieving our goals in a realistic and focused manner.
The Bottom Line
These are just a few of my favorite mindset hacks. Hopefully, you can adopt at least one and gain a different perspective on making positive changes in your life.
If you found this helpful, please give it a like and share it. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. And if you need help on your journey, we’d love the opportunity to assist you in becoming the best version of yourself. Feel free to reach out for a discovery session.
Biohacking is all the rage right now. But what’s it really about? Essentially, biohackers are people who are interested in the best ways to live healthier, happier, and more productive and purposeful lives.
Here are ten of my favorite biohacks that you should consider using for the new year 2023 to help you gain greater health, vitality, longevity, and well-being.
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If you’ve watched my videos, you know that these are some of my favorite things, but not only are they my favorites, these are things that are evidence-based and proven over and over again to be effective for your overall mental, emotional, and physical health and longevity.
So yes, you may want to look better and feel better, but ultimately you want to be able to do the things in your life that you want to do, right? You don’t want to be held back, and therefore, we cannot take our health for granted. All of the things that I’m going to mention today are so easy to integrate that there’s really no excuse not to do them.
I’m not asking to spend hours a day, rather, focus on these simple strategies that you can easily integrate into your life and make huge improvements in your health.
10 biohacks you should try this 2023
1. Track your heart rate variability
Track your heart rate variability. Essentially, this you’re tracking your vagal tone. There are many options: Whoop, Oura, Fitbit, or an Apple Watch, just to name a few.
One of my favorites is the app Elite HRV, which I use along with a chest monitor. When you wake up in the morning, you can assess your heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and readiness for the day. This allows you to make very intentional changes in your life. Did I sleep well? Did I eat well? How much stress am I under? You can track the trends of your overall health and how it is affecting your resiliency day to day. This is one of the best objective measures that we can use to assess vagal tone, track your overall health, and be able to ultimately make changes accordingly.
2. Optimizing your sleep
Sleep should be a non-negotiable, but I’m going to give you my quick tips for optimizing your sleep.
Number one, get blue light blockers. You want to wear them after 7 PM because, realistically, you’re going to be using your phone or your TV, so get blue light blockers to eliminate the blue light at night. The blue light is ultimately stimulating the receptors in your eye to signal that it is morning.
Number two, when you wake up in the morning, you either want to get 20 minutes of natural sunlight within the first 20 minutes or if you can’t do that and that’s not realistic, get a SAD light that has at least 10,000 lux and set it up as you’re getting ready in the morning or brushing your teeth. You want to optimize your natural cortisol peak in the morning and, ultimately, your melatonin production that night.
This is really important for sleep optimization, and of course, there are many other sleep tips, but these are critical.
3. Vagus nerve stimulation
When it comes to vagus nerve stimulation, you can look at all of my different videos. I have over 50 different vagus nerve exercises, but I will perhaps come back to my favorite — the one and only diaphragmatic breathing.
When we are breathing diaphragmatically, we are stimulating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve runs right through the diaphragm, and we release a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, creating a relaxation response.
You can tap into breathing anywhere, anytime, and for most people, it is a very effective tool in regulating your nervous system. However, please check out all my other videos on vagus nerve exercises because there are countless exercises that you can do that are extremely effective. Nonetheless, you want to think about how you can regulate your nervous system in the New Year.
4. Lymphatic drainage
This is one of the easiest things you can do because you can basically do it anywhere, including in the shower. You can do it right before or after you get out of the shower. It’s such a gentle and quick technique.
You can check my other lymph blogs or videos for more specific details on how to do that.
5. Strength training
This is something that I will say repeatedly; strength training is the best aging-gracefully strategy you can do. We want to think about how our muscles are influencing our longevity because as we get older, we lose muscle mass; that’s called sarcopenia.
Strength training and optimal protein intake are what allows us to maintain that muscle mass, optimize bone density, and be able to generate force, and adapt to life’s demands without injury. It is one of the most important things that I suggest and doing so in a safe program that includes mobility, strength, and stability all wrapped up in one so it doesn’t take a lot of extra time.
6. Walking
Walking always gets overlooked. It is one of the best forms of exercise that we can do. It is a low-intensity exercise that is great for fat loss, aerobic capacity, and emotional regulation because of its rhythmical nature. It’s what we’re designed to do from a movement perspective.
Work towards a movement mindset. Figure out how many steps you’re taking a day right now. Get your baseline and try to work towards getting 8,000–10,000 steps a day.
If you’re working out of the gym in between sets, take a few laps. If you are parking at the grocery store, park farther away. There are many ways to increase your steps, movement, and overall activity and stimulate your fascial tissue.
There are so many amazing things about walking. It’s often overlooked, but it is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body.
7. Xlear
This is one of the best things that you can have in your toolbox, especially if you’ve suffered from more immune issues this year. This is such a great preventative and treatment that you could use.
I recommend the Daily Rinse, which you would do twice daily. If you are exposed to someone that’s sick, you’re in larger crowds, or if there’s some for a particular reason why you may need a little bit more of a boost — you’re at an airplane or you get sick, then you want to use the Rescue. Saline alone can actually dry out the nasal cavity so where the xylitol helps to kill bacteria and moisten the nasal passages.
Mutes
I also recommend Mutes. They are fantastic for opening the airway; they can open the airway up to 38 percent to improve nasal breathing, which of course, we know is so important for everything in your body: your core function, nervous system, and your sleep. You can get a trial pack to determine the best size for you.
8. Naboso
Naboso is a specific technology designed to stimulate the small nerves in your hands and feet. It helps to improve balance, gait, and movement efficiency. We need sensory information to create optimal movement.
You can use the ball, the splay, recovery socks, or the mats. I highly recommend this, so please make sure you incorporate this into your life so that you can enjoy improved movement.
9. Protein
I talk about this all the time, but it is so important to have the optimal amount of protein per day, to increase muscle mass, prevent sarcopenia, help with bone density, and help with lean body composition.
We want lean muscle versus increased fat tissue because fat tissue is actually inflammatory. Almost every patient I’ve ever worked with is undereating protein.
We want to think about getting that protein from ethically sourced animal sources that contain all of your essential amino acids. To calculate your protein goal on your own, you would use your ideal body weight.
For women, the ideal body weight is a hundred pounds for the first five feet and five pounds per every inch after that. So if you were 5’3”, it would be 115 pounds. (115 g Protein/day)
For men, it’s 106 pounds for the first five feet and six pounds per inch after that. So, if you were 5’10” as a male, your ideal body weight would be 166. (166 g Protein/day)
This will vary among people depending on their goals and their activity, but this is a really good start.
10. 1st Phorm Micro Factor
Most often, of course, people need supplementation because we’re not getting the nutrients from our food as we once did. Additionally, most people aren’t consuming all the nutrients they need on a regular basis.
So Micro Factor has been awesome for me and for my patients. Essentially, it has a multivitamin, antioxidant, CoQ10, fruits and vegetables, essential fatty acids, and probiotics, and it comes in a handy little packet. It makes it easy to travel and to be able to grab everything you need without having tons of bottles of supplements.
This can be a great addition to your routine. If this is appropriate, sometimes I have people take the probiotic out if they’re having certain gut issues, and they might have to use a specific probiotic strain, but if you’re just looking for general wellness and health, this is a great pick. You can check it out here.
I hope you found at least one tip that you can apply in the New Year.
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Have you been trying all of these different vagus nerve hacks, and they just don’t seem to be doing the trick? You’ve tried breathing, meditation, humming and cold showers, but you still feel like you’re dysregulated?
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How vagus nerve issues present
As many of you know, vagus nerve issues can present very differently for each person.
For one person, it may present as heart rate and blood pressure dysregulation. Another person may experience dizziness, headaches, or digestive issues, even something such as gastroparesis. Some may have increased anxiety or depression.
Even if you’ve tested your vagus nerve, such as the uvula or gag reflex test, and it’s shown that there has been some dysfunction of the vagus nerve, it is important to ask why there is vagus nerve dysfunction.
Why you may be having vagus nerve issues and how to address them
Although vagus nerve dysfunction may cause a whole host of different symptoms for each person, it is really imperative to figure out why that is happening. I know that many of you have heard, “getting to the root of the issue.” Many times, there is more than one underlying cause.
You may have had a predisposition in addition to a triggering event such as an infection, toxin exposure, vaccine, or even a stressful event.
And we also have some kind of, you know, triggering event or perpetuating factors that might be contributing to this ongoing process. So it’s really important to look at all of those.
If, for example, you have a gut issue like Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), leaky gut, candida, or even a parasite, this will largely impact your gut-brain connection. Your gut and brain are connected via the vagus nerve.
Eighty percent of the information from the vagus nerve goes to the brain from the viscera. Conversely, if there is any type of structural pathology, such as airway dysfunction (deviated septums, small nasal valves, enlarged turbinates, jaw issues, tongue tie, etc.), these will influence the vagus nerve, as the vagus nerve passes through the diaphragm.
If we are breathing from our neck and shoulders 25,000 times a day, that will affect how that nerve functions.
The last is a lymphatic issue. Our nerves are bathed in our lymph system. If there’s any congestion from systemic inflammation, perhaps stemming from the gut originally, or myofascial restrictions, these will impact the vagus nerve. Our vagus nerve passes right through the left supraclavicular region, where we have the majority of our lymph draining here. If it’s congested, it will affect the rest of the system.
I hope you can appreciate that there are many reasons to delve into to be able to understand why you have vagus nerve dysregulation.
We offer integrative vagus nerve therapy to be able to help you, through this journey to be able to identify what these causes are and really help you take the next step forward, It’s important to continue to do all of the suggested vagus nerve hacks, all while determining the underlying causes of why you have it in the first place, emotionally and physically.
If it was helpful, give it a like, give it a share, and of course, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset nutrition and movement thank you as always.
You know I love to hack the nervous system, and here is another way to explore your vagus nerve.
The gag reflex is innervated by cranial nerves, cranial nerve IV, the glossopharyngeal nerve, as well as cranial nerve X, the vagus nerve. Here is another way to assess your vagal nerve function, amongst other things.
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What you should expect from physical therapy
1. Thorough evaluation
You deserve a thorough evaluation, no matter what you are reaching out to physical therapists for, whether that’s movement issues, chronic pain, acute pain, vestibular, balance issues, post-surgery, pre-surgery, or any other reason.
That means not only a physical therapist should be looking at your current symptom (s), but they are looking to figure out why they happened in the first place, even during post-surgical cases. A thorough evaluation includes looking at a detailed movement assessment, where your compensation patterns lie, what might be driving some of the issues you’ve had, and all of your modifiable lifestyle factors. How is your sleep? Your nutrition? How are your relationships? How is your stress management? If your therapist is missing these details, they are missing a huge element of helping you heal.
2. Practicing what they preach
You deserve a physical therapist who practices what they preach, whether that’s movement, balance, or exercise. They should be a health leader, educator, and movement specialist, and because of that, they have an obligation to be able to do the things that they are recommending that you should do.
3. 1-on-1 care
It is hard to find 1-on-1 care in today’s healthcare environment. I worked in the outpatient practice for eight years, so I understand a busy outpatient setting, and unfortunately, the demands of insurance companies are dictating this. However, you deserve to be able to be the only person in the room, to be listened to, and to have your therapist understand your diagnosis, prognosis, underlying causes, current concerns, goals, and plan of care without being pulled in a million directions. One-on-one care is extremely important, whether that’s 30-minute sessions or 60-minute sessions.
4. Someone who will look at you as a whole person
You should expect someone who listens to your story and understands that you are not a “shoulder problem,” you are not a “hip injury,” and that you are a person; you are human with a story and emotions and thoughts and all the things that make you wonderful. So, make sure that someone is looking at you as a human with a beautiful story, not just an injury.
5. Mindful and intentional movement
You should expect a therapist to help you perform mindful, intentional movement to help guide you to move with interoception, internal awareness of self, and to be able to understand movement quality, as opposed to high-volume exercises with poor form. As movement educators, one of the greatest gifts we can share with you is to help you move your body the way it was intended to so that you can continue to do the things you love.
What you shouldn’t expect from physical therapy
What are some of the things that you should not expect from physical therapy? This is equally as important.
1. You should not be on things that will not help you get well
You should not be on hot packs, cold packs, electrical stimulation, ultrasounds, or other modalities that aren’t helping you get well. They are sometimes time-savers for the therapist, but they are not actually creating better movement in your body. They’re not getting to the root of your issue. They are not moving you forward, and you want to be able to maximize your time spent in physical therapy.
2. You shouldn’t be warming up on machines
You don’t want to get to physical therapy and go on the treadmill or bike to warm up for 10 or 15 minutes—you want to learn how to move your body. Every minute counts!
3. You shouldn’t be on tons of band exercises
You should not be going through tons and tons of band exercises with poor form without guidance. Especially when you feel like you are going through the motions and you could do this at home.
If you feel like you could do that at home, that’s your first sign that this is not a good fit.
I want everyone to believe in physical therapy. We have an amazing opportunity to share with you the gift of movement.
In summary, when you think physical therapy is a waste of time, you’re put on machines and lots of modalities, and you feel like you are competing for your PT’s attention, you deserve better.
Please make sure to find a great physical therapist in your area who does one-on-one care, looks at you as the whole person, that addresses potential root causes of your injury or your pain or any other issue that you might be experiencing.
If you need help, please reach out to us, we do virtual and in-person care, and we perform holistic physical therapy. Schedule your evaluation here: https://p.bttr.to/3qHXz8i
If it was helpful, give it a like, share it, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
Our livers can become deeply affected by stress, inflammation, toxins, alcohol, and other pollutants in the environment. Did you know there’s a deep connection to the brain?
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What you need to know about the liver
In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver is responsible for all other organs and for moving Qi throughout the body (i.e., energy). It also stores blood and other essential bodily fluids, and it helps cleanse the blood, especially while we sleep. Even from a spiritual perspective in Traditional Chinese medicine, it is really the seat of the soul and can help provide our life purpose. So, in essence, the liver is one of our most powerful organs; It’s also one of our most powerful detoxification organs.
Unfortunately, however, in modern society, we are eating inflammatory foods, drinking alcohol, and being exposed to an exorbitant amount of toxins—internal and external toxins—and our livers can become deeply affected. This has a direct connection to the central nervous system, which is also connected via the autonomic nervous system, i.e., a vagus nerve.
The connection between the liver and the brain
The vagus nerve innervates the liver via the hepatic branch, and what’s interesting is that 80% of the information from the vagus nerve is going TO the brain. So that means that what we are doing to our livers, putting in our body, and how hard we’re making our livers work can cause stress on this amazing detoxification organ. In turn, that can influence our brain, especially as it relates to neuroinflammation.
We want to appreciate this deep connection between the liver and the brain because the brain can also affect the liver. The vagus nerve sends 20% of information from the brain to the liver. Because of that, we also want to respect that our thought, beliefs, and emotions can influence our liver health.
Whether we’re looking at this from a Traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine standpoint, we really want to appreciate this deep connection and recognize that what we eat and the stresses that we put on our body will affect the relationship between the liver and the brain.
If you’d like to reach out to us for an appointment, please do that as well. Schedule your appointment here: https://p.bttr.to/3MvopdB.
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
Did you know that 7 in 10 people globally suffer from migraines and most of them are middle-aged women, and 1 in 6 Americans suffer from severe headaches or migraines? This makes it an issue that we definitely want to address, begin to uncover some of the root causes and provide hope for people that are suffering from this debilitating condition.
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What causes migraines?
There are many things that can potentially contribute to migraines. These can include:
Cranial or cervical vascular disorder;
Trauma—not just physical trauma, such as, for example, a concussion—but also emotional trauma;
Infections or substance abuse;
Some disorders of the cranium (jaw or cranial issues that might be contributing structurally to migraines;
Psychiatric disorders; and
Hormonal changes.
Other key things associated with migraines
Food sensitivities
Food sensitivities can contribute to pro-inflammatory and pro-algesic mediators, perpetuating an inflammatory cycle. This can not only contribute to the cause of the migraines, but it can also make the migraines more frequent, more painful, and more intense.
Nutrient deficiency
Let’s not forget nutrient deficiencies which can be a huge driver for migraines and chronic headaches. Things like vitamin D, B12, B2, CoQ10, magnesium, and zinc are all very common nutrient deficiencies, which when addressed, can make huge shifts in the frequency and intensity of migraines.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Another thing that’s important to remember about migraines is that it is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of our cells. It has very specific processes to produce energy, and so when we have toxins and infections, poor gut health, inadequate nutrients, and lack of exercise, this can contribute to poor mitochondrial function and neural inflammation. Also, dysregulated blood sugar can affect our mitochondrial health.
What can you do to manage your migraines?
What are some of the things you can do?
1. Get evaluated by a practitioner
First, make sure you get evaluated by a practitioner that can really look beyond just simply medications—looking at your GI Health, how you are assimilating food and nutrients, and how you are eliminating and detoxifying, immune health, mitochondrial health, and hormones.
For example, looking at a specific nutrient analysis, which could be a combination of lab testing as well as performing a very simple nutrient analysis on your own, can determine possible nutrient deficiencies. Every reaction in the body requires nutrients. If you are deficient, there’s a really good chance that it’s going to be very difficult to resolve your migraines, which absolutely can be resolved when you really try to unpack this.
2. Address gut issues
The other thing that you can consider is determining what is going on in your gut. If you have SIBO, leaky gut, candida, or so on, these need to be treated. As Hippocrates once said, everything starts in the gut.
3. Create a food plan
Moving towards mitochondrial food plan, essentially a healthy ketogenic plan can also help. This can be an effective plan for the short-term or even long-term depending on the severity of your migraines, to be able to optimize mitochondria health. And it could be life-changing for some people.
4. Exercise
Graded exercise is one of your key things to do to improve your mitochondrial health is exercise. Now that doesn’t mean you should go out and do high-intensity exercise starting tomorrow, but things like walking, integrating more movement into your routine on a daily basis, and moving more frequently throughout the day, are all extremely valuable.
5. Address specific nutrient deficiency
Once you’ve done that, then you want to really address specific nutrient deficiencies. If there are some, begin to target those through food first, of course. Supplementation can also be really valuable. You can also consider things like botanicals, such as butterbur, otherwise known as Petasites, can be very effective for decreasing the frequency of migraines. However, make sure to discuss the safety of that with your health professional.
6. Find the right professional for you
Lastly, make sure you find the right professional for you who’s going to help work through this process. As a reminder to all of you that are suffering from migraines or severe chronic headaches, there is hope, and you can get better.
I know sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, and I’ve worked with many patients over the years that I know feel that way initially. I just want you to know that you can get to the bottom of it by being patient and making sure you find the right practitioner.
We, of course, are happy to help and would love the opportunity. So, if you found this helpful, give it a like, give it a share. If you’d like to reach out to us for an appointment, please do that as well. Schedule your appointment here: https://p.bttr.to/3MvopdB.
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset nutrition and movement.
Because of the anatomy of the vagus nerve, salivating can be an extremely effective technique for calming the nervous system.
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Anatomy
The vagus nerve exits the brainstem and as it exits, it branches into the ear and into the throat—the pharyngeal branch of the vagus nerve.
Why perform this exercise?
Ultimately, we are stimulating the pharyngeal branch of the vagus nerve. There are three types of salivary glands—the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual. When you are able to generate a copious amount of saliva, you are, in fact, stimulating the vagus nerve and in a parasympathetic state.
If you’re not able to do that, then that might be indicative that you are not in a parasympathetic state; perhaps you’re in a fight/flight or freeze state. Whether you are actually salivating or bathing your tongue in your saliva, you will ultimately bring yourself to a parasympathetic state.
How to perform the exercise
To perform this exercise, think of something that will stimulate saliva. For example, you can think of a juicy lemon. Then, you can begin to bathe your tongue in the saliva.
Once you do that, wait patiently until whatever response you may have—that could come in a swallow, which is a response of your nervous system of relaxation. You could also simply feel relaxed and calm.
Everyone may have a unique response, but this can be an effective technique to bring yourself to a parasympathetic response.
If this was helpful, make sure you give it a like, give it a share. Please check out all the other vagus nerve hacks that may be able to help you self-regulate so to be able to take control of your nervous system.
Do you know that there is such a simple way to track the state of your nervous system, your resiliency, and your readiness to perform in life or sport?
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What is heart rate variability (HRV)?
Essentially, HRV is the inter-beat between the heartbeat, so it is different than your heart rate. It is a measure of the autonomic nervous system. Because of that, heart rate variability is the best way to measure vagal tone.
You’ve heard me talk many times about vagal nerve function. It’s a way for us to see how well recovered our nervous system is, therefore, how ready we are to take on life stressors. Ultimately, it plays into our emotional resilience as well.
Personally, I find that tracking heart rate variability is one of our greatest technological advancements. The fact that we can objectively measure our nervous system, to me, is simply fascinating.
How to track your HRV
First, I want to disclose that I am not an affiliate of these tracking devices, which there are many. I have found, however, that in my personal experience and professional experience, some tools have been extremely valuable.
I personally used the Whoop watch for over three years and found that to be extremely valuable. It helped me understand the patterns of my HRV, my recovery, and how sleep, alcohol, stress, foods, and exercise affected it.
I also recommend the Oura ring, which is another great tracking device to look at not only the HRV but, of course, but all of the other things that factor into your HRV. This is great if you don’t want to wear a watch. The rings are quite fashionable, might I add.
And currently, I’m using Elite HRV, which is a chest monitor, along with a free app, that is super easy to do. Every morning, you can take your morning readiness score. You can wake up and have your chest monitor on. You can get your baseline heart rate variability and resting heart rate to be able to see what your readiness is for that day. Are you sympathetic or parasympathetic? Are you ready to perform? The Elite HRV is a really valuable tool. It’s easy to use; you don’t have to wear a watch or a ring. You can also use this for biofeedback to change your HRV before you start your day with things like paced breathing, for example.
I think all of these tools and more — Fitbits, Apple watches, Garmin — can be valuable tools. It depends on what is most practical and appropriate for you, like wearing a watch, ring, or chest strap, for example. The goal is that you’re tracking it consistently, so finding the tracker that works for you is very important.
What is a good HRV?
This is a tough question. There is no specific number that you are trying to achieve, and that is why it’s important that you track your heart rate variability over time. There are some numbers that different companies have done research on to determine what is their average population’s heart rate variability. For example, Elite HRV has tested over 72,000 people, and they have suggested that the average HRV is around 58. This may include a more athletic population, so the heart rate variability might be higher.
Now, ultimately, a higher heart rate variability is better than a low heart rate variability for looking at average. Different populations also might have lower heart rate variabilities, so it’s really important to determine what yours is. Therefore, once again, tracking over time is necessary.
The above devices, as long as you’re consistent, will help you determine what your best heart rate variability is in addition to your best readiness score and how well your autonomic nervous system is recovered.
Tips
1. Remember that a high heart rate variability is not always a good thing, and a low heart rate variability is not always a bad thing.
Although I just mentioned that overall that’s a positive thing, just because you have an outlier of a really high number one particular day, that could actually mean that it’s signaling you may be getting sick, you’re having an immune response, or you are in a deep state of recovery. You may not be ready to perform! You may need rest and recovery.
The same applies with a low heart rate variability. It is not always a bad thing. If you had a really intense workout or a competition day, for example, you would have taxed your nervous system.
In summary, both of those are okay, and any outliers don’t necessarily mean something’s good or something’s bad.
2. Have a consistent time that you’re assessing your heart rate variability
The great thing is that most tracking devices will naturally do this. For example, with the Whoop watch and the Oura ring, you’re going to wake up in the morning and look at your HRV and other scores. With the Elite HRV, you can monitor first thing in the morning, same position, etc., to ensure consistency.
3. Track trends
Although heart rate variability by itself is a particular score, and it’s giving us information, it does not at all tell us why you have that. That’s the work you have to do!
Here are the things that you want to think about. How was your sleep last night? Did you get seven to eight hours? A lot of the tracking devices can do that as well. Do you feel well rested? Did you have a tremendous amount of stress yesterday? Did you do an intense workout yesterday? Did you not work out at all? Did you sit all day? Did you have a lot of caffeine? Did you eat really well or crappy? What kind of stress are you under? Are super busy and overwhelmed? Are you feeling like you’re just ruminating over a certain thought?
All of those things are going to factor into your nervous system and how well your nervous system is recovered.
You really want to be diligent about tracking those things, whether that’s through the device or independently, to really understand your trends. This allows you to make positive changes going forward.
In summary, heart rate variability is an amazing way to track your resilience and your recovery, and I can’t recommend it enough. I’m not suggesting you have to track forever, but you want to track until you don’t need to track anymore. You want to track until you really understand your health habits and all the things that you can control to really optimize how you feel.
I hope this was helpful. If it was, give it a like, give it a share, and subscribe to our youtube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
Make sure you reach out to us for our upcoming Vagus nerve program that starts on September 19th. We would love to have you deep-dive into concepts like this and many others. Register here.
We have three brains that all have complex neural networks that need to work together in sync, for us to be able to live our best lives — our heart, brain, and gut.
Rather watch or listen?
The connection between the heart, brain, and the gut
You’ve definitely experienced these connections in your lives so far. For example, when you’ve had butterflies in your stomach, when you were nervous to speak in front of people, or when you just followed your heart and made a decision based on that.
There are so many instances where you have felt and experienced these deep connections. And these three brains, these three independent nervous systems, our heart, our brain, and our gut, are so powerful in how we communicate, listen, and make decisions.
The brain
We have our first brain, which has billions of neurons that are constantly creating new wiring and information. It allows us to be able to have memory, communicate, have language, and to be able to have conscious thought and perception. It’s also where our limbic system is, the emotional center of our brain.
Gut
Our second nervous system, our gut, is responsible for digestion and all of the metabolic functions associated with that. The gut allows us to absorb and process the nutrients we get from our food. It’s not only important for all the different enzymatic reactions in the body, but it also has neurotransmitters like serotonin.
Ninety percent of our serotonin, for example, is in our gut and is formed by the bacteria in the gut microbiome.
The gut has a huge role in hormonal and immune function, too.
Heart
Our heart functions independently outside of the brain. We have numerous electrical and chemical reactions happening. Our heart brain acts as our emotional center. As mentioned previously, when we “follow our heart,” we are “following our emotions.”
The common link between the three brains
What is the common link among all three of these nervous systems? The vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is the common connection. It exits the brainstem, moves into the carotid sinus of the heart, the SA node of the heart, and then innervates the entire digestive tract. This is the common link where more information comes from the viscera to the brain, called afferent information.
How to optimize the three brains
The one simple way that we can optimize all three of these brains at the same time is diaphragmatic breathing.
There are so many different types of breathing, such as pranayama breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and box breathing.
The key is diaphragmatic breathing. Place the tongue at the roof of the mouth, gently touching the top teeth. Inhaling through the nose, allowing the abdomen to expand 360 degrees, and exhaling through the nose, letting the belly button move towards the spine, allowing the abdomen to contract and the ribs to come down. You could do this seated or lying down, whichever you prefer.
Tapping into our most optimal breathing pattern (ideally, you’re working towards 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out) is where we really get a lot of benefit from diaphragmatic breathing; we are stimulating the vagus nerve.
Stimulating the vagus nerve creates a release of acetylcholine, which creates that relaxation response. We are creating GI motility because the diaphragm moves down into the abdomen as you inhale, and as you exhale, the diaphragm moves back up. Think of it like you’re massaging the vagus nerve.
Of course, as it relates to the relaxation response, you’re creating a calming effect here, so we’re not in that fight or flight limbic system, but we can move more towards our prefrontal cortex in our brain, where we have more insight and rationale, while we are able to consciously and deliberately make better decisions. We’re able to listen more attentively.
Diaphragmatic breathing, I always say, is your superpower; you have it within you, so please make sure to use this throughout your day, regularly and repeatedly. I tell my patients to take three diaphragmatic breaths every hour.
To one connect all these brains, bring yourself to a parasympathetic state through breathing so that you can think and act more clearly and respond rather than react.
If you need help with your overall health, please schedule your discovery session here: https://p.bttr.to/3qHXz8i
I hope this is helpful. If it was, please give it a like, share it, and subscribe to our Youtube Channel — The Movement Paradigm — for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
