Modern medicine scientifically proves the wisdom of Donguibogam and emphasizes the importance of gut health even further. In particular, going beyond a simple digestive organ, the gut is the core of the 'gut-brain axis' that communicates closely with the brain, earning it the name 'second brain.' This is why your stomach hurts when you are stressed, or why you feel the urge to use the restroom when nervous. The culprit behind bloatedness and frequent flatulence lies precisely in 'gut dysbiosis.' Hundreds of trillions of microorganisms live in our gut, and when their balance is disrupted, problematic bacteria proliferate excessively. These bacteria ferment the food we consume, especially high-FODMAP foods or refined carbohydrates, producing large amounts of gases such as hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide. When these gases accumulate in the intestines, they cause abdominal distension and pain, and in severe cases, can develop into irritable bowel syndrome or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Furthermore, gut dysbiosis increases intestinal mucosal permeability, sometimes triggering 'leaky gut syndrome.' When the intestinal mucosa becomes loose, undigested food particles or bacterial toxins (such as LPS, lipopolysaccharide) can penetrate into the bloodstream. This can cause a systemic inflammatory response, affecting chronic fatigue, autoimmune diseases, and even feelings of depression. What Donguibogam refers to as 'toxins in the gut' can be viewed in modern medicine as the result of this very dysbiosis and inflammatory response.
As the gut is where over 70% of our body's immune cells are gathered, gut health plays a decisive role not only in immunity but also in hormonal balance and mood regulation. Moving beyond simple dyspepsia, the importance of gut health is something we must now pay active attention to.
