February 2026
Hello, and welcome to this month's article! This month’s article is much longer than usual, but contains some important information regarding your health.
To summarize the message, the better your body’s internal communication, the better your overall health.
Read on to learn how massage and movement play a vital role in your long-term health.
Get healthy and stay happy. Enjoy your month; see you soon for your next massage!
Scientists uncover how spinal health influences digestion, immunity, and mood
by Margaret Wanjiru
As scientists continue to investigate these connections, one message is becoming clear: protecting spinal health through regular movement, mobility work, and stress management may support not only a pain-free back, but a healthier, more resilient body overall.
For years, back pain and poor posture were treated largely as musculoskeletal problems. But a growing body of scientific research is now reframing the spine as something far more influential, since it is a central communication hub that helps regulate digestion, immune responses, and emotional well-being.
New findings from neuroscience, gastroenterology, and immunology suggest that spinal health directly affects how efficiently the brain communicates with the rest of the body, with wide-ranging consequences for physical and mental health.
The spinal column is more than a stack of vertebrae. It houses the spinal cord, a major component of the central nervous system that transmits signals between the brain and organs, muscles, and tissues. At each spinal level, nerves branch outward to control sensation, movement, and autonomic functions.
When nerve pathways along the spine are irritated or compressed by poor posture, injury, chronic stress, or prolonged inactivity, communication between the brain and body becomes less efficient.
This is why having a massage, stretching, or spinal movement can temporarily relieve this pressure, improve blood flow, and calm the nervous system, often creating an immediate feeling of relief, lightness, or clarity as nerve signalling becomes less restricted and stress responses settle.
“Spinal nerves influence far more than movement,” says Dr Michael Levin, a neuroscientist who studies neural signalling. “They play a role in digestion, immune regulation, and stress responses. When signalling is disrupted, multiple systems may be affected simultaneously.”
The gut-brain-spine connection— Much of the recent research builds on the well-established gut-brain axis, the bidirectional communication network linking the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. Scientists now emphasise that this system also depends heavily on spinal and autonomic nerve signaling, creating what some researchers describe as a gut-brain-spine network.
“Our mental health is determined by an intrinsic interplay between the central nervous system, enteric nerves, and gut microbiota,” explains Leon M. T. Dicks, a microbiology Researcher at Stellenbosch University [in South Africa].
The gut contains its own neural network, the enteric nervous system, often referred to as the “second brain.”
This system communicates continuously with the spinal cord and brain, regulating digestion, hormone release, and visceral sensation.
Digestion, neurochemistry, and mood—Scientists have also highlighted the role of gut bacteria in producing neuroactive compounds. The majority of the body’s serotonin, a neurotransmitter strongly linked to mood regulation, is produced in the gut. These chemical signals rely on intact nerve pathways to reach the brain effectively.
“When neural communication is impaired, digestive symptoms and mood changes can occur even without structural disease,” notes Dr Emeran Mayer, a leading gut-brain researcher.
A person with prolonged poor posture and chronic upper-back and neck tension may begin to experience bloating, irregular bowel movements, and low mood or anxiety.
Medical tests show no structural problems in the digestive tract. However, tight muscles and sustained stress around the spine alter autonomic nerve signalling between the gut and brain.
As a result, gut-produced serotonin and other chemical messengers are not regulated as efficiently, leading to digestive discomfort alongside mood changes. When this person improves posture, reduces stress, and incorporates regular movement or soft-tissue therapy, both digestion and mood often improve, not because the gut itself was diseased, but because neural communication was restored.
Spinal health and the immune system— The immune system is also tightly linked to the nervous system signalling. Research shows that spinal and autonomic nerves help regulate inflammation and immune responses. Disruptions in these pathways may contribute to chronic inflammation, heightened pain sensitivity, or altered stress responses.
“The nervous and immune systems constantly talk to each other,” says Dr Kevin Tracey, President of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. “When that communication is altered, immune balance can shift.”
Recent studies exploring the emerging gut-spinal axis suggest that microbial metabolites can influence spinal cord inflammation and immune signalling, positioning the spine as a key mediator of whole-body immune responses.
Why movement, stretching, and massage matter— While scientists caution that spinal health is not a cure-all, many agree that regular movement and soft tissue care support healthy nerve signalling.
Mobility and daily movement improve blood flow to spinal tissues, nourishing nerves and intervertebral discs.
Stretching reduces chronic muscle tension that can compress nerve pathways.
Massage and soft-tissue therapies promote circulation, reduce stress hormones, and help calm the nervous system.
“Movement is essential nutrition for the nervous system,” says Dr Kelly Starrett, a mobility and rehabilitation specialist. “When people stay sedentary, tissues stiffen, and nerve communication suffers. Regular movement helps restore normal signalling.”
The Researchers emphasise that no single vertebra controls a specific organ or disease. Instead, the spine’s importance lies in its role as a central communication network.
“The takeaway from this research is integration. Posture, stress, movement, and recovery all influence nervous system health, and that affects digestion, immunity, and mood together,” says Dr Levin.
The 2020 Research was published at the National Library of Medicine under Experimental Neurology and supported in part by the Belford Spinal Cord Injury Centre.
As scientists continue to investigate these connections, one message is becoming clear: protecting spinal health through regular movement, mobility work, and stress management may support not only a pain-free back, but a healthier, more resilient body overall.
Source: eastleighvoice.co.ke
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The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice. If you’re ill, consult a physician.
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