Although constipation is a symptom that just about everyone experiences at some point in time, most people are uncomfortable talking to a doctor about their bowel problems. However, serious health conditions can occur if constipation is left untreated. While most cases of constipation stem from not eating enough fiber, lack of exercise or not drinking enough liquids, some constipation problems are linked to the nerve system. Chiropractic care is a common constipation treatment, especially when nerve cells are the root cause.
What Defines Constipation
A person who has a bowel movement less than three times a week is considered constipated. In addition, stools are hard, small and dry, making them difficult to pass through the anal canal. Many people who are constipated feel bloated and experience discomfort from having a full bowel. Straining also occurs from trying to push the stool out.
Treating Constipation
In many cases, relief for constipation is as simple as changes in diet, increased exercise and taking a laxative or stool softener. It may be necessary for you to incorporate flax into your diet, to cut down on saturated fats and to eliminate refined foods, dairy, sugars, alcohol and caffeine. But if you experience constipation frequently despite making dietary and lifestyle changes, look into alternative therapies.
Several herbs act as a laxative or help with digestion. The most common are licorice root, ginger, dandelion root and fennel seed, which are taken by steeping in tea. In addition to these treatments, chiropractic care may be needed to manipulate areas causing the bowel problem.
Chiropractic Adjustments for Chronic Constipation
Lower spine adjustments help cure chronic constipation by easing pressure on nerve roots stemming from the spine. The lower part of the spine is where the nerve roots of the celiac ganglion connect. This is the nerve center for the gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, spleen, liver, kidney and colon. When there is pressure on these nerve roots, constipation is one of the symptoms that can result. Besides the lower part of the spine, chiropractic adjustments of the upper cervical and cranial bones may address constipation problems.
Several case studies indicate the success of chiropractic adjustments to treat constipation in infants, children and adults. A 2000 study conducted by chiropractor J.M. Hunt and published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics, Vol. 5, No. 1, illustrates how upper cervical adjustments cured constipation in an infant who had suffered a broken left clavicle during birth. In a 1993 case report published in Chiropractic Technique, August 1993, 5(3): 101-103, chiropractor E.G. Hewitt used a spine and cranial adjustment to relieve a 7-month-old girl's chronic constipation. Australian chiropractors in a 1992 survey published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 15:171-180, confirms that individuals suffering from constipation benefit from chiropractic adjustments.
By correcting misaligned vertebrae through chiropractic adjustments, normal bowel functions are likely to return.
Tags: chiropractic adjustments, nerve roots, chronic constipation, constipation problems, lower part