Category: Digestive Health

Autonomic Nervous System on Intestine

Autonomic Nervous System on Intestine

The main part of the human nervous system is the central nervous system. It is represented by the brain and spinal cord.

The central nervous system regulates the work of the internal organs of a person and ensures the coordination of their activities.

Now we pass to the most interesting.

Did you know that the gut has its own autonomic nervous system that can function independently of the brain and spinal cord? And by the number of neurons is comparable to the spinal cord?

It is called the intestinal (enteral) nervous system, it originates along with the walls of the intestine and is actually “built into” it. Someone beautifully compared it to a lacy women’s stocking. It is believed that the entire higher nervous system and even the brain originated from the nervous system inside the intestinal tube.

The intestinal nervous system consists of the Auerbach (intermuscular) plexus and the Meissner (submucosal) plexus (see photo).

Nerve cells of the Auerbach plexus are responsible for peristalsis, rhythmic contractions of the muscles of individual segments of the intestine to mix food with enzymes, and other “movements” of the intestine.

The surface layer of the Meissner plexus regulates the motility of the digestive tract, and its deep layer regulates the secretion of the mucous layer.

Together, these nerves ensure the normal functioning of the intestines.

Thanks to the presence of its own nervous system, our intestines can work and live their lives even when we sleep.

Why is it important?

Because a cancerous tumor is well aware of the presence of nerves in the intestine and can interact closely with them. And this interaction, unfortunately, is not in favor of a person.

Cancer cells use intestinal nerves as pathways for metastasis. How and why this happens, read this article.

How could you have severe constipation from birth?

Imagine cooking and enjoying food every day but never getting full relief from it later on. Most people can down a large meal and see its effect on the stomach, loosening their belts a notch while it settles. Later, they can return their bloated belly to normal size by a good trip to the restroom. For some people, this digestive process doesn’t happen quite so well, and they’re left with severe constipation. In rare cases, these people even suffer from birth.

Constipation Since Birth

One such man from China has had to deal with irregular bowel movements ever since he was born. Like many others, his parents didn’t consider the constipation a serious medical condition.

However, doctors did when the man came in with an abdomen so swollen that the skin had tightened around his stomach. He had tried laxatives with little change to help his irregular bowels, and the man simply suffered with his condition into adulthood.

Recently, the man underwent surgery to remove 30 inches from his colon and restore his gastrointestinal health. The surgery released this man from 28 pounds of waste and a severely stretched colon.

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Scientifically Speaking

How could a man go more than 20 years with such severe constipation? The answer is Hirschsprung’s disease.

People with this condition literally have missing nerve cells in the muscles of the colon. Normally, these nerve cells would help the muscles contract to push waste products along.

When a person lacks these nerves, his body has no way of signaling the muscles to contract. With this rare condition, the sufferer keeps the waste inside his colon until enough builds up to push it along.

The disease can cause a multitude of problems such as gas, alternating constipation and diarrhea, a swollen belly, and fatigue. Patients also have a high risk of getting enterocolitis, or inflammation of the colon and the small intestine.

If a baby has Hirschsprung’s disease, doctors and parents can usually tell right away. The baby might not have a normal bowel movement within the first 48 hours of birth, and doctors are forced to figure out this problem. Unfortunately, this man’s condition went unchecked until his twenties.

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Other Causes & Treatment

While other people cannot usually pin their bowel problems to Hirschsprung’s disease, many do suffer gastrointestinal issues. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 60 million people suffer from chronic constipation.

The Mayo Clinic outlines severe constipation as passing fewer than three stools in one week, having to strain for bowel movements, passing hard stools, and needing help such as laxatives to gain a bowel movement.

Anytime a person has constipation coupled with severe stomach pain, or even persistent irregular bowel movements, he should see a doctor. Severe pain may warrant a trip to the emergency room since the person may have a bowel obstruction.

People might experience chronic constipation for a number of reasons. They could have an obstruction related to cancer, problems with the rectum, neurological problems like Parkinson’s, or a spinal cord injury.

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Even hormonal imbalances and weakened pelvic muscles can offset normal bowel habits. Although Hirschsprung’s occurs more often in men, women have a higher tendency to develop chronic constipation overall.

For most mild bouts of constipation, people can drink plenty of water and up their fiber intake. They may want to consider a fiber supplement to ensure that they’re getting plenty.

They could also take a laxative, although they should try increasing fiber first. Again, if the problem continues or worsens, a sufferer should see a doctor.

Severe constipation can be a serious medical condition, as in the case of the Chinese man. Outside of the general stomach discomfort, people suffering with constipation may experience a slew of other problems like gas or stomach pain. A person should always look into irregular and persistent symptoms further to maintain good health. 

This article first appeared on AskDrManny.com.

Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as Fox News Channel’s senior managing health editor. He also serves as chairman of the department of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Click here for more information on Dr. Manny’s work with Hackensack University Medical Center. Visit AskDrManny.com for more.

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Man’s 29 lbs. of poop removed: What is Hirschsprung’s disease?

When doctors in China removed 30 inches of a young man’s colon, they also removed nearly 29 lbs. (13 kilograms) of his feces.

The 22-year-old’s belly had swelled past the size that would be seen in a pregnant woman, at full-term, according to a Chinese news agency that reported his case. He told doctors that he had been constipated since birth, and that laxatives provided only slight relief.

The man had a very rare condition called Hirschsprung’s disease, the website Inverse reported.

Hirschsprung’s disease is a birth defect that affects about 1 in 5,000 babies in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD). People with the condition have no nerve cells within the wall of their colon, toward the end of its length. The condition is more common in boys than in girls, and is also more common in children with other medical problems, including congenital heart defects and Down syndrome. 

More From LiveScience

Older adults might be able to stave off arthritis knee pain with fiber

Older people who eat the most fiber are at lower risk of developing knee pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis (OA), new research shows.

Diets rich in fiber from plant-based foods have clear health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, better-controlled blood sugar, and a healthier weight, but most people in the U.S. don’t eat enough fiber, lead author Dr. Zhaoli Dai of Tufts University in Boston told Reuters Health.

The current average fiber intake among U.S. adults is about 15 grams, she noted. "This is far below the recommended level, which is 22.4 grams for women and 28 grams per day for men 51 years and above," Dai said.

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OA, which occurs when wear and tear on the joints degrades cartilage and leads to bone abnormalities, is extremely common in people 60 and older. It can be painful, and is also a leading cause of disability. There is no treatment for OA, aside from joint replacement, and therapies to address symptoms, such as anti-inflammatories for pain and swelling.

Given that dietary fiber is known to help prevent obesity and reduce inflammation, both of which are associated with arthritis, Dai’s team looked at diet and arthritis risk over time in two study groups. In the Osteoarthritis Initiative, which included 4,796 men and women with OA or at risk for OA, people who consumed the most dietary fiber at the start of the study were 30 percent less likely than those who ate the least fiber to develop knee pain, stiffness or swelling due to OA, or to worsening of OA, during four years of follow-up.

In the Framingham Offspring Study, which included 1,268 adults in their early 50s, on average, the top quarter of fiber consumers had a 61 percent lower risk of knee OA symptoms nine years later than the bottom quarter.

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There are many mechanisms through which increased fiber intake could help ease knee arthritis symptoms, Dai said, for example by reducing inflammation and helping people to maintain a healthy weight. Fiber can also act as a pre-biotic, she added, meaning that it can help fuel the growth of beneficial microbes in the gut, which in turn also reduces inflammation.

"This is the first study to show that consuming more dietary fiber is related to lower risk of painful knee osteoarthritis," Dai said. "Changing diets by increasing intake of dietary fiber seems to be one of the most economic ways to reduce the risk of knee osteoarthritis."

Older adults, especially those who are overweight or obese, should consider increasing their fiber intake, she added.

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A broken heart hinders your appetite

Breaking up is hard to do. But now a new study suggests a broken heart is even tough on your tummy.

A reporter in the Netherlands sought out the reason why lost Lotharios don’t have the same hunger pangs as they once did while in love according to VICE.

Gert ter Horst, a professor of neurobiology and director of the Neuroimaging Center at the University Hospital in the city of Groningen, said heartbreak causes “quite a bit of stress,” and the body responds to stress in the same way by raising cortisol and adrenaline levels, whether it’s a traumatic life event or your changed your Facebook status to single.

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“Similar to being in a stressful situation, the level of adrenaline and heart rate both go up during excessive activity,” ter Horst told VICE. “Because of that, it’s almost impossible to get food down your throat.”

In other words, a person’s body goes into a fight or flight response post-breakup which includes having your stomach muscles tightening up and hindering appetite plus digestion.

Then, there’s the emotional impact of heartache.

“The areas of the brain in charge of emotions and emotional pain also [regulate] how we eat, our need for food, and what we taste,” ter Horst told VICE. “The areas that take care of these functions are close together, and can influence one another.”

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