Podcasts · Live Well Be Well with Sarah Ann Macklin | Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition
How Chronic Stress Is Making Your Gut Hypersensitive | Will Bulsiewicz
· 5:12
Episode How Chronic Stress Is Making Your Gut Hypersensitive | Will Bulsiewicz
Do your gut symptoms ever feel so painful you worry something is seriously wrong? In this conversation, we talk about why digestive pain can feel intense, even with issues like trapped wind and constipation, and how the gut’s huge nerve supply plays a role.This clip explores the science of gut pain, including how the intestines sense discomfort differently to our fingertips, and why having around 500 million nerves in the gut can amplify pain signals. We also discuss visceral hypersensitivity, where the gut becomes over-reactive and normal sensations can start to feel painful. I’m exploring with my guest why some gastroenterologists use very low-dose antidepressants for gut symptoms, including SSRIs to influence serotonin, tricyclic antidepressants (often preferred for diarrhea-predominant issues), and SNRIs like Cymbalta for targeting pain, especially when constipation is also present. Throughout, we keep it clear that these medications are not the primary treatment for constipation, but can be part of managing discomfort.
Will Bulsiewicz in conversation with Sarah Ann
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
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Transcript
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