Chiropractic Can Aid in Diabetes Management
Diabetes is all about how your body produces and responds to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. Two types of diabetes exist—Type 1 occurs when the body doesn’t create enough insulin and Type 2 happens when the body responds improperly to insulin. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in our country, and millions of people are affected by this disease. About 34 million Americans have diabetes, but about 20% of those people don’t know they have it. Around one-third of Americans have pre-diabetes, and more than 80% of them don’t know they have it. While a small number of individuals suffer from Type 1 diabetes, which doesn’t have any specific known causes, the large majority of diabetics have Type 2 diabetes, which is directly linked to diet, weight, age, and activity level.
How Does Diabetes Work?
Insulin is the key for diabetics. It’s a hormone produced in the pancreas and it helps the body regulate the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. For Type 1 diabetics, the pancreas simply does not create enough insulin, leading them to give themselves insulin injections regularly. For Type 2 diabetics, their bodies don’t respond appropriately to insulin, so the pancreas makes more insulin to try to make up for the insulin resistance. Eventually, however, your pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to keep your blood sugar at a normal and safe level, and diabetes begins to manifest. Risks come with both types of diabetes, particularly when it’s not well-managed or under control. Long-term implications can include vision problems, kidney disease, heart disease, foot and leg problems, nerve issues, among other things.
How Can Chiropractic Help Manage Diabetes?
Since diabetes begins with trouble in the pancreas, the health of the pancreas is vitally important to both the prevention and management of diabetes. The proper function of the pancreas is linked to the health of the central nervous system, particularly the nerves that run through the lower thoracic vertebrae. When a vertebra is slightly twisted, shifted, or otherwise out of perfect alignment with the rest of the spine, nerve communication is interrupted, leading to improper sending and receiving of messages from the brain to the pancreas. This brings about dysfunction in the pancreas, often leading to pre-diabetes, diabetes, or poorly managed diabetes.
Chiropractic care from a Des Moines chiropractor will remove spinal misalignments, reducing nerve interference, and improving the overall function of all the body’s systems. When the pancreas properly creates insulin and the rest of the body responds properly to that insulin, diabetes can be prevented, well-managed, or even reversed. Dr. Paige Roth of True Roots Chiropractic in Des Moines can provide neurologically-based chiropractic care that aims to get to the root of your diabetes—or any other issue or health concern you’re facing—and improve the function of your body from the inside out.
Many diabetics have seen a drastic improvement in their diabetic symptoms and related issues after seeking chiropractic care, and Dr. Roth and her team would love to help you as well. Contact True Roots Chiropractic in Des Moines today to set up your consultation.