Digestive Problems and Chiropractic

According to a study, researchers in Japan say there is a possible link between Crohn’s disease and interference to the nervous system from spinal misalignments.

The research was published in 2002 in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and grew out of a previous study involving more than 3,000 patients with allergic diseases and over 1,000 non-allergic patients. It focused on the relationship between immune function, spinal displacements called vertebral subluxations, and how reducing those displacements resulted in improvement, and in some cases complete remission, of symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the intestines. Crohn's disease affects men and women equally and seems to run in some families. About 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with some form of IBD, most often a brother or sister and sometimes a parent or child. Crohn's disease may also be called ileitis or enteritis disease.  It causes inflammation in the small intestine but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation causes pain and makes the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea.


There are many theories about what causes Crohn’s disease but none has been proven. The most popular theory is that the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestine.


Treatment for Crohn’s disease includes corticosteroids to control inflammation but while these drugs are considered the most effective for active Crohn’s disease, they can cause serious side effects, including greater susceptibility to infection. Immune suppressing drugs are also used to treat Crohn’s disease.


According to Dr. Yasuhiko Takeda, a chiropractor and lead author of the study: “This is why it is so important to develop other means of dealing with this terrible disease. If we can find treatments that enhance the function of the immune and nervous systems perhaps we can help millions of people with this disease without the harmful side effects of drugs.”


Beginning in 1992, the focus of Takeda’s research has been on the relationship between subluxation, allergic disease, asthma, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disorder and ulcerative colitis. He became interested in this after observing common patterns of spinal distortions and subluxation in patients presenting with these problems. He observed that many of these people got better following chiropractic care. This convinced him that chiropractic care was the answer to these health problems and that he needed to look into it in more detail.


As Takeda pointed out, “Allergic diseases are a large group of disorders that include: pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, hay fever, bronchial asthma, drug allergies, Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease to name a few. In Japan alone these diseases affect tens of millions of people. It affects their quality of life in terms of physical strength, immune deficiency, and autonomic imbalance. It doesn’t stop there as it affects their social well-being, schoolwork and on the job productivity. You must also consider the terrible side effects of the steroid medications and immunosuppresants that are given to treat these patients.”


While the results are exciting, more research is needed, according to Dr. Matthew McCoy, Editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. “Clearly the results of Dr. Takeda’s study are something to be excited about and they are not surprising considering other research that shows improved immune and nervous system function following chiropractic care,” stated Dr. McCoy.

Other digestive problems
In the case of heartburn and/or indigestion, 1,567 persons who consulted eight chiropractors on 2,974 occasions during November 1994 were surveyed. 57% reported indigestion infrequently or more, 71% reported mid-back pain during the previous 6 months and 46% experienced both symptoms during this time. 22% of those with indigestion reported some relief after chiropractic care.

Another very common digestive problem suffered by many Americans is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), also known as mucous colitis and nervous bowel.  It affects 15-25% of American adults. Symptoms include cramping and/or abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, ulcer-type symptoms, heartburn and/or upper abdominal indigestion. 

In a 1996 case study of a 25-year-old woman with chronic irritable bowel syndrome her chief complaint was intestinal pain and diarrhea which was worse during stressful periods which occurred one or two times per week for the past five years.

After her first chiropractic adjustment, she reported that she had not experienced any diarrhea for two days. Her symptoms were quickly alleviated during the course of her care. Two years later she remained symptom free.

This case study was not large enough to be considered a reliable study but it does show the possibility of chiropractic adjustments and lifestyle changes in diminishing, and in some cases alleviating completely, symptoms of IBS and/or IBD.

How does chiropractic help?Chiropractors correct misalignments and related problems of the spine that interfere with how the nerves work. These problems in the spine are called vertebral subluxations and can be corrected by chiropractors with painless adjustments to the affected spinal bones.

When the spine and nervous system are aligned, they assist the other body systems in their proper functioning.   


Sources:
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/archive/index.php/t-2362.html

Case study: three year old female with acute stomach problems. Peet JB Chiropractic Pediatrics, 1997;310-11.

Indigestion and heartburn: a descriptive study of prevalence in persons seeking care from chiropractors. Bryner P and Staerker, PG. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996; 19(5); 317-23.

Irritable bowel syndrome and spinal manipulation: a case report. Wagner T, Owen J, Malone E, Mann K. Chiropractic Technique 1996; 7: 139-140.

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