Digestive problems can disrupt your daily life, making it difficult to enjoy favorite activities, eat out at restaurants or simply run errands. In extreme cases, chronic gastrointestinal disorders can keep some people homebound.
Digestion is the process of breaking down food into nutrients that are used by the body for energy, growth and cell repair. Certain vitamins are needed for the digestive system to function properly. During this process, the body absorbs the good and flushes out the bad.
When digestion slows or stops, you can experience fatigue, abdominal pain, bloating and a change in bowel habits. While some forms of digestive disease require medication or a physician’s supervision, others can be managed with better nutrition and chiropractic care.
Common Causes of Poor Digestion
Gastrointestinal issues can be caused by physical inactivity and eating too much processed foods. There are also disorders that cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) most commonly affect men 50 and over but anyone can experience stomach issues.
In some cases, gastrointestinal problems can be reversed with dietary changes. Eating more fiber and less sugar can promote healing in those who suffer from stomachaches, reflux, constipation and other intestinal issues.
It’s also important to get regular exercise, as hours of sitting can result in abdominal tension that leads to digestive problems.
Digestive and Nervous Systems
Did you know the spine plays a role in digestion? The thoracic and lumbar regions are responsible for regulating the speed at which food is broken down.
The digestive and nervous systems are connected through millions of nerve cells in the small intestine, colon, stomach and esophagus that communicate back to the spine. Interference with nerve function in the spinal column can prevent proper digestion and cause heartburn, gas, cramping, diarrhea or constipation.
Chiropractic for GI Issues
A chiropractor can strengthen your back muscles to relieve pressure from a subluxation or misalignment. Non-invasive adjustments with gentle pressure applied to compressed nerves help the spinal column return to its normal position. When muscles and nerve pathways can relax, this leads to pain relief and improved function across the body’s core systems.
If you suffer from a chronic condition like Crohn’s disease, which affects the digestive tract lining, you can experience unexpected flare-ups. Chiropractic care may lessen these occurrences and relieve chronic constipation, decrease abdominal pain and bloating.
Return to a normal routine by seeking chiropractic care for your digestive symptoms. To make an appointment at The Chiropractic Health Center of Glastonbury, contact us today!
I suffer from GI issues and was in pain from severe esophageal spasms multiple times a day for more than a year. Things were so bad I had to take a medical leave from work and my doctors were saying the only thing left to try to help me was to remove my esophagus! Not wanting to take that drastic step I did some research on my own and found some articles stating that chiropractic can improve GI issues. I have several close friends who go to Dr. D and highly recommended him. I started seeing Dr. D in December. When I met with him to review my x-rays he told me that I had two different problem areas in my spine that could be causing my issues and that he thought he could help me. I burst into tears right there in the treatment room. I was so embarrassed but Dr. D understood, after a year of suffering I finally found someone who thought they could help me. I have been seeing Dr. D ever since and I now only suffer from these painful spasms once or twice a month. I cannot recommend Dr. D highly enough!! He really cares about my well-being and is so happy when I am able to report back to him that I have been pain free for several weeks in a row! I can never thank him enough! – Karen R.
