Integrating Soul Faculties with the Psycho‑Neuro‑Endocrine‑Immune Axis for Gut‑Focused Interventions: Implications for Metabolic Chaos and the Obesity Epidemic: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Objective: To examine and explore how soul faculties can be integrated with the psycho‑neuro‑endocrine‑immune (PNEI) axis in gut‑focused interventions to address metabolic dysregulation and obesity, synthesizing evidence from psychosomatic medicine, neurogastroenterology, psychoneuroimmunology, and integrative health and to achieve the long awaited integrated unified concept between medicine, psychology, philosophy and theology.

Design: Narrative review of interdisciplinary literature.

Methods: Literature was identified (2010‑2025) through PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO using keywords including “gut‑brain axis,” “PNEI,” “spirituality,” “soul faculties,” “obesity”, “metabolic dysfunction” and “integrative interventions.” Conceptual synthesis was applied and used to map connections between soul faculties and PNEI‑mediated gut regulation and pathways relevant to metabolic regulation and integrative interventions.

Results: Psychological, behavioural, and spiritual dimensions influence gut physiology, metabolic homeostasis, and inflammatory tone through PNEI pathways. Soul faculties—meaning‑making, intentionality, relationality, and creativity—modulate stress responses, autonomic balance, dietary behaviours, and immune signalling. These mechanisms intersect with known drivers of metabolic chaos, including chronic stress, emotional eating, circadian disruption, and microbiome imbalance. Evidence supports that psychological and spiritual dimensions influence gut function via stress modulation, neuroendocrine signaling, immune regulation, and microbiome balance. Soul faculties—such as meaning‑making, intentionality, creativity, and relationality—can be operationalized within gut‑focused interventions.

Conclusions: Integrating soul faculties into PNEI‑based gut interventions provides a novel framework for addressing obesity and metabolic dysregulation. This approach may enhance resilience, improve behavioural adherence, and support holistic metabolic care. Integrating soul faculties into PNEI‑based gut interventions offers a novel framework for holistic care. This approach may enhance patient outcomes, foster resilience, and broaden the scope of integrative gastroenterology. Our work responds to the urgent need for holistic models in obesity care that move beyond calorie‑centric paradigms. By mapping soul faculties onto PNEI pathways, we offer a structured approach to understanding metabolic chaos as a multisystem disorder shaped by psychological, relational, and spiritual factors. We believe this integrative model will be of interest to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers seeking innovative strategies for metabolic health. A graphical abstract and conceptual figure are included to support visual clarity.

Keywords: Gut–Brain Axis; PNEI; Soul Faculties; Obesity; Metabolic Chaos; Chronic Inflammation; Microbiome; Stress Physiology; Mind–Body Interventions; Integrative Medicine

Citation

Zaparackaite I, Govani ND, Singh H, Singh SJ, Mehta AR, Midha PK, et al. Integrating Soul Faculties with the Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immune Axis for Gut-Focused Interventions: Implications for Metabolic Chaos and the Obesity Epidemic: A Narrative Review. WebLog J Public Health Epidemiol. wjphe.2026.a0304. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18213073