Exploring The Mind-Body Connection + 6 Ways To Improve It

Mind-Body

Your mind’s health and your body’s health are a two-way street. Depression can lead to cavities, diabetes impacts your mood, arthritis and stress are known to impact each other, and the list goes on. (1, 2, 3)

For many years, mainstream scientists have believed that mental health was completely separate from physical health, but now researchers are seeing just how connected the mind and body really are.

For many years, I have seen just how much influence a person’s emotions have on their physical health and vice versa. I see it on a daily basis at my telehealth functional medicine clinic.

Let’s take a look at the mind-body connection, what it means for our holistic health, and how to improve this connection for your overall well-being.

What Is the Mind-Body Connection?

The mind-body connection is a feedback loop between your feelings and your body. Mental health is linked to physical health, and the science is finally catching up with what doctors like me have observed for years.

While it might sound a little “far-out” for some, the mind-body connection is ultimately the intuitive idea that your thoughts and feelings can impact aspects of your physiology and that your physiology can also play a role in your emotional well-being. (4, 5)

Instead of mental health being stigmatized, this connection proves that physiological changes can contribute to depression, anxiety, addiction, and vice-versa. I am proud that my team and I focus on both mental and physical health at my functional telehealth clinic, allowing us to see the whole picture and get to the root cause of health issues.

How It Impacts Health

At its core, the mind-body connection is rooted in science. Stress affecting your physical health is a prime example of that mind-body connection at work.

Below are 4 common ways physical health impacts mental health and the other way around.

Digestive Distress

I call the gut microbiome “the second brain” because of the direct connection between these two systems, known as the gut-brain axis.

The gut microbiome contains 95% of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin. (6) It also contains 70% to 80% of the immune system. (7)

Stress is linked to gastrointestinal health conditions like IBS, GERD, and ulcers, demonstrating another aspect of this connection. Reducing stress should lead to improved physical gut health.

LISTEN: The Microbiome-Mind Connection + A Patient’s Wellness Journey

Thyroid Problems

The thyroid gland is particularly sensitive to stress in multiple ways. “Hypothyroidism is associated with depression,” says this 2023 study. (8)

For example, studies suggest stress decreases your conversion from T4 (inactive) to T3 (active), leading to low T3 syndrome. (9, 10) Stress can also cause or worsen thyroid resistance. (11)

Stress can also trigger autoimmune thyroid problems such as Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease — 2 common disorders I treat at my functional clinic.

Weight Gain

For many of us, gaining weight keeps getting easier, but losing it keeps getting more challenging. I often find in my patients that the culprit is a negative emotional state, such as persistent stress.

When you’re stressed, your body holds on to fat as an emergency resource, which can make weight loss feel nearly impossible. Chronic stress alone can slow your metabolism and increase cravings enough to make you gain 11 pounds every year. (12)

The weight-mind axis goes both ways! Individuals who have obesity are 18% to 55% more likely to develop depression. (13)

Read Next: How Negative Emotions Impact Your Skin, Brain, Heart, and More

Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is the almost invisible disorder that leads to chronic pain, malaise, fatigue, impacts on weight gain, and more. Regarding the mind-body connection, Inflammation may result in mental health problems, and mental health problems may result in inflammation.

Learn More: Master Your Autoimmune Conditions & Inflammatory Disorders

After requiring participants to complete stressful tasks like math and public speaking, one study’s researchers found that levels of the pro-inflammatory protein interleukin-6 (IL-6) shot through the roof. (14)

Systemic inflammation due to chronic stress can actually cause long-term changes in the structure and function of your brain, contributing to an altered mental state. Research has shown an association between chronic stress and increased risk of insomnia and even dementia. (15)

Article Continues Below

6 Ways To Improve Your Mind-Body Connection

Even though our knowledge of the mind-body connection is evolving, we can take what we know about this connection to improve our overall health now.

Below are 6 evidence-based mind-body therapies that you can start incorporating into your daily life to strengthen your mind-body connection and facilitate mental and physical healing.

1. Practice Mindfulness Meditation

One of the biggest ways to improve your mind-body connection is to reduce stress, that complex fight-or-flight response. There are many stress reduction techniques (spending time outside, blue light blockers, prayer, journaling, etc.), but my favorite stress reliever is mindfulness meditation.

Establish regular mindfulness meditation to refocus yourself on the present moment and lower overall levels of stress response, anxiety, and depression. (16) Focus on guided imagery, and feel how your heart rate can normalize right away.

2. Take Time For Yourself

With so much going on in our daily lives, making time for self-care is often the last on our to-do list. However, spending time alone — enjoying your own company away from other people — is often an overlooked way to enhance your mind-body connection.

I think of it as solitude, not loneliness. (17)

Not only is this “you time” a way to decompress and destress, but it can also give you an opportunity to clear your head and work through any negative emotions or daily traumas that could be contributing to poor physical health.

3. Assess Your Diet

The food you eat plays a major role in how you feel physically and mentally. I spend a lot more time with my patients on diet than your typical doctor because it’s so important!

Obviously, an unhealthy diet contributes to obesity. But sugar, alcohol, fat-free foods, and nutrient deficiencies also play a role in depression and anxiety. (18, 19)

Foods like turkey, turmeric, and magnesium-rich dark leafy greens may alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms by correcting deficiencies and supporting healthy brain function. (20, 21, 22)

Check out the benefits of my favorite diet, Plant-Based Keto.

4. Try Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) was initially developed to treat depression and is still considered one of the most effective types of therapy for depression. (23) The whole idea is to improve negative emotions by changing destructive thoughts and behaviors through developing personal coping strategies unique for each person.

The mind often forgets things that the body remembers. This is especially true when it comes to past trauma, hurt, or grief. Even if you don’t think you’re dealing with daily stressors, I recommend seeing a qualified CBT therapist who can help you unpack suppressed feelings or experiences that may be impacting your mental and physical health.

5. Incorporate Breathwork

Under stressful conditions, breathing gets shallower, which only feeds anxiety. Anxiety leads to all sorts of physical symptoms and vice-versa.

Focused breathwork is a great tool for bringing you back to the present moment whenever you feel stress and anxiety rising up. (24) I’ve seen breathing exercises quickly lower cortisol levels and regulate high blood pressure. When done right, it seems to reset the nervous system.

Plus, this healing tool requires zero equipment and can be done anywhere.

Read Next: Functional Doctor’s Guide to Practicing EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping

6. Take Adaptogenic Herbs

Adaptogens are a family of plants and herbs that are considered generally safe for everyone. They help the body reduce the effects of stress hormones and have a balancing effect on cortisol.

My favorite herb to help lower stress and anxiety is ashwagandha. It also supports heart health, neurological health, hormone function, and fights inflammation — so it’s great for physical and mental health. (25)

You can find adaptogens in powdered form to add to your daily smoothie, tea, or coffee.

Read More: A Functional Doctor’s Perspective on Microdosing

The Takeaway

While we are continuously learning more about how your physical well-being affects your emotional health and vice versa, the mind-body connection cannot be denied. Functional and integrative medicine emphasizes this and understands that healing isn’t limited to the physical alone.

In order to start healing mentally, emotionally, and physically, we need to start addressing health from a whole-person perspective.

Therefore, in my telehealth functional medicine clinic, we aim to find and treat the root cause behind a person’s health problems by bringing in various forms of health care, including conventional treatments and alternative wellness therapies.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

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  1. Almohaimeed, B., Dube, S. R., & Luo, R. (2022). Investigating oral health among individuals with depression: NHANES 2015–2016. The Saudi Dental Journal, 34(3), 249-258.
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Mikulska, P., Malinowska, M., Ignacyk, M., Szustowski, P., Nowak, J., Pesta, K., ... & Cielecka-Piontek, J. (2023). Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)—Current research on the health-promoting activities: a narrative review. Pharmaceutics, 15(4), 1057.

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BY DR. WILL COLE

Evidence-based reviewed article

Dr. Will Cole, DNM, IFMCP, DC is a leading functional medicine expert who consults people around the globe, starting one of the first functional medicine telehealth centers in the world. Named one of the top 50 functional and integrative doctors in the nation, Dr. Will Cole provides a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems. He is also the host of the popular The Art of Being Well podcast and the New York Times bestselling author of Intuitive Fasting, Ketotarian, Gut Feelings, and The Inflammation Spectrum.

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