Should Chiropractors Treat Intestinal Problems? Can Pain Due to Intestinal Disorders Be Stopped in Minutes with a Simple Soft Tissue Technique?

I NFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, IRRITABLE BOWEL syndrome, and other intestinal disorders often respond extremely well to a combination of j| soft tissue techniques and nutritional supple­mentation. Various studies show between one person in one hundred to one thousand in North America will experience ulcerative colitis (UC) at some point in their lifetime. It's more common in northern climates," suggesting low vitamin D levels may play a role. There's an increased risk of colorectal cancer if UC is present for ten years. Symptoms include fre­quent, bloody, watery, often pain­ful bowel movements, abdominal pain, low back and sacroiliac pain, joint pains, fatigue (often second- ary to anemia from blood loss), allergies, and increased risk for more serious diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD.) includes both UC and Crohn's disease. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is extremely common." Twenty percent of the United States population may have symptoms at any time. Most people occasionally experience the symptoms of IBS, which include excess gas, abdominal pain or discomfort, diarrhea or constipation, etc. Although medical managements of IBD and IBS are completely different, the natural treatments discussed in this article are applicable to both. These procedures may work in either chronic or acute symp­toms, but care must always be taken to rule out serious disease and medical emergencies such as appendicitis, pancreatitis, cancer, etc. It's often best to have the patient seen by a medical specialist before any natural treatments are applied. Nutritional intervention for intestinal disorders: Surgery may be avoided. Many nutritional substances effective for IBD will also aid IBS. Here are some starting suggestions out of over 100 pos­sible supplements. A probiotic strain called VSL#34AI218:!32734 has been shown to dramatically induce remissions in UC in several studies. One of the bacterial strains contained in VSL#3, bifidobacterium infantis, has also been the subject of numerous studies and shown to be extremely effective for ulcerative colitis (avail­able as LifeStart, by Natren). Lactobacillis GG (Culturelle) has been reported effective in IBD as well as IBS in numerous studies.16 Liquid Bentonite, made by Sonne's, is a unique product due to its ability to detoxify the GI tract easily. It seems to have potent anti microbial properties. I've even used it on patients with amoebic dysentery with good results. DHEA in high dosages has been reported ef­fective in refractory ulcerative colitis.1" L-glutamine powder in dosages of 5-20 grams (1 -4 tsps) accelerates healing of the GI tract.1-14-15-17-1-" Glutamine may be constipating, - which is great for IBD, but may worsen IBS, so you have to monitor that. L glutamine is the most prevalent amino acid in the body, and is important for immune support, GI tract rebuilding, muscle growth, and even cognitive support. Slippery elm is a mucilaginous herb25-32 that I've found extremely effective for many Gl problems. One-half to one tsp of the powder two to three times a day will often heal tissues, reduce pain, stop diarrhea and normalize constipation. Vitamin D may be effective in symptomatic relief of both IBD and IBS"J4J9-J0as well as prevention of bone loss that may eventually occur in IBD. Much higher dosages of Vitamin D3 have recently been recommended for this and other diseases; check out www.vitamindcouncil.com for current information on this essential nutrient. Food sensitivities may be critically important in management of any intestinal complaint.:-5-8l)l5"'":!< Undiagnosed gluten sensitivity is common and may occur in up to 40 percent of the population!--7-916 Since the American diet is 50 percent wheat products (bread, rolls, cookies, cake, etc.), it's a wonder most of us are not running to the can constantly! In one study, the most common food offenders were wheat, dairy products, corn, yeast, tomatoes, citrus fruit, and eggs.28 I've seen a number of patients respond dramatically to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, pioneered by Sidney Haas, MD" and discussed in Break­ing the Vicious Cycle.'' Certain types of dietary sugars are completely avoided. Soft tissue techniques can often stop abdominal pain instantly. Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ is a technique I developed many years ago. At this time, it has helped stop even severe abdominal pain in minutes by specific stimulation of spinal nerves. In 1979 I saw a 30-year-old woman with severe ulcerative colitis, who was scheduled to have her colon surgically re­moved. I treated her with nutritional therapies. Her frequent bloody stools and abdominal pain stopped within two weeks, and her condition eventually resolved completely. Sam was stooped over with severe back pain, but it was secondary to ulcerativc colitis (inflam­matory bowel disease). He'd been having twenty bloody bowel movements a day; prednisone had reduced these but he still had severe gut and back pain, as well as fatigue. I found multiple areas of extreme tenderness throughout his abdomen, as well as his back. I was able to immediately eliminate every painful area using Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™, a technique that erases painful trigger points by stimulation of spinal nerves in a precise sequence. The patient left with both back and abdominal pain much reduced. This improvement continued when I saw him a week later. His MD advised him to wean himself off the prednisone. Naomi, a 21-year-old girl, had severe abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, weight loss and other crippling symptoms for several years. Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ instantly stopped the discom­fort. All symptoms subsided after the treatment. Dozens of DCs and MD's treated with Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks™ at state conventions have had instant elimina­tion of abdominal pain, including post surgical hernia pain, Crohn's disease, hiatal hernia pain, right lower quadrant pain, etc. The greater, lesser, and least splanchnic nerves (as well as the vagus) are "motivated" to immediately improve intestinal function. There's a potentially large emotional component in many intestinal disorders, but many patients get relief using just these physical methods. With inflam­matory bowel disease, it's extremely important to make sure that patients understand the long term consequences of their disease. If they don't realize the possibility of degenerative changes and a potentially very negative outcome, they may not follow through with proper treatment. Stephen Kaufman, D.C., grad­uated L.A.C.C. in 1978, and practices in Denver, CO. His techniques. Pain Neutralization Technique and Manual Spinal Nen'e Blocks™, represent a rapid new lasting approach to pain. For more information, call 1-800-774-5078 or 1-303-756-9567 or visit www.painneulralization.com. For reference listing of this article, please visit our website at www.theaniericaiichiropractor.com. HJUSI Various studies show between one person in one hundred to one thousand in North America will experience ulcerative colitis (UC) at some point in their lifetime