The Mind-Gut Connection

About The Mind-Gut Connection• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Wave (July 5, 2016)

 Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with the latest discoveries on the human microbiome, a practical guide in the tradition of The Second Brain, and The Good Gut that conclusively demonstrates the inextricable, biological link between mind and the digestive system. 

 We have all experienced the connection between our mind and our gut—the decision we made because it “felt right”; the butterflies in our stomach before a big meeting; the anxious stomach rumbling we get when we’re stressed out. 

While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has  by and large failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the gut microbiota—the microorganisms that live inside our digestive tract—communicate with one another. 

In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medicine and executive director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, offers a revolutionary and provocative look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health and listen to the innate wisdom of our bodies. 

  The Mind-Gut Connection describes:

 • Why consuming a predominantly plant-based diet is key for gut and brain health 

 • The importance of early childhood in gut-brain development, and what parents can do to help their children  thrive 

 • The role of excessive stress and anxiety in GI ailments and cognitive disorders 

 • How to “listen to your gut” and pay attention to the signals your body is sending you 

 • and much more. 

 

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About Emeran Mayer, MD

Emeran A. Mayer, MD, has studied brain-body interactions for the last forty years. He is the executive director of the Oppenheimer Center for Stress and Resilience and the codirector of the Digestive Diseases Research Center at the University of California at Los Angeles. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health for the past twenty-five years, and he is considered a pioneer and world leader in the areas of brain-gut microbiome. He lives in Los Angeles. Find out more about Dr. Mayer and his book at his website

I could write pages about this book but I will try to just give you an idea of why I found it so fascinating. It is extremely well written so that almost anyone can follow along with the ideas and understand the basic concepts. The language is straightforward and on task.
The author's credentials are impressive. And his own example of following his gut instincts or mesages to further his life experience! He could as easily become a confectioner in the family business.
I did not feel pressured to adhere to Dr. Mayer's conclusions and viewpoint, in particular regarding self awareness in dogs. Reagrdless of your viewpoint on various issues, I feel the information is here to explore and draw one's own interpretations. 
Much emphasis is placed on early, even prebirth, biological and environmental influence leaing trace evidence and predispositions in ones emotional makeup, thus afecting physical experience.
The book is packed with statistical anecdotes and medical studies, even utilizing dream analysis. 
I was introduced to discussions of bidirectional communications connecting the gut (aka second brain) and brain and much explanation about the microbiome.

If you have an interest in thorough medical discussions, ideas about treatments with less "collateral damage, " or suffer from any brain, emotional or gut area discomforts or illnesses, you will find valuable information in this book. It will give you a great basis for an interesting conversation with your medical professionals.

I did receive this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.