Previously, we have talked about the neurological connection between Chronic Pain and Depression. However, do we always know what is causing our Chronic Pain? Our goal is to improve your understanding of how the neurological pathway of your gut can result in Chronic Pain, and some strategies to help you overcome some symptoms.
What is the "Gut"?
In this case we are defining the gut as the Esophagus, Stomach, Small Intestines and 2/3 of the Large intestines. The gut is responsible for several different processes such as digestion, immune health, brain health, etc. The primary nerve responsible for many of these functions is the Vagus Nerve, which branches into the Enteric Nervous System (ENS).
ENS Reflexes and How They Work
The reflex that most everyone can relate to is the knee reflex. When a reflex hammer hits just below the kneecap, an uncontrollable movement occurs - causing your leg to straighten.
Believe it or not, this happens many times throughout the body. When food, nutrients, or other processes hit certain portions of the gut, it causes a reaction, such as contraction and relaxation of muscles to move food along the digestive tract, or absorb nutrients, to name a few.
Why is this relevant? Because there are many different ways to stimulate these reflexes - both positive and negative - and it's important to understand how this can relate to inappropriate symptoms and treatment protocols.
How are Negative "Reflexes" Occurring?
When thinking about negative reflexes, we usually associate them with inappropriate symptoms. Many times those who are diagnosed with Autoimmune Diseases have some underlying gut issue - Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and even anxiety disorders.
Many of these Diagnosed Etiologies are Inflammatory in nature, leading to potential gut tissue damage and nerve irregularities - irregularities that could lead to inappropriate reflexes to occur.
What you need to know about "Reflexes"
Thanks to the hard work from our health research community, healthcare providers are becoming better at predicting outcomes from interventions. When thinking about these reflexes we can break them down into 3 groups: Somatic Reflex, Visceral Reflex, and Autonomic Reflex.
Somatic Reflexes
When thinking about Somatic Reflexes, think about reflexes that affect the Muscles.
Visceral Reflexes
When thinking about Visceral Reflexes, think about reflexes that affect your gut organs (Stomach, Small Intestines, Large Intestines, Liver, etc.).
Autonomic Reflexes
When thinking about Autonomic Reflexes, think about reflexes that affect your organs you can't control - not related to digestion (heart, lungs).
Combining Reflexes
Believe it or not, each one of these Reflexes can affect one another. In our example of an inflamed gut affecting our muscles, this would be considered a Viscero-Somatic Reflex (Gut to Muscle).
How can we use "Reflexes" to our Advantage?
Here is a short list of Manipulations used to better regulate reflexes which lead to the lessening of Symptoms.
Nutritional Therapy:
One conservative approach to better the symptoms of inflammatory gut diseases is repairing gut tissue that may be affected by chronic inflammation. Healthy tissue not only functions better, but it is more efficient in fighting inflammation. A supplement we use, at OPS Clinics, to start the Gut healing process is Gastrazyme (4). This would be a positive manipulation that appropriately stimulates the Viscero-Somatic Reflex.
Chiropractic and Rehab:
In our example, we discussed how the gut can cause muscular discomforts via Viscero-Somatic Reflex (Gut to Muscle). We can manipulate Reflexive changes backwards. Chiropractic and Rehabilitative Interventions offer a Somato-Visceral Reflex (Muscle to Gut) to better control Visceral (gut) Functions.
Medicine:
Medical treatments can target specific reflexes at the cellular level and vary based on the underlying condition.
With everything you have learned, what type of Reflex could affect your heart rate with better gut health? Comment Below.
References:
The enteric nervous system and neurogastroenterology: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrgastro.2012.32
Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044/full
Fibromyalgia: What’s Your Gut Got to Do With It? https://www.everydayhealth.com/fibromyalgia/gut-health/
Biotics Research Corp: Gastrazyme
Related topics:
Stenzel Chiropractic Clinic Information:
Mapleton Office: (507) 524-4000
www.stenzelchiropracticclinic.com
support@stenzelchiropracticclinic.com
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