Digestive issues like IBS, food intolerance, and gut-brain sensitivity are some of the most common and misunderstood ALPIMS symptoms. Many people experience bloating, cramping, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, and anxiety around eating—without a clear cause on testing.
This guide explores how these symptoms are connected to nervous system dysregulation, immune reactivity, and trauma history, viewed through the CDR, homeostatic capacity, and ALPIMS lenses.
🧭 Your gut is not broken—it’s overstimulated, over-signaled, and asking for calm.
🧠 What Is Gut-Brain Sensitivity?
- The enteric nervous system (“second brain”) becomes hypersensitive
- Normal food processing triggers exaggerated pain or motility changes
- The vagus nerve and limbic system amplify digestive signals during stress
🔬 CDR and Digestive Shutdown
- Threat signals cause peristalsis to slow or spasm
- Digestive enzyme release is suppressed
- The microbiome shifts, and gut lining integrity may weaken (“leaky gut”)
⚠️ You may not need more restriction—you may need more regulation.
🧩 Food Intolerance & Gut Issues Through the ALPIMS Lens
| Domain | How It Shows Up | Suggested Supports |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Food fear, pre-meal panic, stress-induced flares | Safe meal rituals, mindful eating, calm environments |
| Laxity | Bloating, slow transit, prolapse, reflux | Upright eating, abdominal support, binders, hydration |
| Pain | Cramping, visceral hypersensitivity, burning or stabbing pain | Warm packs, gut massage, anti-inflammatory foods |
| Immune | Food reactions, histamine or salicylate sensitivity | Elimination and rotation diets, immune calming tools |
| Mood | Food-related grief, eating avoidance, identity stress | Gentle reintroductions, joyful food rituals |
| Sensory | Texture/smell aversion, fullness dysregulation | Sensory-safe meal textures, predictability, pacing tools |
🧰 Recovery Supports for Gut-Brain Sensitivity
- Simple, low-inflammatory meals (low-FODMAP or low-histamine rotations)
- Regulated meal pacing (smaller meals, calm surroundings, rest after eating)
- Nervous system downshifts (vagal toning, breathwork, pre-meal regulation)
- Supplement supports (digestive enzymes, binders, probiotics if tolerated)
- Emotional repair with food (validating food trauma, reclaiming enjoyment)
🔗 [Explore: Gut + Immune + Mood Tools]
🔗 [Download: Food Reaction Log & Digestive Buffer Kit]
💬 Reminder
🌿 Your body is not punishing you—it’s protecting you. You can teach it to feel safe again.
By shifting from restriction toward regulation, you can slowly restore digestive trust, flexibility, and nourishment.