How Gut Health Impacts Your Mental Wellbeing

You may have heard that the gut and brain are closely linked, but did you know this connection could be the key to your emotional well-being?

Let’s start with a striking example: concussion. When someone experiences a knock to the head, they may feel sick or nauseous. Medical studies show this is more than just a brain issue — a concussion can trigger inflammation in the intestinal lining, leading to increased permeability, also known as "leaky gut."

The Gut: Your Second Brain

A large portion of your nervous system is located around your gastrointestinal tract. Its job? To protect you from harmful agents — bacteria, viruses, toxins, and antigens — that may enter your body through food. Just think: we consume 40–100 tonnes of food over a lifetime. That’s a lot of work for your gut’s immune system!

The Serotonin Story: Why It Starts in the Gut

You may have heard of SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) — the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the UK, with prescriptions rising by 25% annually. But here's the surprising fact: 80% of your natural serotonin (the “happiness hormone”) is made in your gut, not your brain.

This raises an important question:

Could gut inflammation be fuelling the rise in anxiety and depression?

Are We Missing Something in Mental Health?

We often treat depression and anxiety as brain-based chemical imbalances. But growing evidence suggests the gut-brain axis — the two-way communication between your gut and central nervous system — plays a critical role.

Gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of the gut microbiome) and increased intestinal permeability are now recognised contributors to mental health symptoms.

The problem? These insights are still slow to reach mainstream healthcare. Meanwhile, more patients find themselves on long-term medication — often without addressing the root cause.

What If Healing the Gut Could Transform Mental Health?

Functional medicine sees the human body as an interconnected web. When one part is inflamed or out of balance, the effects ripple throughout. Healing the gut — especially for the estimated 60% of Western adults affected by dysbiosis — can significantly improve emotional health and resilience.

What Makes Functional Medicine Different?

At Lantern Clinic, we practise root-cause medicine. We look upstream to explore how your unique history, genetics, lifestyle, and environment contribute to symptoms. We don’t separate the mind from the body — instead, we see mental health as a mirror of the whole person.

Ready to Take the First Step?

If you're struggling with low mood, anxiety, or long-term gut symptoms, we invite you to book a FREE discovery call with Dr Margarita Kitova-John to explore how functional medicine can help.