An important function of the tongue is to send information to the abdomen that food is in incoming. If the tongues mobility is restricted, it prevents formation of the enzymes that break down the food, which can lead to digestive problems.
The stomach is rumbling and hurting. You can´t get rid of anything when you´re on the toilet, and it doesn´t help to feed it dietary fiber and a ton of water, or to exercise it. If your stomach still growls at you, even if you follow all the good advice to make it happy, you may need to consider if the solution is in the small string under your tongue, the frenum.
Namely, a tight frenum can cause constipation. If the tongue cannot move around the mouth and press against the palate and oral cavity, it may have difficulty stimulating the large vagus nerve. It is the one that makes sure to alert the rest of the body when we put food in the mouth so that the digestion process can begin.
If this does not happen, the enzymes that are important for food digestion in the stomach and intestines are not formed. The result is constipation, which can be shown by the difficulty in going to the toilet, heartburn or reflux.
Important to stimulate the vagus nerve
The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. It is the longest nerve we have in the body and it transmits sensory impulses between the brain and a wide range of muscles and organs, including the heart, lungs, stomach and intestines.
The vagus nerve branches out from under the tongue, where the nerve endings act as lookouts to make sure to pass it on to the brain when we choose to put food in our mouths.
If the tongue cannot reach the palate, as is the case with tongue tie, the nerve endings are not stimulated. This means that no message is sent to the brain and stomach to start producing stomach acid.
When this does not happen, there will not be enough stomach acid in the stomach to break down the food. Instead, it lies and ferments, and then begins to bubble back into the esophagus – what we know as heartburn or reflux.
Another feature that does not get the message is the intestines. The undigested food is thus passed on to a gut that is not ready to work. Along with the badly degraded food, it’s a good recipe for stomachaches.
Stimulation of the vagus nerve can be done from home, with correct introduction from a trained osteopath.
For more information on tongue ties, click here.
For more information how to teat a tongue tie, click here.
Picture curtesy of eiriu-eolas.org
