Concord, NC Spinal Manipulation and VNS May Help Gastroparesis (Stomach Issues)
Stomach pain and associated issues can upset more than the stomach. The body is filled with nerves from the head to the toes, and the stomach is at the center of it all! The vagus nerve is one of the biggest nerves spreading 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) Pure Chiropractic offers new studies about some less invasive potential treatments like vagal nerve stimulation and even spinal manipulation that may help calm the stomach and alleviate the upset for Concord, NC stomach pain patients.
GASTROPARESIS
For those who experience gastroparesis, the symptoms may include any number of problems they’d like to not have. Researchers explained that any number of factors combined can trigger gastroparesis and impact quality of life. The metabolic feedback link between the gut and brain have been explained and tied to the nervous system, particularly the vagal nerve that extends 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 limited in its effect due to the physiological complexity of gastroparesis. (1) Concord, NC gastroparesis patients at Pure Chiropractic will like knowing some options that may help them with this condition.
TREATMENTS FOR GASTROPARESIS: VNS
Researchers noted that medical therapy has been reduced in its ability to help. Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) was described as promising though. More invasive surgical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been tried with some success. New, non-invasive methods incorporated the use of a self-administered vagal nerve stimulator that was reported to improve gastric emptying for some. (1) Such a stimulator mimicked 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 connected, the brain and the gut! Adding slow breathing to taVNS demonstrated promise in treating anxiety, chronic pain, depressive disorders, insomnia, and cardiovascular diseases, too. Researchers explained that slow breathing regulated vagus nerve activity and decreased psychophysiological stimulation making it useful in behavioral medicine. (4) Pure Chiropractic offers that VNS may interest Concord, NC chiropractic patients who have gastroparesis and even chronic pain associated with back pain and/or neck pain.
SPINAL MANIPULATION
Your Concord, NC chiropractor wants to use the chiropractic skills and treatments to help gastroparesis sufferers, too! And they come in all ages – adults and kids. Pediatric functional abdominal disorders include 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 incorporate acupuncture, yoga, and spinal manipulation. (5) That’s our experienced skill at Pure Chiropractic: spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Pure Chiropractic
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.
Schedule your next Concord, NC chiropractic appointment with Pure Chiropractic. Bring your pain issues to us. We’ll design a treatment plan to help!