Tonawanda Spinal Manipulation and VNS May Help Gastroparesis (Stomach Issues)
Stomach pain and associated issues can upset more than the stomach. The body is full of nerves from the head to the toes, and the stomach is in the middle of it all! The vagus nerve is one of the biggest nerves extending from the brainstem to the abdomen. What is in the middle of the abdomen? The stomach! (Talk about a brain-gut connection!) Gastroparesis sufferers’ days are disrupted by nausea, pain, delayed stomach emptying, and even vomiting. (1) Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation shares new studies regarding some less invasive potential treatments like vagal nerve stimulation and even spinal manipulation that may help calm the stomach and alleviate the upset for Tonawanda stomach pain patients.
GASTROPARESIS
For those who suffer with gastroparesis, the symptoms may include any number of problems they would rather not have. Researchers explained that any number of factors combined can trigger gastroparesis and impact quality of life. The metabolic feedback connection between the gut and brain have been explained and attached to the nervous system, specifically the vagal nerve that goes throughout the body. No matter what causes gastroparesis, most patients had problems with the brain-gut innervation by means of the vagus nerve and/or intestinal nervous system. (2,3) Medical treatment thus far has been imperfect in its effect because of the complexity of physiology of gastroparesis. (1) Tonawanda gastroparesis patients at Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation will like having some options for helping them with this condition.
TREATMENTS FOR GASTROPARESIS: VNS
Researchers noted that medical therapy has been limited in its ability to help. Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) was said to be promising though. More invasive surgical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been tried with some success. New, non-invasive approaches included using a self-administered vagal nerve stimulator that reported improved gastric emptying for some. (1) Such a stimulator simulated the surgical cervical vagal nerve stimulation. (4) Stimulating vagal afferents with transcutaneous (through the skin) auricular (ear) vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) helped gastric frequency and better regulated digestion. To the researchers, this showed that brain stimulation influenced gut function. (2) They are linked, the brain and the gut! Adding slow breathing to taVNS showed promise in treating anxiety, chronic pain, depressive disorders, insomnia, and cardiovascular diseases, too. Researchers wrote that slow breathing normalized vagus nerve activity and reduced psychophysiological stimulation making it useful in behavioral medicine. (4) Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation offers that VNS may interest Tonawanda chiropractic patients who have gastroparesis and even chronic pain associated with back pain and/or neck pain.
SPINAL MANIPULATION
Your Tonawanda chiropractor wants to use the chiropractic skills and treatments to assist gastroparesis sufferers, too! And they may be old or young – adults and kids. Pediatric functional abdominal disorders involved struggles with digestion issues. Children with functional abdominal disorders experience digestion and/or nausea issues after eating. Drugs are often prescribed. Non-drug treatments like stimulation to the external ear (an area the vagal nerve reaches), electrical stimulation, diet changes, pro/prebiotics, etc., also now include acupuncture, yoga, and spinal manipulation. (5) That is our experienced skill at Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation: spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the vagus nerve, its impact on the nervous system, and how to blend its stimulation with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in relieving pain.
Make your next Tonawanda chiropractic appointment with Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation. Bring your pain issues to us. We’ll design a treatment plan to help!