&gt; The thing is, we already know that the brain influences the gut, but this doesn&#x27;t seem to be mentioned. All these hand-wavy press releases seem to be saying it&#x27;s a mystery why IBS is linked to anxiety and depression, and yet there is very good evidence that the HPA axis significantly influences gut motility, absorption and bacteria.<p>Do you have a recommendation for further reading on this? (Specifically, the brain influincing the gut, not vice versa.)<p>Purely anecdotal: I have a lot of digestion problems, but it is starting to look like I do better when I am able to maintain a non-depressed, non-anxious state of mind over a period of weeks.