Anxiety, the Gut-Brain Axis, and Where Chiropractic Care Fits In
- Dr. Kayle Martinsen
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
If you've been dealing with anxiety that doesn't seem to have an obvious trigger, it's worth knowing that your gut and your nervous system are more connected than most people realize. We touched on this system in our post on the vagus nerve's role in GERD, and the same pathway shows up again here, this time in relation to mood and anxiety.
What the Gut-Brain Axis Has to Do With Anxiety
Researchers refer to the gut-brain connection as the microbiota-gut-brain axis: a bidirectional communication system linking your gut microbiome to your central nervous system. Disruptions in that system are thought to influence anxiety through several overlapping pathways: direct neural signaling through the vagus nerve, hormone regulation through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis, immune responses involving inflammatory markers, and metabolic byproducts your gut bacteria produce. Reviews of this research describe consistent, if still developing, evidence that gut health and anxiety are genuinely linked, not just loosely associated.
The Vagus Nerve's Role in Calming the Body
The vagus nerve is the main channel of the parasympathetic nervous system, the branch responsible for slowing the body down after stress rather than ramping it up. It's also a primary conduit in the gut-brain axis: gut bacteria and their byproducts can signal the vagus nerve directly, and vagal activity in turn helps regulate inflammation and stress response throughout the body.
This connection isn't just theoretical. Vagus nerve stimulation, delivered through a surgically implanted device, has been FDA-approved since 2005 as an add-on treatment for chronic, treatment-resistant depression. That said, it's worth being honest about the strength of that evidence: systematic reviews note that it's based on a small number of sham-controlled trials, and its real-world efficacy is still considered unclear by researchers. VNS isn't currently FDA-approved specifically for anxiety disorders, though early research is exploring whether pairing it with exposure-based therapy could help.
Where Chiropractic Care Fits In
A handful of studies have looked at whether spinal manipulation changes heart rate variability, a measurable marker of autonomic nervous system activity that reflects, in part, vagal tone. The results are mixed. One randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that a single session of spinal manipulation improved markers of parasympathetic activity immediately afterward in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Another trial, looking specifically at seated cervical manipulation, found no significant difference in heart rate variability compared to a sham procedure.
It's also worth being clear about what these studies actually measured: changes in a heart-based marker of autonomic activity, not changes in anxiety symptoms themselves. Direct trials testing chiropractic care as an anxiety treatment are scarce. The chiropractic theory, one this practice takes seriously, is that the upper cervical spine sits close to where the vagus nerve exits the skull, so tension or restriction there could plausibly affect vagal signaling. That's a reasonable hypothesis grounded in anatomy, but it's a meaningfully different claim than having trials that show chiropractic adjustment reduces anxiety, and that research isn't there yet.
What This Looks Like at Asa Wellness Center
For patients dealing with anxiety, Dr. Martinsen looks at nervous system regulation, digestive function, and stress as pieces of the same picture rather than treating chiropractic care as a standalone fix. That whole-body evaluation is the same root-cause approach used for our reflux and migraine patients, just applied to a different set of symptoms.
Curious whether this approach makes sense for you? Schedule an appointment online or email asawellnesscenter@gmail.com. We're located at 2405 E. Southern Ave., Suite 3, Tempe, AZ.
This information is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for mental health treatment. If anxiety is severe, persistent, or affecting your daily life, please also talk with your physician or a mental health professional. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) for support.
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