Manchester Spinal Manipulation and VNS May Help Gastroparesis (Stomach Issues)
Stomach pain and related issues can upset more than the stomach. The body is full of 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 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 disturbed by nausea, pain, delayed stomach emptying, and even vomiting. (1) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries offers new studies about some less invasive potential treatments like vagal nerve stimulation and even spinal manipulation that may help calm the stomach and relieve the upset for Manchester stomach pain patients.
GASTROPARESIS
For those who experience gastroparesis, the symptoms may consist of a variety 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 tied to the nervous system, specifically the vagal nerve that goes throughout the body. Regardless of what triggers gastroparesis, most patients had problems with the brain-gut innervation via the vagus nerve and/or intestinal nervous system. (2,3) Medical treatment thus far has been limited in its effect because of the physiological complexity of gastroparesis. (1) Manchester gastroparesis patients at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries will like having 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 attempted 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) improved gastric frequency and better regulated digestion. To the researchers, this demonstrated that brain stimulation had influence on gut function. (2) They are linked, 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 wrote that slow breathing regulated vagus nerve activity and reduced psychophysiological stimulation making it of help in behavioral medicine. (4) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries offers that VNS may interest Manchester chiropractic patients with gastroparesis and even chronic pain associated with back pain and/or neck pain.
SPINAL MANIPULATION
Your Manchester chiropractor is here to help with chiropractic skills and treatments to assist gastroparesis sufferers, too! And they may be old or young – adults and kids. Pediatric functional abdominal disorders include struggles with digestion issues. Children with functional abdominal disorders have 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 extends to), electrical stimulation, diet changes, pro/prebiotics, etc., also now incorporate acupuncture, yoga, and spinal manipulation. (5) That’s our experienced skill at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries: spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
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 Manchester chiropractic appointment with Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries. Bring your pain issues to us. We’ll design a treatment plan to help!