There’s a great spiritual written by James Weldon Johnson called “Dem Bones” that you may have sung as a kid. The lyrics start with “toe bone connected to the foot bone” and work all the way up to the “neck bone connected to the head bone.” The song highlights the interconnections of your skeletal system, but other systems in your body are also connected – like your brain and the nerves in your feet. According to Dr. David Perlmutter, both of them also relate to your digestive system and the countless microscopic organisms that live there.

Your brain is literally “the boss of you.” It tells every part of your body what to do when, and it also regulates your entire nervous system down to your hands and feet. When the brain and nervous systems aren’t healthy or functioning as they should be, you can experience problems with balance (fall risk), sensation (injury risk from neuropathy), and movement (foot drop or spasticity, for example).

Dr. Perlmutter’s book Brain Maker explores the interrelationship between your microbiome (the bacteria living in your intestines) and the health of your brain. The microbiome begins developing in infancy and changes based on the decisions you make about what you eat. He explains how you can improve your gut health and promote healthier brain function by following six practical steps and certain diet guidelines.

He encourages getting enough fiber and eating a large variety of “real” food rather than over-processed products. Exercise and not overdoing the sanitizing of your life (so you are exposed to some germs and build up resistance to illness and allergies) can also help.

We highly recommend that you read Brain Maker and follow the recommendations. It will help you develop a healthier brain (which is connected to the spinal nerves—and all the way down to your toes!). What’s good for your brain is also good for the nerves in your feet.

Call Parker Foot & Ankle in Houston, TX at (281) 497-2850 if you have questions about diet and foot health, or need us to check out a foot problem you are facing. We’re here to help get your feet—and your whole body—in great shape again.