The Art of “Four Forms™”: A New Strategy Game Based on Sun Tzu, part 7, The Strategist’s Gut
This is 7 of a multi-part blog series chronicling how I created a zero-sum hand game called “Four Forms™” to teach my sons (9 and 11) some strategic thinking and concepts from Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
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Author’s Note: This was originally going to be part of last week’s “heart-mind” blog, but I’m trying to keep posts to 12-minute reads (on average) these days so here we are.
Keeping the Strategist's Gut Primed for Wise Decision-making
The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis
The human gut hosts a vast ecosystem of microorganisms, including hundreds of bacterial species, fungi, protists, archaea, and viruses, collectively known as the gut microbiome. Far from being mere freeloaders, these microbes form a mutually beneficial relationship with us, crucial for digestion and producing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA—the power trio for mood, memory, and thinking. For instance, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species produce GABA, while Escherichia coli and Enterococcus can produce serotonin. These neurotransmitters influence critical areas such as processing emotions, stress resilience, and neuroendocrine functions. Additionally, gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which cross the blood-brain barrier and affect brain function.
Embedded within the gut are enteric neurons, so similar in kind and quantity to brain neurons that it’s often called a “second brain.” These neurons enable the gut to act independently in managing digestion and interact extensively with the brain via the vagus nerve, facilitating bi-directional communication. This connection allows gut microbes to “speak” to us (well, to our brains) and vice versa, playing a key role in regulating our overall health and well-being by modulating neurotransmitter release, immune responses, and stress resilience. In return, the gut provides a stable environment with a steady nutrient supply, allowing these microbes to thrive.
The image below shows how this works.
<So good gut bacteria are… midi-chlorians…? Well, maybe not. Midochondria1, on the other hand…>
Altering the gut microbiome can significantly impact mental health and cognitive functions. While its influence is notable, it’s one of several factors, like sleep and exercise, that influence overall cognitive, emotive, and strategic capabilities.
Dysbiosis and the Impact on Strategic Thinking
What happens when the teeming metropolis of your gut microbiome stops looking like a well-functioning city and starts resembling a chaotic one? <San Francisco, is that you?>
Dysbiosis, or dysbacteriosis, occurs when there’s a disturbance in the microbiome, creating an imbalance of gut bacteria that alters their functions, activities, and usual locations.
Dysbiotic disturbances like chronic stress, poor diet, pollutants, and parasites can lead to a cascade of serious issues. Let’s look a little closer at how these disruptions affect strategic thinking.
In Mined Quarries™ #012, I mentioned how chronic stress and sugar usage negatively affect health in general. More specifically in the context of the gut and strategic thinking:
Chronic stress
elevates cortisol levels, disrupting the gut microbiota and causing inflammation, which clouds judgment and strategic clarity. It also impairs the normal spontaneous movement of the muscles (motility) in your stomach and serotonin levels, crucial for regulating mood and cognition, affecting strategic focus. Over time, this can lead to increased gut permeability (“leaky gut”) and systemic inflammation, further undermining cognitive functions and overall health.
Diets
high in sugar and refined carbohydrates2 deplete beneficial microbes and foster the growth of harmful bacteria, causing chronic inflammation that undermines mental acuity and emotional stability. Poor dietary habits also contribute to insulin resistance, impairing glucose metabolism in the brain. This decreases energy supply to brain cells and increases oxidative stress3, accelerating cognitive decline and impacting problem-solving and decision-making.
Besides chronic stress and poor diet:
Exposure to pollutants
such as heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and so on) found in the air, drinking water, soil, food like rice and farmed salmon, and everyday items like utensils and clothing generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen. Excessive ROS production leads to oxidative stress, damaging cellular components like DNA, proteins, and lipids. This disruption weakens the gut-blood-brain barrier letting toxins slip through and wreak havoc directly on neural cells.
Additionally, ROS mess with neurotransmitter synthesis and release, cutting down the levels of serotonin and dopamine. The resulting oxidative stress and inflammation impair cognitive functions and decision-making capabilities and worsen dysbiosis, further dulling mental sharpness and emotional stability.
<Let’s not even get into microplastics...>
😱
Parasitic infestations
wreak havoc on the delicate gut ecosystem. These unwelcome guests cause inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and microbiome disruptions. This triple threat not only disrupts the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, essential for clear thinking and mood, but also weakens gut-brain communication.
The result? A vicious cycle. Parasites4 manipulate their host’s cravings, driving a desire for sugary and high-carbohydrate foods that fuel their rapid growth. <Is that ‘sweet tooth’ really yours?> Meanwhile, they steal essential nutrients and release toxins that harm beneficial bacteria, further disrupting neurotransmitter production. This combination manifests as brain fog, reduced resilience, and insatiable cravings – all conspiring to sabotage your strategic thinking and overall well-being.
<“Parasites? I don’t have parasites…” Oh, really?5
Here’s a cat video…>
Recently, independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed that he got the double whammy of both a parasitic brain worm and mercury poisoning.
😱😱
But wait, there’s more…
😱😱😱
There are ways to crack the case of compromised gut health and strategic thinking.
Strategies for a Sharper Heart-Mind: Gut-Brain Edition
Disclaimer: This isn’t medical advice; I’m just a concerned citizen sharing some info and insights about our insides. This post offers general recommendations (and only four for each category) for improving gut health. It’s important to conduct your own research (DYOR) and consult a qualified healthcare professional, preferably, one with an open-mind and an attitude for prevention (rather than one waiting for things to fall apart)6, to determine the best approach for your individual needs.
Note: I’m not affiliated with any of the links mentioned in this blog post (but I am open for business, so give me a ring-ring.)
1. Chronic Chill:
Take a walk, preferably in nature
Take up a martial art (go ‘hard’ like Muay Thai or ‘soft’ like jiu-jitsu)
Play whatever with whomever
2. Care for your Critters:
Avoid, or at least reduce, the “gut destroyers” in the image above.
Embrace nutrient-rich, whole foods (see the list in the footnotes of Mined Quarries™ #012 for examples).
Add pre-biotic foods like garlic and asparagus to help your beneficial bacteria grow,
And probiotic-rich foods like kimchi and natural yogurt to replenish any depleted critters and feed them.
3. Minimize Heavy Metal Exposure:
Consider air and water filtration systems. (In Helsinki tap water is potable. I still filter it when I can.)
Organic food and drink reduce pesticide intake, true, but there are no labels for “Sans Heavy Metals”. Here’s an extensive resource for which foods and beverages contain them and how to reduce them, at least, soak and rinse your rice!
Choose more natural fibers like flaxseed linen, wool, organic cotton, and hemp for your clothing and home textiles to avoid synthetic fibers full of chemicals and heavy metals like mercury.
4. Fight Parasites with Extreme Prejudice:
Maintain good hygiene, practice safe food handling, and ensure your food is well-cooked.
Incorporate anti-parasitic foods, such as garlic, onions, and pumpkin seeds, spices like oregano, anise tea, and supplements like black walnut hulls and wormwood, into your diet.
Don’t look around embarrassed, you’ve got mind-controlling worms and/or protozoa just like the rest of us, so do a parasite cleanse!
Get your pet de-wormed every 6 months. (sh*t, get yourself and your family de-wormed every 6 months! This can help, too.)
Building on the scientific evidence and following as much of the advice above as I can (“eating my own dog food” as Finns say), I’ve found that taking care of my gut health has personally helped me regulate emotions, think more clearly, and act strategically. I won’t say that a healthier gut is the only reason for these improvements, but, at least, I’m not ham-stringing myself anymore by not caring for that aspect of my heart-mind.
(I would have liked to tell more about my own personal journey, but, once again, I’m pushing the bounds of acceptable blog posting on Substack. I’ll have to save it for another blog some other time.)
Focusing on your gut health is a great start, but to truly maximize your strategic capabilities, you need a more holistic approach, one that’s tailored to your environment, lifestyle, genetics, and other personal factors, and that goes beyond the merely physical.
Conclusio
The health of the microbiota-gut-brain axis is crucial for mental clarity and emotional stability, both of which underpin strategic thinking. Compromised gut health can cloud judgment, reduce focus, impair emotional regulation, and undermine decision-making capabilities alongside other factors such as sleep, exercise, and mental health. Addressing gut health through diet, stress management, toxin reduction, parasite control, and more can restore the gut-brain axis, enhancing overall well-being and strategic effectiveness. Scientific research supports these connections, though individual responses may vary, so nurture your gut microbiome as part of a comprehensive and personalized program. <Godspeed!>
References
Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701-712. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3346
Dinan, T. G., Stilling, R. M., Stanton, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2015). Collective unconscious: How gut microbes shape human behavior. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 63, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.02.021
Sanson, T. R., & Mazmanian, S. K. (2015). Control of brain development, function, and behavior by the microbiome. Cell Host & Microbe, 17(5), 565-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2015.04.011
Mayer, E. A., Knight, R., Mazmanian, S. K., Cryan, J. F., & Tillisch, K. (2014). Gut microbes and the brain: Paradigm shift in neuroscience. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15490-15496. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3299-14.2014
Heijtza, R. D., Wang, S., Anuar, F., Qian, Y., Björkholm, B., Samuelsson, A., ... & Pettersson, S. (2011). Normal gut microbiota modulates brain development and behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3047-3052. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010529108
Sharon, G., Sampson, T. R., Geschwind, D. H., & Mazmanian, S. K. (2016). The central nervous system and the gut microbiome. Cell, 167(4), 915-932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.027
Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2017). The microbiome-gut-brain axis in health and disease. Gastroenterology Clinics, 46(1), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gtc.2016.09.007
Wu, G. D., Chen, J., Hoffmann, C., Bittinger, K., Chen, Y. Y., Keilbaugh, S. A., ... & Lewis, J. D. (2011). Linking long-term dietary patterns with gut microbial enterotypes. Science, 334(6052), 105-108.
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Stay Tuned for our Next Edition: Playtesting Four Forms™!
1
Midi-chlorians in The Phantom Menace […] were loosely based on mitochondria, organelles that provide energy for cells; like midi-chlorians, mitochondria are believed to have once been separate organisms that inhabited living cells and have since become part of them; even now, mitochondria act in some ways as independent lifeforms, with DNA all their own]…] In 2006, a newly discovered species of bacteria residing within mitochondria was named Midichloria mitochondrii as a tribute to the midi-chlorians.
<Nerd central!>
2
Carbohydrates, found in foods like bread, pasta, rice, oats, potatoes, and corn, are broken down into sugars in the body through a series of digestive processes. Refined carbs are stripped of fiber, vitamins, and minerals during processing, offering empty calories without essential nutrients. They cause rapid blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to hunger, irritability, and fatigue. This cycle increases the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
3
“Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body that leads to cell damage. It plays a role in many conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease [, kidney disease] and heart disease.”
4
Here are some interesting parasite-related tangents also linking back to last week’s post: According to Daoism,
the human body also hosts two sets of parasites: the “three corpses” (sanshi), which reside in the head, the chest, and the legs; and the “nine worms” (jiuchong), which live in different parts of the body. All of them cause weakening, diseases, and death. The “three corpses” are also said to report periodically one’s transgressions to Heaven, which results in the shortening of one’s life span. As these parasites feed on cereals, “abstaining from grains” (bigu) was one of the ways to expel them.
The food laws in the Bible, particularly in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, outline specific dietary restrictions for the Israelites like prohibiting the consumption of certain animals, such as pork and shellfish, which are known to be more susceptible to carrying parasites and pathogens. For instance, pork can harbor parasites like Trichinella spiralis, which causes trichinosis, a serious illness. By forbidding the consumption of such animals, these ancient dietary laws may have also helped protect the Israelites from parasitic infections and other foodborne illnesses, promoting overall health and hygiene within the community.
5
Apparently this clip is from the award-winning National Geographic Explorer (pre-Disney) documentary series from 2000, The Body Snatchers, season 1, episode 17, but I can’t find the whole episode anywhere. It didn’t matter, after watching the video, I immediately quit sushi, pork (very hard for a Puerto Rican!), and any bottom-feeding sea creatures that I used to eat like shrimp, lobster, and clams. I’ve traveled extensively and eaten all manners of questionable things prepared in all manners of questionable ways. There was no way that I didn’t have parasites. At least, I didn’t have to add to their number.
6
Alas, Helsinki’s public healthcare won’t test for heavy metals or check for parasites unless you have mercury poisoning or pinworms falling out your butthole.
