I learned something important this week. There are brain cells in our abdomen. The enteric nervous system is connected to the brain via a cable called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest of all the cranial nerves and is the connecting nerve between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system. This is the brain-gut connection and is the reason we get butterflies in our stomach or a nervous stomach. It also explains our "gut" feeling. One more example of how fearfully and wonderfully our bodies are made.
Prior to our experience, I understood the importance of listening to my gut. Now I know it can be critical for survival. I encourage mothers of sick children to rely on your "gut feeling" as you search for answers. At the height of our illnessses I found it difficult to believe I had any intuition whatsoever. I was desperate and vulnerable. I was inundated with advice. I questioned myself as a mother and as a decision-maker. It was invariably my husband who would listen and knowingly ask, "What does your gut say?"
When we came to Arizona in December we encountered one obstacle after the other. Not molehills. Mountains. Kilimanjaro mountains. Numerous voices saying, "Turn around. Go back."
It was so loud inside of me that something good is here. Don't turn back. Hang in there. Again, my husband reminded me, "Just because it's hard doesn't mean we should leave." Only now am I seeing the truth. We are finding help. Things are happening that wouldn't have if we would have left. I'm grateful for the extra brain cells.
About Andrea Fabry
I am a former journalist and the mother of nine children ranging in age from 28 to 12. My husband Chris, myself, and our children find ourselves in the desert of Arizona attempting to rebuild our health and our lives following a massive toxic mold exposure. The organization momsAWARE comes out of this crisis as a means to help educate and empower others on the subject of environmental health. Our family has also launched a natural line of personal care products called Just So, available at our Online Store.
Just So Natural Products
Our Work Together
Thanks for Stopping By!
Visitor Count:
Number of Visitors:
thank you, Andrea, for sharing so much of yourself and the things you are going through. I have been reading through your blog. It made me think of the Old testament people used of God by going through horrific things that taught Israel lessons. You are chosen, not in any small way, to live and share that we, God's people may learn. I am praying for you. Praise the Lord for your courage and faithfulness.
ReplyDeleteso true Andrea and now you give us scientific evidence for why those gut feelings work!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has always been one whose gut feelings we could and did trust....me not so much.
But I will try to pay attention if I get one.
On a different note, we were visiting with a friend who is in the wood industry; as in works for a corporation that sells wood to cabinet makers and furniture makers.
He was telling us how at a wood convention a scientist did a presentation on a new glue he had developed that did not use formaldyhyde (Sp?) which he said is toxic to humans. Long story short his company bought the patent and is selling this glue. He said all the wood coming from China etc... is saturated in formaldyhyde. Yet another toxin entering our homes unbeknownst to us consumers!