Chiropractic and Diabetes
If you don’t know much about chiropractors and what they do, you may wonder how a chiropractor could possibly help someone with diabetes.
Although it has never been proven that chiropractic manipulations will help you reduce medications such as Metformin, there have been research studies that point to the possibility.
For example, an adult patient with type 2 diabetes who received chiropractic, nutritional and exercise advice normalized his blood sugar levels and remained stable. This was reported in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.
In the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health in 2011, a case history was presented of a 4-year-old girl who was treated with 24 upper cervical manipulations by a chiropractor over two months. Her Hemoglobin A1C levels fell from 7.2 to 6.5 and doctors lowered her insulin from 15 to 11 units daily.
What both these studies have in common is that the manipulations optimized the connections of the nervous system in the body, and that this potentially resulted in better hormone function.
But the most promising research of all according to NaturalNews is the Canadian diabetic mice study where the animals were cured of diabetes after a chemical was injected in them for the purpose of restoring function in the pain neurons in the pancreas. Results were overnight.
How A Chiropractor Can Help
There are actually four ways chiropractors could help you if you have type 2 diabetes:
Correcting Nerve Flow to Pancreas
A chiropractor may be able to help through spinal manipulation of the neck and mid-back to ensure that the pancreas is receiving nerve impulses from spinal nerves.
If there’s a blockage of the nerve flow to the area of the pancreas, this will clearly interfere with the ability of the pancreas to function. The pancreas is rich with both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, nerve bundles and neural cell bodies.
The main nerves to the pancreas are the vagus nerves and the splanchnic nerves that release peptides and a whole host of other substances including serotonin, nitric oxide, and norepinephrine.
It’s the vagus nerve that allows the islets of Langerhans to secrete insulin. There are certain things your cells need: water, nutrients, circulation and nerve impulses; and these things will always remain. Chiropractic provides the nerve impulse part of it.
Preventing the Progression of Neuropathy
The chiropractic manipulations to your lower back may help prevent progression of peripheral neuropathy in your legs. The reasons why you get peripheral neuropathy are:
- High levels of blood sugar deposit on the nerves block their function
- The small capillaries of the legs start to wither away from the diabetes
Because chiropractic manipulation in the lower back will jumpstart nerve flow to the body from the waist down, it could potentially slow down your peripheral neuropathy.
Some chiropractors take extra coursework in neurology and learn ways to use supplements to stop the pain of peripheral neuropathy. Chiropractors are always searching for natural ways to decrease pain and suffering, and if you ask them, they may have solutions!
What to Bring With You To Your First Chiropractic Appointment
When you go to the chiropractor for the first time, your chiropractor will take a history, examine your spine, take your vital signs, and review previous lab tests. He or she may also order imaging studies of your spine if needed.
Below is a list of things to bring with you to your appointment:
- Any lab tests you have had in the past
- Any medical records you have
- An idea about what type of goal you want to accomplish
- A list of medications you are on
- A list of illnesses you have had in the past
- A list of surgeries you have had, approximate date and the result of them
- A list of any things you are allergic to or sensitive to
When you have type 2 diabetes, it’s relatively easy to determine whether or not a new health strategy is helping you. Keep a journal and include your daily blood sugar levels. Give your trial a minimum of two months. And then analyze the data.