Podcast Summary: The Dr. Josh Axe Show
Episode: "This Is What Happens to Your Brain When You Heal Your Gut"
Host: Dr. Josh Axe
Date: September 1, 2025
Overview
In this episode, Dr. Josh Axe dives deep into the revolutionary science and practical techniques behind the gut-brain connection—explaining how healing your gut can powerfully transform your brain, mood, and overall health. He explores why issues like brain fog, poor focus, and lack of motivation are often rooted in the gut, and conversely, how digestive troubles can stem from the brain. Dr. Axe breaks down the pivotal disruptors of gut-brain harmony, offers actionable dietary and herbal protocols, and connects these insights to complex conditions such as autism, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The episode is both scientific and practical, offering rich citations, patient stories, and Dr. Axe’s warm, encouraging tone.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Defining the Gut-Brain Axis
- The gut isn’t just about digestion—it’s your “second brain.”
- The “gut-brain axis” is a bidirectional communication network involving neural (especially the vagus nerve), hormonal, and immune signals (03:05).
- “The vagus nerve is the main communication superhighway between your gut and your brain. And it works fast—messages can travel in milliseconds, helping regulate things like digestion, mood, heart rate and your immune response.” (B, 03:15)
2. Core Functions of the Gut Microbiome
- Gut bacteria help:
- Digest food,
- Produce neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, GABA),
- Support immunity.
- “About 90% of your body's serotonin is produced in the gut, not in the brain.” (B, 06:03)
- Dopamine and GABA (for motivation and relaxation) are also produced in the gut.
3. The Loop: Gut Affects Brain, Brain Affects Gut
- Stress can trigger gut symptoms like IBS, just as gut inflammation can trigger depression and anxiety (06:27).
- “What will flare them up the same way as… a stressful time… That will cause those very same symptoms, because they’re both stressors in different ways to the gut, which then impacts the brain or vice versa.” (B, 08:41)
- Examples: Anger = constipation; anxiety = diarrhea; life stress = IBS.
4. Seven Major Disruptors of the Gut-Brain Axis
(Detailed discussion starts at 10:29)
- Antibiotic Drugs
- “Think about that—you take one round of antibiotics, it’s going to alter your gut bacteria by 40-50%…” (B, 11:55)
- Leads to brain effects: mood, focus, cognition.
- Glyphosate & Pesticides
- “Low dose glyphosate disrupted gut microbiome balance, damaged the gut lining and increased permeability by 25%.” (B, 13:18)
- Contributes to leaky gut and brain inflammation, particularly seen in children with autism.
- Chronic Stress
- Raises cortisol, slows digestion, damages the gut-brain axis.
- Artificial Sweeteners
- “Artificial sweeteners like sucralose… reduce good bacteria by up to 25-30%, leading to impaired glucose metabolism and inflammation.” (B, 16:39)
- Processed Foods
- Preservatives, seed oils, sugars, emulsifiers—change gut environment, increase brain inflammation.
- Gluten & Casein
- “Act like opioids in the brain … can impair mood, attention and cognition.” (B, 19:10)
- Removal correlates with improvements in autism and ADHD (20:05)
- Other Lifestyle & Environmental Factors
- Lack of sleep: affects both.
- Hormonal contraceptives, NSAIDs, high-sugar diets, over-exposure to irritants.
5. Gut Health and Disease Connections
- 95% of serotonin made in the gut: critical for mood, sleep, metabolism (23:40).
- Disrupted microbiome linked to:
- Parkinson’s disease (constipation is an early sign) (25:04)
- Autism (children with lower bifidobacterium are at higher risk) (27:10)
- MS (autoimmunity triggered by gut imbalances)
- “I believe people with MS really, really need to focus on healing the gut microbiome. If you have MS, that is the primary thing you should focus on healing.” (B, 29:44)
- “Whether you have each or condition, you can't ignore one. You've got to heal both your gut and your brain simultaneously.” (B, 36:08)
6. Dietary Protocol for Healing the Gut-Brain Connection (38:02)
- Fermented Foods:
- Goat’s milk yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, natto.
- Caveat: If you have histamine intolerance, opt for soil-based probiotics instead.
- Eliminate:
- Processed carbs, gluten, conventional dairy, sugar, packaged foods.
- Ideal Foods:
- “Soups, cooked vegetables, soft-cooked grains, meats, and easy-to-digest fruits like pears and blueberries.”
- Chinese medicine approach: “A lot of people with health issues…think, I need to eat a lot of salads, a lot of smoothies. Those are terrible for people with digestive issues! You want to focus on doing a lot of soup and a lot of herbal tea. That's how you heal.” (B, 41:15)
- Healthy Fats:
- Olive oil, avocado, coconut oil.
- Low Sugar:
- Small amounts of raw honey.
- Supplements:
- Probiotics (especially soil-based and multi-strain blends with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus).
- For brain-focused issues, consider: CBD oil, Ginkgo biloba, Lion’s Mane mushroom.
7. Lifestyle & Mindfulness Strategies (49:12)
- Meal timing:
- Avoid eating within three hours of bedtime (54:10).
- Physical activity:
- Walks after meals enhance digestion.
- Stress reduction:
- “The best way I found for most people to reduce stress is by building joy and peace in their life. Number one, get good at saying no… Most of us say yes to everything and we're just too busy.” (B, 55:44)
- Spiritual practice, gratitude, time in nature, and rest are essential.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the Gut as “Second Brain”:
“Your gut is often called your second brain because it has the second most neurological tissue to your brain…. The vagus nerve is something that a lot of doctors pay particularly close attention to because it really helps regulate your parasympathetic nerve system.” (B, 03:05-04:12) -
Mind-Gut Loop:
“The brain can impact the gut, and the gut can impact the brain. There's a cycle, positive or negative…” (B, 06:51) -
On the Power of Stress:
“You can't completely ignore it [stress] or your gut can’t heal. Most people don't realize that… that's the single greatest thing damaging that gut-brain axis.” (B, 09:38) -
On Dietary Simplicity:
“Those are terrible for people with digestive issues! You want to focus on doing a lot of soup and a lot of herbal tea. That’s how you heal.” (B, 41:15) -
On Healing Approaches:
“Too often today in mainstream medicine, people try and treat the symptoms, not the root of the issue. So if you truly want to heal you've got to get to the root of the issue.” (B, 52:06) -
On Whole Person Healing:
“Nurture your soul, which will nurture your brain, which will nurture your gut.” (B, 57:30)
Timestamps for Essential Segments
- [03:03] — What is the Gut-Brain Axis & Why It Matters
- [06:03] — Gut Microbiome Produces Neurotransmitters
- [10:29] — Top Disruptors of the Gut-Brain Connection
- [17:50] — Gluten, Casein, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- [25:04] — Gut Microbiome and Parkinson’s Disease
- [38:02] — Ideal Diet for Healing Gut & Brain
- [41:15] — Chinese Medicine Wisdom: Why Soup and Cooked Foods
- [49:12] — Lifestyle Habits and Timing for Gut Healing
- [55:44] — Stress Management and Cultivating Joy
Final Takeaways
Dr. Axe repeatedly emphasizes that gut and brain health are thoroughly intertwined:
“A disruption in one can ripple into the other, affecting mood, cognition, your behavior, or causing gut issues. So a healthy gut equals a healthy brain, equals a healthy life.” (B, 59:10)
If you (or your child) are struggling with mood issues, brain fog, neurodevelopmental disorders, or chronic gut problems, Dr. Axe urges listeners to focus on restoring gut health—primarily with a simple, soothing diet, robust probiotics, and meaningful lifestyle changes addressing both mind and body.
He advocates for treating root causes, not just symptoms, and connects physical, emotional, and even spiritual wellness as an integrated path to healing.
To explore Dr. Axe’s resources or learn more about his gut-brain healing programs, listeners are invited to check out his courses or connect via his website.