I feel this one in my core, literally lmao. I developed GERD after a shitty boss. It’s taken forever to get back to some kind of normal.

I’ve come to this conclusion myself as well. As an IBS sufferer for over 10 years, it’s certainly apparent that the origins of the issue must be extrinsically linked outside of the gut. I’m not sure that I would have guessed it might be directly caused by immune cells though.

I find managing stress is extremely important to keep my symptoms suppressed. Lately I’ve been keen to focus on breathing techniques which activate the vagus nerve, and they have really helped! I’ve learned that while performing these, it’s important to breathe out for longer than you breathe in. It has the effect of slowing your heart rate, which helps deal with stress. I’m working on making this my default breathing style so that I won’t need to think about doing it consciously anymore.