Dr. Lindsey Berkson’s fascinating interview on the Digestive Health Summit, hosted by Dr. Michael Murray, is all about the love hormone or oxytocin and the effects on digestion. The interview is called – How the Love Hormone is Critical for Gut Health.
Oyxtocin is not just a love hormone. It is also a helpful gut hormone. Dr. Berkson will clearly and easily explain the role of oxytocin in gut motility, sensation, tone of the muscular and nervous system layers, and even in the application for various gut issues from leaky gut to inflammatory bowel disease. You will also learn why nature intended oxytocin to be a care-taker of human health and how critical this hormone is in both genders throughout life. Historically oxytocin was regarded as a pregnancy and lactation hormone but you will now learn how it is even amazingly much more. She shares that the love hormone:
can be endocrine-disrupted by plastic, by Bisphenol A, by synthetic oxytocin given to a mother at birth i.e. Pitocin. I started using oxytocin in practice about 15 years ago as a hormonal Viagra and a rebooter, and I suddenly discovered that when I added it to the protocol of my inflammatory bowel disease patients, often people who were on Prednisone, methotrexate, on multiple meds, that could barely drag themselves out of bed, they were having many bowel movements a day, many of them were diarrhea-like and bloody; when I added oxytocin to them, usually within a few weeks we were able to get them off most of their meds and their health just came up incredibly.
There are oxytocin receptors all throughout the gut:
They’re in the esophagus. They’re in the stomach. They’re in the small intestine, the large intestine, they’re in the pancreas. They have a lot to do with the alpha and beta cells, with the release and maintenance of sugar. They’re in the liver; they have a lot to do with detoxification.
And oxytocin has also been shown to have an impact on constipation:
They have a double-blind, randomized trial in women with constipation and when they gave them oxytocin, they just delivered nasally because it first acts on the brain and then it has peripheral or distant actions. They had statistically significant normalization of bowel movements with oxytocin sprayed through the nose. How amazing is that?
Dr. Berkson then shares how intimacy and regular love-making improves gut health via oxytocin release:
I was so struck by how regular, satisfying intimacy was right up there with veggies and exercise [for longevity] and I was trying to figure out why, is it just the human contact? Well, one of the reasons was because both men and women become drenched in oxytocin and so nature takes care of your gut.
It’s a really fascinating interview with new information that is science-based. It is not to be missed!
You can register for the Digestive Health Summit here
Other interviews include:
- Joe Pizzorno, ND – The Toxin Solution: How to Clean Up the Gut to Ignite Vibrant Health
- Wardee Harmon – Improve Your Gut Health and Save Money by Making Your Own Fermented Foods at Home
- Razi Berry – Butterflies in Your Stomach: How Stess and Love Affect Digestive Health
- Trudy Scott – Anxiety, the Microbiome, Psychobiotics and GABA
- And more
Hope to see you on the summit!
Your post about oxytocin today caught my attention because I experienced the effects of oxytocin first hand the other day. I’m dealing with hypersensitivity to EMFs of late, have leaky gut, autoimmune issues, candida and probably more. The other day I had a BAD, pounding headache, pounding heart from a big EMF hit…nothing was helping me to feel better and THEN…wow, I was sitting outside and talking up a storm with some women neighbors and I know that women have oxytocin restored from talking [per a talk I heard John Gray give~his book Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus]. Since that day, I have continually noticed that talking makes me feel better. Now I know when I’m feeling really bad to get on with “the talking” to restore my levels of oxytocin…Just my experience.
Anne
Thanks for sharing and so wonderful to hear you got this oxytocin boost by talking up a storm with women neighbors. I spent the day with a good friend yesterday and I’m still feeling the effects! It’s like I’m still being hugged today – as I’m sure you are!
There is plenty of research on this too. This article says it well – Sisters of the Heart: How Women’s Friendships Heal “we discuss the role of female neurohromone oxytocin “the love hormone” in the promotion of health and wellbeing among women. We assert that the intimate women friendship construct can enhance psychotherapy’s healing and empowering functions.” http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02703149.2012.720199
Hi Trudy
I had forgotten about oxytocin boost by women talking that I first learned from author John Gray about 5 yrs ago. I did not realize that my oxytocin had been boosted the other day until I read your post about it. The only thing I realized at the time was that I felt better. A new health situation is I’m dealing with hypersensitivy to Electromagnetic frequencies which brings on troubling symptoms, including isolating self and depression. I now know if I want to feel better, to talk, talk, talk to friends. Thank you so much for all that you do and share.
Certainly agree that being with a kind friend could do it especially in these challenging times
Interesting you say “talking up a storm” as we have long known pink salt lamps, rain and being near water has negative calming ions.
Also in the Mind Gut Connection he talks about trauma survivors having more gut problems, being different in their ability to digest, in microbes, and often w gut issues. Mine are about gone w diet and meditation.
Here is a great TED talk on how being near water raises oxytocin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=3V7g4kaMwhU
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for your comments…they are helpful and remind me to plug in my pink salt lamp and make going to the beach a routine thing. The most helpful thing that you said which encourages me is “Mine are about gone w diet and meditation.”
Hi Trudy
Ive had a baby 7months ago i felt good after having him then not sleeping well it all caught up with me…starting getting more anxious even going to the shops felt like everything was coming down on me..just been unmotivated and feels like my brain its connected with my body…and cyring aswell…im still breastfeeding.
I go for walks and and joined the gym.
Thanku!!
Lily
Postpartum anxiety can often be due to higher copper and/or hormone imbalances as well as low GABA and low serotonin. Working with a functional medicine doctor to test copper and hormones is a good start. The amino acids have not been studies in nursing moms so I have my nursing clients get approval from their doctor to trial GABA and tryptophan and then if it helps they use it and wait at least 4 hours to nurse again, monitoring baby. Another option is using a free form amino acid blend with all the amino acids including tryptophan (some don’t contain tryptophan)
Trudy if you have a leaky gut/brain could the Tryptophan cause anxiety and crying, if so what can I take for that and intermittent burning pain in legs and not feeling well? I’m having weird symptoms. How can I purchase the nose spray Serotonin?
Melinda
Too much tryptophan can increase anxiety and sadness – for this reason I do a trial to determine the ideal amount for each client.
I’m not aware of a nose spray serotonin – perhaps you’re asking about the oxytocin? It’s not something I use so don’t have one to recommend.
For the intermittent burning pain in legs and not feeling well I recommend working with your doctor.
Trudy thank you for your much needed answers! I’ve had these symptoms for years in my legs. I am desperately searching for the answers. No Dr/natural path has been able to help me. I’ve had high cortisol for 8 years from fight or flight which caused sleep deprivation. I believe all my organs have some damaged . I would like it if someone could tell me if it’s repairable? Which supplements to try. Do you know of a great natural path or MD in the Dfw area?
Thank you!
Melinda
Melinda
I’d start with looking at low magnesium, low folate and low ferritin/iron.
Trudy,
I take magnesium every night before bed. I was also suspect for Hemmachromatosis. As far as folate I haven’t eaten out of s box good in 20 years. I always feel better after ingesting these boxed foods full of all kinds of vitamins but then 3 days later I’m screaming to go to the ER. My joints hurt I become weak, hernia in my throat, etc. I back off that food and get somewhat better. I’m on the Adrenal reset diet for 3 days and I look 6 months pregnant. It’s Sibo! Trudy please help me I am developing autoimmune disease because I’m not absorbing nutrients. The insomnia from it makes me want to stop living And I detest the idea of that. Anymore insight an I will gladly pay you for your help!
The best thing you can do is get off wheat, (gluten), grains, suger, dairy & meat. Eat a plant based diet, plenty of legumes, quinoa, brown rice but more importantly plenty of vegetables & fruit. Big salads every day. This should make a big difference. Plenty of vitamin D (natural sunlight is best) & vitamin C along with a good B complex & niacin 500mg 3×4 times daily. Get off all prescription drugs (slowly & carefully) & keep away from iboprofen (anti inflammatory pharmacy drugs). Buy ‘Doctor Yourself’ – & be kind to yourself. Try to get the support of a functional nutritionist. Good luck!
Hi wondering if you have any published references on the link between oxytocin and gut health
thanks
Jason
Here is one – Microbes and Oxytocin: Benefits for Host Physiology and Behavior https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27793228/
Apologies for the delay on your comment approval and my response. We had a computer glitch where a large number of comments were hidden from view in a spam folder. It mostly affected new folks who were commenting for the first time but it’s hopefully resolved now.
Hi, in wondering how to purchase oxytocin. Every single doctor is dismissive and says its only used for childbirth. I have had a super strong intuition about oxytocin for a while now. I’d like to know if I can order it online.
Katie
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