In this episode, Wendy speaks with gastroenterologist, author, and microbiome researcher Emeran Mayer. Emeran is a world renowned expert in the connections between the gut and the mind, and brings a biological lens to the concept of interconnection. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• his interest in mind-body connection;



• microbiome overview & current questions;



• how we've inherited systems of communication from microbes;



• gut-brain connections, and the concept of the "second brain";



• how meditation might affect our microbes;



• gut-immune connections;



• the importance of barriers, and what goes wrong in "leaky gut";



• barrier compromise as common core of nearly all chronic disorders;



• stress and diet as key factors affecting our gut permeability;



• what we can do to protect our gut;



• equity issues around healthy food access;



• the gut as a sense organ;



• reductions in the diversity of microbes on the planet;



• the role of antibiotics and environmental destruction;



• development of the microbiome in pregnancy and infancy;



• implications for our concept of self;



• balance between reductionism and embracing complexity in science;



• and the need for more of the feminine archetype in our world.

Full show notes and resources