Happiness and Nutrition

Did you know that the stomach produces 90% of the happiness hormone-Serotonine, while the brain produces just 10%. Serotonine is the hormone which soothes us, makes us feel secure and calm, content, gives a feeling of warmth and joy inside, calms our fears, paranoias, etc. It is not so much the brain, as we used to think, but the gut which controls the production of this hormone. And you all know that if you feel scared, worried, stressed, panicky-you first feel it in the stomach! What this implies is that depressions and other psychological conditions(obsessions, addictions phobias, paranoias, sadness) can be regulated through the healthy functioning of the stomach. WIth the right foods and certain emotion release techniques, one can stimulate the gut to produce more Serotonine and heal depressions, sadness, stress, fears, mental states, etc. In Astrology the stomach is ruled by the sign Cancer, its lord-the Moon and the 4th house(the house of Cancer). This complex is responsible for our emotional happiness. Cancer rules the feelings-wether we have stable and joyful emotional reactions or are stressed, sad or downright panicky. As you can see the ancient seers knew that our happiness depends on the Stomach, as the same planet and sign rule both the sense of emotional well-being and the stomach. The gut intelligence is what gives us the so called intuition-a gut reaction to upcoming events, etc. The healthier gut environment we keep, through eating the right foods, the more our intuition is strengthened. If you constantly stress your stomach with inflammatory, processed, hard to digest, unnatural and polluted foods and drinks, this is the fastest road to emotional misbalance, susceptibility to depressions, mental problems, disconnection from your inner guiding system, because the production of serotonine is disrupted.

No one can fully avoid stress, shock and negative environments which also affect the emotional stability, but by consuming the right foods, we increase the body's ability to sooth and dispel negative and fearful emotions. Astrologically you can see if you are more susceptible to depressions, emotional problems, fears, stress, unhappiness, addictions etc, but checking if you have any afflicting planets in Cancer, close to or stressfully aspecting the 4th house cusp or the Moon. Planets which can afflict are: Saturn, Rahu, Ketu, Mars, Uranus, Pluto and the Sun. The more of these afflictions the bigger the emotional instability of the person, susceptibility to sadness, depressions, manias, stress. Such people should keep their digestive systems in absolute order-eating only organic, clean, fresh, vegetarian, etc. But often most emotionally unhappy people tend to do just the opposite: stuff themselves with comfort food, take anti-depressants, drink, etc all of which which can damage their stomach lining. Of course, good nutrition is just one of the ways to help with an afflicted Moon, 4th house of Cancer. Cancer is the sign of the mother and of emotional bonding and nurturing. The other way to cure depressions, sadness, stress, addictions etc is through finding something to bond to emotionally-a pet, a supportive family, a support group, a therapist to whom you can freely express your emotions or at least someone who can make you feel safe and give you cuddles.