The gut instinct! This is not an abstraction. The brain is in constant communication with the gut, also known as the second brain, linking physiology to psychology, which is why it is common to hear, “I feel it in my gut!”. The communication path between the gut and brain – The Gut-Brain Axis (GBA) – is key to maintaining good health. The GBA is influenced by the health of the gut and the brain and the bidirectional communication via the Central Nervous System (CNS), vagus nerve, and the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). A disturbance of this status is often referred to as gut dysbiosis. The immune cells in the gut are essential links in the relay of messages from the brain to the gut (afferent signals) or from the gut to the brain (efferent signals) and mediate the immune response to gut dysbiosis or other sources of Inflammation within the gut. In chronic inflammatory diseases, there is a “runaway immune response” leading to conditions such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. An immunological over-reaction can lead to harmful inflammation, and signals transmitted through the GBA perpetuate these diseases and associated symptoms.