The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices

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 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 failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut and more recently, the microbiome—the microorganisms that live inside us—communicate with one another. In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, Executive Director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, offers a revolutionary look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health.

The Mind-Gut Connection shows how to keep the brain-gut communication clear and balanced to:

• Heal the gut by focusing on a plant-based diet Balance the microbiome by consuming fermented foods and probiotics, fasting and cutting out sugar and processed foods

• Promote weight loss by detoxifying and creating a healthy digestion and maximum nutrient absorption

• Boost immunity and prevent the onset of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

• Generate a happier mind-set and reduce fatigue, moodiness, anxiety and depression

• Prevent and heal GI disorders such as leaky gut syndrome; food sensitivities and allergies; and IBS; as well as digestive discomfort such as heartburn and bloating

And much more.

Dr. Emeran Mayer previously served as the Founding Chair of UCLA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine, as the Executive Director of UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress and as the Co-Director of the CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center. He has joint appointments in the Departments of Medicine, Physiology and Psychiatry. His work has appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine and been featured in Psychology Today, the New York Times, London Sunday Times and on NPR and PBS. He lives in Los Angeles, California.