How to Heal Your Gut to Improve Immune System Function

What do your mood, your immune system, and your heart health all have in common? They all depend on the health of your gut bacteria in order to function. In fact, 80% of your immune response begins in your gut. Because of the dynamic feedback system between your gut and your brain, the health of the bacteria in your gut influences how your brain interprets information from your senses. This means that gut health is connected to your mood and your emotions, as well as your immune system. The precursors for the joy hormone, serotonin, are manufactured in your gut, so in order to experience the effects of serotonin in your brain your gut has to be healthy enough to make it. Your gut is also intricately connected to your heart, and influences blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and can directly affect the plaques of atherosclerosis.

The interactions between the trillions of bacteria in your gut and the rest of your...