e4 Morrissey has Barrett's esophagus, often developed after years of severe GERD.
I know another INFP e4 with rather severe GERD that led to asthma. I have GERD rather bad when stressed & have so much pain in my esophagus & swelling in the throat that I can't eat much.
It's only 3 people, but when I read about 4s & digestive problems (we're most disconnected from our gut figuratively also), it was a strange coincidence. I think it has to do with internalizing so much melodramatic feeling. The 4 kind of embodies the state of unsure or tragic romance - infatuation, unrequited love, heartbreak. These are all associated with appetite problems and sour tummies.
Of course GERD is very, very common, but not usually that severe. Most get heartburn and pop a tums and they're fine.
i know multiple 4s and w4s that have severe digestive health issues. i could see the personality traits and the digestive health being co-conspirators. from my own experience, as far as impulses go, i think eating for grounding from anxiety, eating for a feeling of satiation to numb discomfort, and eating for extended malnutrition make sense. i don't have experience being at the point where the digestive health is so bad that eating cons outweigh the pros, but my digestive system has always been poorly balanced. maybe there is also a difference in the instincts too, as sx to me has a binge-worthy quality, and i'm more likely to make poor food decisions based on overeating rather than under (ya know, want rather than need).
there's a kind of contentment that one gets from feeling well-nourished but a difficulty in knowing the difference between well-nourished and just full. i wouldn't be surprised if a huge aspect of our emotional interpretations arise out of the grounding of that originary system. that the 4 lack of self-trust is in part a lack of trusting in one's own nourishment and ability to nourish oneself and opportunity to receive nourishment from others. and how easy it is to have an unconscious feedbacking process between mind and body, again and again and again. part of me wants to speculate about breastfeeding success, but that's a sample of one. so many other related elements, too, especially oxytocin, to consider, as a hormonal bridge between nervous system and raw dietary strength. maybe there is a kind of starvation adaptation, that glacial, cold weather, northern, winter wheat, stark eyed e4 quality.
if you're interested, i really like some of the food principles of tcm and ayurveda. they stress balancing tastes. eating live, naturally fermented, sour foods, and bitters (like bitter greens and many vegetables). bitter is said to have a tonifying, cooling, cleansing affect (like cucumber, celery, etc) and really helps balance the digestive system, especially in a culture of processed food seeding a wildly out of balance bacterial environment within the stomach lining, and causing us especially in a meat-centric culture to basically burn our way through foods rather than allowing a proper food chain of digestion in which we support the ecosystem to work of its own accord. ayurveda also divides bitter into a second category that is, as i interpret it, based on astringency, like tannin, coffee, woody roastedness, etc. spices and condiments are really helpful too. for severe stomach pain/digestive lining issues, making bone broths is supposed to be one of the best things you can do.
