Tourette’s, the Gut–Brain Connection

If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m fascinated by the gut. Not simply by whether we are opening our bowels every day, but by the extraordinary conversation taking place between the digestive system, immune system, nervous system and brain. And one area of research I find particularly fascinating is Tourette syndrome and the gut–brain axis.

Now, before we go any further, I want to make something very clear: I am not suggesting that colonics treat or cure Tourette’s. They don’t, and we currently have no clinical evidence demonstrating that colonic hydrotherapy reduces tics. BUT there is an emerging area of science that raises a much more interesting question: Could what is happening within the gut influence what is happening within the neurological system?

And that is where things become fascinating.

Tourette’s Is More Than the Tic

Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by involuntary movements and sounds known as tics. For many years, understandably, research has concentrated primarily on the brain. But we now understand that the brain doesn’t operate as an isolated organ. There is constant two-way communication between the gut and brain through what we call the gut–brain axis. The gut microbiome, immune system, intestinal barrier, nervous system and metabolites produced by our intestinal bacteria can all participate in this conversation.

Research into Tourette’s is beginning to identify differences in the intestinal microbiome of some people with tic disorders. A 2026 systematic review found alterations in several bacterial groups in children with tic disorders and proposed possible connections involving intestinal barrier function, inflammation, short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitter metabolism. However, the researchers also stressed that the existing studies are small and considerably more research is required. (Sage Journals)

GABA, Glutamate and the Gut

This is where it becomes particularly interesting. Two chemical messengers receiving attention are GABA and glutamate. Think of glutamate rather like the accelerator of the nervous system—it is predominantly excitatory. GABA is more like the brake—it is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

Of course, human neurochemistry is far more complicated than an accelerator and brake, but it gives you an idea of why the balance between excitation and inhibition matters. Researchers studying tic disorders are investigating whether changes involving the microbiome could potentially influence GABA–glutamate signalling, neuro-inflammation and the brain circuits involved in movement and behavioural control. The 2026 systematic review describes this as one of the potential mechanisms connecting microbial imbalance with tic disorders. (Sage Journals)

And suddenly our gut becomes part of a much bigger conversation.

Your Gut Bacteria Are Chemists

One of my favourite ways of describing the microbiome is as an enormous chemical factory living inside us. Our intestinal microbes don't simply sit there, they metabolise components of our food and produce substances that can interact with our intestinal lining, immune system and nervous system. Among these are short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, as well as metabolites involved directly or indirectly with neurotransmitter pathways. That doesn't mean GABA produced in the colon simply travels directly into the brain. The relationship is far more complex. Rather, the microbiota can potentially influence neural signalling through metabolic, immune, endocrine and vagal pathways. This whole communication network is what makes the microbiota–gut–brain axis such an exciting field of research.

What Has Actually Been Found in Tourette’s?

There have been some intriguing findings. Studies have reported differences between the gut microbiota of children with Tourette’s or tic disorders and controls. Researchers have therefore begun investigating whether deliberately altering the microbiome could affect symptoms. (PubMed Central (PMC)) Probiotics and even faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have been investigated experimentally. Animal research has also found that changing the intestinal microbiota through FMT can alter tic-like behaviour and neurotransmitter pathways. But—and this is incredibly important—animal studies cannot be assumed to produce the same results in humans.  So there is a signal worth investigating.

So Where Do Colonics and Probiotic implants Come Into This?

This is the question I am particularly interested in. If the intestinal environment participates in the gut–brain conversation, could supporting bowel function and the colonic environment have wider consequences? Possibly

Colonic hydrotherapy introduces filtered water into the large intestine to assist evacuation of faecal matter. For some people, the immediate experience can include relief from constipation, bloating or the sensation of incomplete evacuation.

What we cannot currently say is: “Colonics improve Tourette’s.”

What About a Probiotic Implant After a Colonic?

This brings me to another element I sometimes incorporate into gut-focused treatments: a probiotic implant containing 24 billion live bacteria.

Rather than thinking only about cleansing the bowel, I’m interested in what we do afterwards to support the intestinal environment. Following colonic hydrotherapy, a probiotic preparation can be introduced rectally as an implant. In this instance, the preparation provides 24 billion live bacteria directly into the lower gastrointestinal tract, rather than being swallowed and travelling through the upper digestive system. The concept is fascinating because probiotics are live microorganisms, and particular strains can interact with the existing intestinal microbial community. However, more bacteria does not automatically mean a greater therapeutic effect—the strain, formulation, viability and ability of those microorganisms to persist within an individual's microbiome all matter.

There is scientific precedent for researchers administering microorganisms rectally. For example, a randomised controlled trial investigated a rectal Lactobacillus reuteri preparation in children with distal ulcerative colitis, while more recent studies have investigated rectal administration of whole microbial communities through faecal microbiota transplantation. These are not the same thing as a probiotic implant following a colonic, but they demonstrate the growing scientific interest in delivering microorganisms directly to the colon.

What we don't yet have is good clinical evidence showing that a 24-billion-probiotic implant after colonic hydrotherapy can alter GABA, glutamate or the gut–brain axis sufficiently to improve Tourette’s symptoms. So I would never describe this as a treatment for Tourette syndrome. Instead, I see it as part of the much broader conversation around supporting the intestinal ecosystem.

And this is where I find the possibilities fascinating. Could supporting bowel function, nutrition and microbial diversity ultimately influence some of the signals travelling between the gut, immune system and nervous system?Science hasn't given us that answer yet in relation to colonics and Tourette’s. But when we consider the rapidly developing research surrounding the microbiome–gut–brain axis, it certainly gives us good reason to keep asking the questions.

For me, the intention isn't simply: Cleanse the bowel.

It is to look at the intestinal environment as an ecosystem—supporting healthy bowel function while considering nutrition, hydration, microbial diversity and the extraordinary biochemical conversation taking place between the gut and the rest of the body. And perhaps that is where the future becomes particularly exciting: not seeing a colonic, probiotic, diet or neurological treatment as an isolated answer, but beginning to understand how the entire internal environment communicates as one interconnected system.

Perhaps We Need to Stop Thinking About the Body in Separate Boxes

This is the part of the research that resonates so strongly with the way I have always approached wellness. We tend to divide ourselves into compartments.

• Gut problem? See someone about the gut.
• Skin problem? Treat the skin.
• Neurological problem? Look exclusively at the brain.

But the human body simply doesn't operate like that, the bowel communicates with the immune system, the immune system communicates with the nervous system, the microbiome produces metabolites and the vagus nerve carries information between the digestive system and brain. Stress can alter digestive function, while the intestinal environment can influence immune and metabolic signalling.

It is one enormous conversation. That doesn't mean everything starts in the gut, nor does it mean that treating the gut cures every condition. It means the gut deserves a seat at the table.

Could Supporting Gut Health Be Worth Considering?

For someone living with Tourette’s, I would never suggest replacing neurological assessment, prescribed medication or evidence-based behavioural therapies with a colonic or any other complementary treatment.

What I would be interested in is looking at the person as a whole.

• How are their bowels functioning?
• Are they constipated?
• What does their diet look like?
• Are they eating sufficient fibre and diverse plant foods?
• How is their sleep?
• How much stress is their nervous system experiencing?
• Are there gastrointestinal symptoms occurring alongside their tics?
• Could their overall gut health be better supported?

And if colonic hydrotherapy is being considered specifically for digestive wellbeing, it should be assessed on its own merits and contraindications, rather than presented as a neurological treatment.

The Future Is Fascinating

We are only beginning to understand the microbiome. A 2026 systematic review concluded that gut microbiota may potentially contribute to tic disorders through immune regulation and neurotransmitter metabolism, but also emphasised that the evidence is heterogeneous (made up of parts that are different or diverse) and that much better clinical research is needed before microbiome therapies can become established treatments. (Sage Journals)

That, to me, is exciting. Not because we have discovered that “the gut causes Tourette’s”—we haven't. Not because colonics have been proven to reduce tics—they haven't. But because science is increasingly recognising something holistic practitioners have been interested in for a very long time:

the gut and brain are in constant conversation.

And perhaps instead of asking only: “What is happening in the brain?” the future of personalised wellness will encourage us to ask:

“What is happening throughout the whole human being—and how are all of those systems talking to one another?”

Because the more we learn about the microbiome, nervous system and gut–brain axis, the clearer it becomes that the body isn't a collection of separate parts.

It is a  whole conversation.