Lumen Natura

Digestive Health

Vagus Nerve and the Non-specific Immune Response

Stress--appears to tap into the same immune system­-nervous system loop that triggers symptoms of the common cold via the non-specific immune response of the vagus nerve and pro-inflammatory cytokines. ...

Vagus Nerve Embryology / Development

Vagus Nerve Embryology / Development

Excerpts from The Second Brain by Michael D. Gershon, M.D. outline in detail how the vagal nerve cells in the gut migrate from the neural crest during fetal development. ...

Gut Microbiota: Mind-Altering Micro-Organisms

Excerpts from the research article Mind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behavior, includes info on the vagus nerve. ...

Mind with No Brain – Are Microbes Sentient?

An interesting look at how microbes work together to create at least six capacities which has traditionally only been attributed to brains. Are microbes sentient? ...

Study: Craniosacral therapy and the Digestive System

Request for participants in upcoming direct-perception, biodynamic craniosacral therapy study on the digestive system and the connection between digestive disorders and the nervous system and brain function. ...

Slime Mold and Signaling Molecules

The single-celled slime mold amoebas provide an example of how signaling molecules lead to community. ...

Melatonin in the Pineal and Appendix

The appendix has recently been elevated from it's 'unnecessary' status, and it is discovered to produce melatonin as well as being a repository for beneficial gut probiotics. ...

Vitamins, Biofilms and Health

People with healthy, diet-adapted gut flora, can subsist on very limited diets without vitamin deficiency diseases, because all of the vitamins can be obtained from bacteria growing in films coating the lining of the ...

Intestinal Bacteria, the Vagus Nerve and Your Brain

The vagus nerve connects the brain to several parts of the digestive system. It's what tells your brain how hungry you are, based on what it senses in your belly. The vagus nerve has also been shown to carry signals ...

A Gut Check for Many Ailments

Interesting look at how the gut and vagus nerve work together to create a whole other system of communication and how the hormones and neurotransmitters generated in the gut interact with other organs. ...