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The same is true for a parent. If your gastrointestinal system -- the stomach and more -- is not in top working order, then you are less able to get the nutrients you need -- the bricks and mortar of the body -- to handle all the work that comes with making a family.

Additionally, your chances go up of developing mental or physical health problems. In particular, there is growing scientific evidence that disturbance in the gastrointestinal system (GIS) is one of the factors that can contribute to low mood and depressive feelings, which are common among parents.

The GIS is easily disturbed by stress -- a parent's daily diet -- so it makes sense for a mother or father to take extra steps to support its health. In our experience, a disturbance in the gastrointestinal system is extremely common among parents, especially mothers.

For several columns we have explored psychological factors that lower a parent's mood. In this and the next few columns, we will describe some of the physical causes of low mood -- and what you can do about them -- starting with the gastrointestinal system. (Please contact us if you are interested in our reference sources.) Of course, the methods we discuss are no substitute for professional advice if your mood is highly depressed or unstable, and you should always consult with a licensed health professional in that case.

A tennis court in your tummy
Alan Watts, the spiritual philosopher, once wrote that the body is rather like a tube: our lives are a lot about getting enough to put in one end and avoiding problems with the other. Most of us do not think much about what goes in within that tube, but it is really quite extraordinary.

For one, the surface area of the small intestine would cover an entire tennis court if all the millions of microscopic folds in its walls were laid out flat. For another, your GIS contains a complex ecosystem involving trillions of microorganisms, more than all the mammals on the continent of Africa; these little critters are so prevalent that they comprise roughly one third of the dry weight of a person's solid waste.

Imbalances within this microscopic ecosystem can affect one psychologically as well as physically. For example, Jan recently had a patient who complained of low mood, irritability, and fatigue -- as well as some digestive difficulties -- that began soon after she had her baby, about a year ago. A laboratory analysis revealed abnormal levels of yeast in her gastrointestinal tract. As treatment lowered the yeast down to a manageable level, her energy and mood improved, in addition to her digestive symptoms. Why would this be?

Good bugs and bad bugs
There are hundreds of types -- individual species -- of microorganisms in the GIS. As in any ecosystem, they compete with each other for food and habitat (preferred places to live within the gut), and some are predators to each other. Some of these "bugs" benefit us by breaking down the food we eat into digestible particles, synthesizing vitamins or aiding the immune systems that within the lining of the GIS. Some harm us by consuming nutrients we need or attacking beneficial microorganisms. And some are neutral, as far as we know.

Healthy people may have some harmful microbes in their digestive tracts as long as (1) their numbers are low, and (2) the numbers of beneficial microorganisms are high. It's like a lawn -- a few weeds are inconspicuous and easy to pull, but if the crabgrass takes over, it makes the whole lawn unsightly, plus it's really hard to remove. Because of foreign travel and other causes, there appears to have been a substantial increase in the number of Americans carrying significant loads of harmful microorganisms in their digestive tract.

Your very own toxic waste manufacturing plant
Additionally, imagine a weed that also poisons your soil. Certain microbes do exactly that by secreting toxic waste products. For instance, some yeast produce tartaric acid, which interrupts the "krebs cycle," the primary source of energy production in the body. If you have an overgrowth of yeast that is making this acid, your body will be less able to generate energy, and you will feel fatigued as a result. High levels of tartaric acid are also associated with depression, cloudy thinking and fibromyalgia (a diffuse but often disabling muscle ache).

Another example is the bacteria, Clostridia, which has a nasty one-two punch. First, clostridia consume the amino acid, tyrosine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and tyrosine is especially important for energy and mood. It helps make thyroid hormone (the key regulator of energy in your body) and many of the stimulating neurotransmitters that maintain positive mood and high energy.

Second, clostridia use tyrosine to make dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid (DHPPA), a neurotoxin. An overgrowth of clostridia is rather like having your very own nerve gas factory -- but located inside your belly. Moderately high levels of DHPPA cause depression and fatigue, and at very high levels it can cause psychosis. In essence, clostridia bacteria steal a nutrient needed for emotional well-being and then turn it into a substance that is toxic to your brain: It's like robbing the Thanksgiving turkey and leaving arsenic on the platter!

Certain microbes also wear away at the linings of your intestines, in part through their waste products, creating overly porous membranes that allow toxins and incompletely broken-down food particles to get into the rest of the body; this condition has been termed "leaky gut syndrome."

Excessive permeability is sometimes indicated by food allergies or sensitivities, since the leakage of not fully digested food particles can lead to allergic (ie. auto-immune) reactions within the body. And since the food is incompletely digested, the body gets fewer of the nutrients it needs to repair the intestinal linings, so the gut continues leaking in a vicious cycle. Finally, a related problem can occur when microbes irritate the linings to the point that they become less able to absorb nutrients, a condition of intestinal malabsorption.

Know the enemy
If you suspect that something might be awry with the populations of microorganisms teeming in your gastrointestinal system -- perhaps because you have recurring digestive symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, or you feel markedly glum, irritable or anxious -- the first thing you should do is to have some simple tests done by an experienced medical lab. A stool sample may be used to directly check for microorganisms.

Also, the organic acid urine test may be used to check for the toxins the critters emit, like tartaric acid and DHPPA. Contact a health practitioner who is knowledgeable about gastrointestinal pathogens; we can refer you if you like. Hopefully, you will get a clean bill of health, but if not, you'll know exactly what you need to target in order to feel better.

What you can do
Effective treatment of pathogenic microorganisms in the GIS takes an ecological approach that aims at restoring balance in four related ways: