Alternative Medicine Options For Your Gastroparesis: What You Should Know

If you suffer from a condition known as gastroparesis, in which your stomach muscles are partially paralyzed and do not contract properly to move food through your digestive system, then you may wonder what you can do to improve your health and feel better in the meantime. While standard, conventional medicine does offer treatment options, you may be looking to take an alternative or holistic approach to the treatment process. Get to know more about some of the alternative medicine options available for your gastroparesis so that you can give them a try to relieve your symptoms and to get your gastrointestinal system up and running.     

Chiropractic Care

One of the primary causes of gastroparesis is the poor functioning of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve runs all the way down from the base of the brain and extends down to send signals to and control several organs including the stomach and upper digestive tract as well as the heart and lungs. When it is not functioning properly, it can cause the stomach muscles to be unable to contract properly.

Chiropractors can help with this issue because their primary treatment focus is on the spine and nervous system. The idea of chiropractic care is that many health issues throughout the body can be attributed to issues in the spine, specifically to problems with spinal alignment. The vertebrae (the smaller bones that make up the spine) can become displaced, pushing them out of alignment.

When the vertebrae are out of alignment that can damage or pinch the nerves that run along them and can cause health problems throughout the body as a result. If your gastroparesis is caused by the vagus nerve being pinched or injured due to spinal misalignments, a chiropractor can help by performing spinal manipulations to push and pop those vertebrae back into place. This can provide swift relief to symptoms of gastroparesis including nausea and pain.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is another alternative medicine treatment that may be able to help relieve symptoms of gastroparesis. This treatment option has been used for thousands of years to help treat health conditions.

The basic thought behind acupuncture is that the body functions based on the energy that flows throughout it. If the energy flow is impeded or disrupted, health problems arise. In order to correct these problems, an acupuncturist will use tiny needles to stimulate energy points throughout the body that correspond with the ailments a person is suffering from.

To put it in more modern medical terms, the acupuncture needles stimulate a response from the cardiovascular and nervous system as they sense the needles in the body. This can stimulate activity throughout the body to function properly and try to heal itself. For gastroparesis, the acupuncture points are largely located in the abdominal region and may also include points on the hands and feet that correspond with digestive tract health.

Now that you know a few of the alternative medicine options that may help relieve the symptoms of your gastroparesis, you can give them a try and see if they help you to feel better and healthier.  

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