Page 20 - Spanish Insight - October 2019

A cat’s brain, the vagus nerve

and werewolf syndrome

by Gary Miles
We often talk about our feelings as an
association with our digestive system. I have
a gut feeling, I have butterflies in my stomach,
it was a gut-wrenching experience, etc. In
fact, we use an expression along the lines
of ..... I was so scared I nearly involuntarily
emptied my bowel. Or words to that effect.
Surprisingly it turns out that there might be
something in this emotional gut thing. The
gut isn’t just a tube, it is a complex system
containing more than one hundred million
nerve cells – more than the brain of a cat.
It is not a thinking brain, it cannot reason, it
cannot solve quadratic equations, but it does
have an awareness. This amazing system
is known as the Enteric Nervous System or
ENS.
The ENS stretches along the entire length
of the gut, around 9 meters, monitoring
and controlling the digestive process. The
ENS is responsible for the strange feelings
of butterflies in the stomach when you are
stressed. It can even shut down the digestive
process entirely when the body is in danger
and the bloodstream is flooded with adrenalin.
The neurons in the gut communicate directly
with the bacteria in the gut and the ENS
controls the blood flow and, hence, the or hypnotherapy are more effective at of a very odd side effect indeed.
absorption of nutrients. treating stomach disorders than drug-based The story goes that 17 Spanish new borns
The ENS communicates with the brain via the solutions. Doctors, however, find it much had been prescribed Omeprazole. The babies
vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is probably the easier (and much cheaper) to stuff a box of then proceeded to develop hypertrichosis,
most important nerve that you didn’t know chemicals in your hand than find a counsellor more commonly known as werewolf
you had. It stretches from the brain to all the to talk with for a few sessions. syndrome. Hair grew across each baby’s
important organs of the body. It regulates As a society we have got to the stage where face, body and limbs. An investigation found
most of the critical aspects of human we stuff drugs down our face at the slightest that the drug company, Farma-Química Sur in
function including, pulse, blood pressure, upset of the tummy. When I was a kid the Málaga, had accidentally placed minoxidil in
body temperature and, of course, digestion. only thing available was Milk of Magnesia in the bottle instead of omeprazole. Minoxidil is
However, 90% of the traffic along the vagus a small blue bottle. Now all sorts of drugs a treatment for baldness. Oh well accidents
nerve are signals from the gut to the brain. are imbibed including the most common of happen, and the poor parents have been
So it is not the least bit surprising that what is them all, Omeprazole. Also known as Losec, reassured that in a few months their darling
happening inside our stomachs affects how side effects include; headache, dizziness, babies will be returned to normal.
we think and feel. constipation, gastric polyps, osteoporosis, But the question I have is this. Given
It has long been known that stress and liver damage, inflammation of the kidneys, the potentially dangerous side effects of
anxiety can cause digestive problems. and pancreatitis. omeprazole what was the dreadful disease
Studies have shown that stress can cause I took it for years and I swear it caused my that the doctors were treating?
illnesses like stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis tinnitus, but I read in the Spanish newspaper Answer: Colic!
and IBS. An article published by the Harvard
Medical School says that 13 separate studies
have shown that meditation, counselling

20 Spanish Insight October 2019
20 Spanish Insight October 2019