The Gut "Connections to Health & Disease"

The central nervous system - CNS controls body and mind functions, voluntary movements, including walking, and involuntary movements, specifically the breakdown of foods and waste removal. Studies have found associations between spinal problems and gastrointestinal-GI tract/stomach issues that include:

• Abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Difficulty controlling bowel movements
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Treating the underlying cause through chiropractic, non-surgical spinal decompression, and health coaching can bring pain relief, realign/heal the spine and alleviate stomach issues.

Spinal Problems and Stomach Issues

The spinal cord sends nerve signals throughout the body, including to and from the digestive system. Two types of nerves control the digestive system, extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic nerves

• Connect the digestive organs with the brain and spinal cord.
• Release chemicals that contract or relax the digestive system muscles.

Intrinsic nerves

• Are a sub-nervous system of the intestinal tract.
• The nerves activate when the walls of the intestines become filled with food.
• They control the production of digestive juices.
• The nerves relay signals to speed up or slow down the food’s movement through the gut. 

The intrinsic system can function independently and work without communication from the extrinsic nerves. However, the stomach and esophagus/food pipe depends on information from the extrinsic nerves. If there is injury, damage, or interference with the extrinsic nerve supply to the stomach, it can lead to stomach issues. Spinal cord injuries and compressed or herniated discs interrupt the communication between nerves/systems, which can lead to digestive and bowel problems, including:

• Feeling full quickly after eating.
• Stomach pain
• Constipation
• Decreased appetite
• Difficulty moving waste through the colon or large intestine
• Hard stools
• Tenesmus - the sensation/feeling of having to have a bowel movement even though there is none.

Herniated Discs

Herniated disc/s usually occurs in the neck or low back spinal area. Symptoms include:

• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Pain spreads from the lower back through the buttocks, legs, and feet.
• Pain spreads from the neck through the shoulders, arms, and hands.
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle spasms
• Tingling or burning sensations
• Numbness

Chiropractic Spinal Decompression

Chiropractic decompression therapy stretches the spine and manipulates its position to take pressure off the nerves and spinal discs. The decompression process creates negative pressure in the discs that retract herniated or bulging discs, allowing oxygen, water, and other healing nutrients to enter the disc and throughout the spine. The spinal decompression will help alleviate the stomach issues. Consultation from a health coach/nutritionist will recommend a diet that will aid in the disc/s healing, which is anti-inflammatory and easily digestible until the stomach problems are fully resolved.

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General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, or licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Browning, Kirsteen N, and R Alberto Travagli. “Central nervous system control of gastrointestinal motility and secretion and modulation of gastrointestinal functions.” Comprehensive Physiology vol. 4,4 (2014): 1339-68. doi:10.1002/cphy.c130055

Holmes, Gregory M, and Emily N Blanke. “Gastrointestinal dysfunction after spinal cord injury.” Experimental neurology vol. 320 (2019): 113009. doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113009

Lara, F J Pérez, et al. “Thoracic disk herniation, a not infrequent cause of chronic abdominal pain.” International surgery vol. 97,1 (2012): 27-33. doi:10.9738/CC98.1

Papadakos, Nikolaos, et al. “Thoracic disc prolapse presenting with abdominal pain: case report and review of the literature.” Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England vol. 91,5 (2009): W4-6. doi:10.1308/147870809X401038

The human body is more complex than scientists understand. Constantly, new research is being conducted and published that dives deeper into the bodies of multiple systems, uncovering new thought-provoking information. Much research is being conducted revolving around the human gut/gastrointestinal system as of late. Originally thought, the gut was made to store and digest food. However, now we see that the gut is the real mastermind behind everyday bodily functions. The gut has now been linked to headaches, inflammation, and autoimmune disease. 

Background 

The digestive tract is one of the essential immune support organs. In fact, it is the immunological powerhouse that houses more than 80% of our antibody-producing cells. This means that our gut is the first line of defense when it comes to unwanted antigens. The gut is so powerful that researchers began to question and test its true abilities. 

The Gut 

The thought of the body having two brains sounds fictional, but scientists have begun referring to the gut as the body’s “second brain.” Researchers found that the brain in the human skull, working with the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the gut working with the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), can function separately.

Although the two use the same “hardware,” the ENS can manage every aspect of digestion and is a nearly self-contained network of neurotransmitters and proteins. Just throughout the small intestine, there are more than 100 million nerve cells. If you combine the number of nerve cells in the human GI tract, you will find more nerves in the gut than there are in the human spine. This allows the ENS the capability to help with ION transport and GI blood flow. 

Nearly every substance the body contains to control the brain can simultaneously be found in the gut. One of these substances being serotonin. 95% of serotonin is housed in the gut. A cell referred to as the enterochromaffin squirts serotonin into the gut wall, which then communicates with the nerve cells to get things moving. 90% of communication occurring is from the gut to the brain. When we consider this with chiropractic care, we see how it is all connected.

Chiropractic care focuses on the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system includes bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue. All of these work together to support your body’s weight and help you move to perform daily functions. Injuries, disease, and aging can cause pain, stiffness, and other problems with movement and function.

The muscular system is an organ system that consists of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles. Smooth muscle is what lines the interior of the gut. As we know, the muscle systems in vertebrates are controlled through the nervous system. In fact, studies have shown that chiropractic care helps reduce constipation, low back pain, and overall well-being. This study shows how the gut and digestive systems are directly connected to chiropractic care.

Inner Defense System 

As previously mentioned, the gut is our inner defense system. The mucosal layer that is associated with lymph node tissue is our primary source of immunological function. Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) is the first to see foreign invaders and put up a fight. GALT produces two levels of defense, the most abundant being secretory IgA. Secretory IgA binds to antigens to protect against microbes. 

It is important to note that secretory IgA in itself is NON-Inflammatory. However, when secretory IgA is fighting, it sends off signals for help from other immune cells, such as IgG and IgM, producing an inflammatory response. 

Most individuals who have an autoimmune disease have worn-out IgAs. The goal of the gut and its defense system is to keep nutrients in a while, bouncing antigens off. In the case of autoimmune diseases, we see nutrients leaking out and antigens coming in.

InBody

To gain a better understanding of the health of our patients, we use the InBody 770. This allows us to assess health down to the orthomolecular level. With the use of the InBody, we can see phase angle, visceral fat (higher visceral fat has an association with type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and stroke), intracellular water, extracellular water (this is related to inflammation and swelling), lean muscle, and percent body fat.

These numbers are critical when considering a health condition, especially if the extracellular water is high. We see a direct overlap in risk profiles with excess extracellular water to other inflammatory diseases and markers. With more research shining a light on these, we see the true gut and how it comes into play with autoimmune disease and inflammation.

The gut is genuinely so powerful and highly overlooked. I can speak from experience in having an autoimmune condition where not a single doctor mentioned my diet or my gut! Now, knowing this information and being surrounded by patients who suffer from a disease similar to mine, it is the first place we look. The gut is the powerhouse and should be treated as so. -Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach 

References 

University, Functional Medicine and Ronald Grisanti, directors. Physiology of the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue, Enteric Nervous System and Mucosal Barrier. Functional Medicine University – The Leader in Online Training in Functional Diagnostic Medicine, 2010,

Rédly M. (2001). The effects of chiropractic care on a patient with chronic constipation. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 45(3), 185–191.