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Manahawkin 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’s 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) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center shares new studies regarding some less invasive potential treatments like vagal nerve stimulation and even spinal manipulation that may help calm the stomach and relieve the upset for Manahawkin 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 disrupt quality of life. The metabolic feedback connection between the gut and brain have been explained and tied to the nervous system, particularly the vagal nerve that extends throughout the body. Regardless of what triggers gastroparesis, most patients exhibited 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 due to the physiological complexity of gastroparesis. (1) Manahawkin gastroparesis patients at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center will like knowing some options that may help them with this condition.

TREATMENTS FOR GASTROPARESIS: VNS

Researchers stated that medical therapy has been reduced 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 attempted with some success. New, non-invasive methods included using a self-administered vagal nerve stimulator that reported improved 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) enhanced 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 wrote that slow breathing regulated vagus nerve activity and decreased psychophysiological stimulation making it useful in behavioral medicine. (4) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center offers that VNS may benefit Manahawkin chiropractic patients who have gastroparesis and even chronic pain associated with back pain and/or neck pain.

SPINAL MANIPULATION

Your Manahawkin chiropractor is here to help with 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 experience digestion and/or nausea issues after eating. Drugs are often given. 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 include acupuncture, yoga, and spinal manipulation. (5) That’s our forte at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center: spinal manipulation!

CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center

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.       

Make your next Manahawkin chiropractic appointment with Manahawkin Chiropractic Center. Bring your pain issues to us. We’ll work up a treatment plan to help!

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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."