St Peters Spinal Manipulation and VNS May Help Gastroparesis (Stomach Issues)
Stomach pain and related issues can upset more than the stomach. The body is filled with 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 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) Old Mill Chiropractic offers new studies regarding some less invasive potential treatments like vagal nerve stimulation and even spinal manipulation that may help calm the stomach and ease the upset for St Peters 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 disrupt quality of life. The metabolic feedback link between the gut and brain have been described and attached to the nervous system, specifically the vagal nerve that extends throughout the body. No matter what triggers gastroparesis, most patients experienced 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 physiological complexity of gastroparesis. (1) St Peters gastroparesis patients at Old Mill Chiropractic appreciate knowing some options for helping 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 approaches included using a self-administered vagal nerve stimulator that was reported to improve 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) 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 addressing 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 of use in behavioral medicine. (4) Old Mill Chiropractic offers that VNS may interest St Peters chiropractic patients who experience gastroparesis and even chronic pain related to back pain and/or neck pain.
SPINAL MANIPULATION
Your St Peters chiropractor wants to use the chiropractic skills and treatments to help gastroparesis sufferers, too! And they may be old or young – adults and kids. Pediatric functional abdominal disorders involved problems with digestion issues. Children with functional abdominal disorders have digestion and/or nausea issues after eating. Drugs are often given. Non-drug treatments like stimulation to the external ear (a spot the vagal nerve reaches), electrical stimulation, diet changes, pro/prebiotics, etc., also now include acupuncture, yoga, and spinal manipulation. (5) That’s our forte at Old Mill Chiropractic: spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Old Mill Chiropractic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares 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 St Peters chiropractic appointment with Old Mill Chiropractic. Bring your pain issues to us. We will work up a treatment plan to help!