New Delhi, Dec. 13 -- Have you ever felt a queasy flutter in your stomach before a big presentation or noticed bloating after a particularly stressful day? Chances are you may have dismissed these as mere uneasy feelings or imaginary things. In reality, your gut and brain are in constant conversation through a bidirectional communication network known as the gut-brain axis. This link plays a powerful role in your digestive health, which is why emotional and mental stress so often shows up as physical symptoms in the gut.

The enteric nervous system-often called the "second brain"- is at the heart of this interaction. The gastrointestinal tract's lining has a sophisticated network of neurons that connect to the central nervous system. Anxi...