Always Feeling Like You Have Indigestion? The Real Cause of Nervous Gastritis When Tests Show Nothing

The pot of the mind and disharmony of stomach qi from Donguibogam are closely linked to the modern medical concept of the gut-brain axis. This theory explains that the brain and the gut are not simply isolated organs, but communicate and influence each other closely, just like two friends in constant conversation. When we experience stress or feel anxiety, the brain responds immediately by activating a neural network called the autonomic nervous system. This autonomic nervous system also directly influences the gastrointestinal tract, which is responsible for digestion. In particular, the sympathetic nerve activated during a stress response suppresses gastrointestinal motility and reduces blood supply. It is as if an order has been issued in an emergency to stop digestion for now. Consequently, blood flow to the stomach decreases, weakening the protective function of the gastrointestinal mucosa, reducing digestive enzyme secretion, and slowing the passage of food from the stomach to the intestines. This causes bloating, epigastric pain, and dyspepsia. Furthermore, the gut contains so many nerve cells and neurotransmitters that it is called the second brain. About 90% of serotonin, known as the happiness hormone, is produced in the gut. Stress disrupts this enteric nervous system balance and disturbs serotonin secretion, triggering intestinal motility disorder. It can even alter the microbiome, the intestinal microorganism environment, causing inflammatory responses or increasing gut permeability to worsen discomfort. Ultimately, nervous gastritis or functional dyspepsia is not a structural problem of the stomach itself, but rather a complex phenomenon arising from communication errors between the brain and gut and the stress response. Rather than treating only the stomach when it hurts, restoring the overall balance of the brain and gut, which is the harmony of body and mind, remains the essential key.