A Connection Worth Paying Attention To

The Gut-Brain Axis Goes Both Ways 

Most people think of digestion as a standalone system. Food goes in, nutrients come out, and the rest is plumbing. The reality is considerably more interesting. The gut and the brain are in constant two-way communication through the vagus nerve, a sprawling highway that runs from the brainstem down through the chest and abdomen. This connection, commonly called the gut-brain axis, means that what happens in the digestive system does not stay there.

Chronic gut inflammation, driven by poor diet, stress, or bacterial imbalance, sends distress signals through this network that affect pain sensitivity, mood, and even muscle tension throughout the body. Patients with chronic low back pain have been found to have distinct gut microbiome compositions compared with pain-free individuals, a finding that has shifted how researchers think about musculoskeletal health.

What Weston A. Price Understood Early

Long before microbiome research became mainstream, nutritional pioneer Weston A. Price documented the relationship between traditional whole-food diets and physical health across cultures worldwide. His research, compiled in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, showed that populations eating nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods, including fermented foods, organ meats, and bone broths, maintained superior skeletal structure and far lower rates of degenerative disease. (1)

Price’s observations align remarkably well with what modern research now confirms: a gut fed on refined, processed foods produces systemic inflammation that affects joints, muscles, and connective tissue. The spine, as the central structural pillar of the body, is not immune to that inflammatory environment. Disc health, facet joint integrity, and the surrounding soft tissue all depend on a nutritional foundation that supports rather than undermines them.

Feeding the Spine From the Inside Out

Rebuilding gut health does not require an extreme overhaul. Incorporating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, and plain yogurt introduces beneficial bacteria that help regulate inflammation. Reducing refined sugar and seed oils removes two of the most significant dietary drivers of gut disruption. Bone broth, a staple in Price’s research populations, provides collagen precursors that directly support spinal disc and joint tissue.

Chiropractic care addresses the spine structurally. Nutrition addresses it biochemically. Patients who attend to both tend to heal faster, hold their adjustments longer, and experience less chronic pain overall.

1. Price WA. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. 8th ed. Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation; 2008.