Digestive Problems

Why You Should See a Chiropractor for Infant GERD

Why You Should See a Chiropractor for Infant GERD

If you’re a parent, you know that one of the most stressful things can be trying to determine what your baby needs. They cry when they’re tired, hungry, or just want to be held. This can make it hard to know when your baby’s crying is a symptom of something more serious, like infant GERD. The symptoms of infant GERD can include vomiting, appetite changes, and excessive crying—all of which babies are prone to on a normal day. It can be hard to determine the proper care to seek for your child and what remedies they need. If your infant seems to be suffering from infant GERD, visiting Dr. Ronnie Bolar at Vital Life Chiropractic is the first step towards long-term relief that is both safe and effective.

What Is Infant GERD?

While GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is found across ages, infant GERD is very common in young babies. About two-thirds of infants will experience GERD symptoms, compared to one in five adults. GERD is caused by food getting backed up in the esophagus, rather than traveling to the stomach as it should. Because infants have underdeveloped digestive systems, doctors believe they are more prone to these symptoms and they will often resolve as children age. While testing can be done in severe cases, most infant GERD is diagnosed simply by recognizing symptoms in affected infants. In many cases, doctors will prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms for short-term relief, but many of these medications come with harmful side effects, effectively trading one ailment for another in many infants. Before going this route, visit a Lithia Springs chiropractor to explore chiropractic care for your child.

Stopping Infant GERD with Chiropractic Care

While infant GERD is concentrated in the stomach and esophagus, it is connected […]

Chiropractic Care: Non-Invasive Relief for GERD

Chiropractic Care: Non-Invasive Relief for GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD as it’s known by most, is a condition that many people suffer from. If you have GERD, you are constantly worrying about whether or not certain foods will affect you more than others, how well you’ll be able to stay asleep at night, where the closest restroom is, and other unpleasant symptoms.

What if there was a non-invasive method to get relief from GERD that gets closer to the root cause, rather than using medication that acts only as a temporary solution? Lithia Springs chiropractor Dr. Ronnie Bolar from Vital Life Chiropractic specializes in helping his practice members find relief for a wide variety of conditions through principled, neurologically-based chiropractic care.

Common Solutions for GERD Relief

Working outside of a chiropractic environment, it’s quite common to receive a lot of medical advice and suggestions from doctors, including but not limited to diet change, exercise change, avoiding specific types of food (fried and fatty foods), eliminating caffeine and alcohol, and more. These lifestyle changes are often beneficial, but they may not be a permanent solution to GERD symptoms.

It’s even possible to be prescribed specific medications (or even surgery!) to reduce the symptoms you’re experiencing with GERD. One case study shows that some medication prescribed by doctors can actually have negative side-effects to the esophageal sphincter, making GERD worse and bringing about other possible issues. In some cases, these types of medication and surgeries are necessary, but not every case of GERD calls for them.

Chiropractic Care as a Natural, Safe, Non-Invasive Form of GERD Relief

At Vital Life Chiropractic, Dr. Ronnie Bolar works hard as a Lithia Springs chiropractor to provide non-invasive pain management solutions for a variety of conditions. Chiropractic care often gets overlooked as a form of wellness and […]

Alleviate IBS with Chiropractic Care

Alleviate IBS with Chiropractic Care

You may feel alone in your Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms, but it is actually a common occurrence among Americans today. In fact, around 55 million people suffer from IBS. This digestive problem can be both painful and frustrating, often times affecting your daily life. While many turn to medication to find relief, medication isn’t a permanent solution. In fact, medication is only masking the symptoms of IBS, not treating the root cause. When taking medication, you are also at risk of experiencing harmful side effects that further add to the unpleasantness of IBS and can bring about additional health concerns. Thankfully, medication isn’t the only option for managing IBS symptoms. Chiropractic care from a Lithia Springs chiropractor has proven to be very beneficial for those with IBS. In fact, studies that have been conducted have shown positive results for those suffering from IBS. In one study, a 32-year-old woman presented with IBS, as well as depression and anxiety. She had suffered from these symptoms for over 10 years. After just one chiropractic adjustment, she experienced a regular bowel movement, and after being under consistent chiropractic care, she experienced relief from all symptoms of IBS as well as a significant decrease in her depression and anxiety.

Who Is Affected by IBS?

IBS can affect men and women alike, but it is more likely to be seen among women. Those with IBS have complaints of bloating, gas, stomach pains, and irregular bowel movements. Similar digestion problems such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, and inflammatory bowel disease may also have similar symptoms related to IBS. Another common similarity among those with digestion issues is the presence of a spinal misalignment. Anyone can have spinal misalignments (also known as a subluxation), and they can disrupt your […]

Digestive Health and Chiropractic

Digestive Health and Chiropractic

Across the nation, digestion issues are on the rise. Poor digestion leads to pain and uncomfortable symptoms that could be caused by a lack of exercise or a poor diet. Sometimes other health issues or medications can lead to digestive issues as well. No matter the cause, it is clear that something must be done to aid in proper digestion. Both men and women alike are seeking an answer to improve digestive health when other methods simply don’t work. Even children haven’t escaped from digestive issues. In fact, many children suffer from constipation from a young age. Fortunately, chiropractic care has been shown to be a natural and effective way to aid in digestion. In the instance of an 8-year-old boy who had experienced constipation since birth, chiropractic adjustments helped. After two months of chiropractic adjustments along with a diet change, proper digestion was restored and he no longer suffered from constipation.

Digestion Issues That Require Chiropractic Care

Digestive problems that lead to irritation of the small and large intestines, such as Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, can cause flare-ups that are uncomfortable. Slow digestion, chronic inflammation, or food allergies can also be painful and affect day to day life. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a digestion issue involving the esophagus and stomach. Instead of acid in the stomach working to break down food, those with GERD experience a backflow of acid from the stomach that causes intense heartburn, coughing, problems swallowing, or regurgitation. No matter what digestive issue you are facing, they don’t have to continue. Lithia Springs chiropractor Dr. Ronnie Bolar can help.

Chiropractic Can Reduce Symptoms of Poor Digestion

The central nervous system, composed of the brain and spinal cord, control all of the body’s systems, […]

Constipation & Chiropractic

Constipation & Chiropractic

Constipation is a bit of a taboo topic, as most people aren’t comfortable discussing their bodily functions or bowel movements. However, it is an extremely common problem that is currently affecting over 63 million Americans. Over 1 million hospitalizations are due to constipation each year, and over 5 million people are taking some sort of prescription medication to help with their constipation.

While babies, pregnant women, and the elderly are the most common victims of constipation, people in all age groups, of every race, and in every socioeconomic position deal with this chronic digestive issue. Minor constipation may result in stomach pain, back discomfort, or bloating, but severe constipation can be extremely serious, resulting in vomiting, rectal prolapse, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, and hospitalization. A variety of things have been cited as the cause of constipation, including a poor diet that’s low in fiber, GI problems (like IBS or celiac disease), frequent use of laxatives, and certain medications.

There are a number of traditional “solutions” for constipation, including medication, laxatives, changes in diet, increased exercise, and even surgery. But for most people, constipation can be relieved quickly and easily and with a more long-term and permanent solution than any medication can offer.

How Can Chiropractic Help Relieve Constipation?

Your intestines are connected to your central nervous system via nerves that run through your lowest thoracic vertebra (T12) and highest lumbar vertebra (L1). Your brain sends messages through these nerves to let your body know how and when to process and expel waste. If there is any sort of nerve interference, such as a spinal misalignment, these messages cannot properly reach your intestines. This is when digestive issues occur, such as IBS, diverticulitis, and you guessed it—constipation.

If you’re suffering from constipation, it’s incredibly likely that […]

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN CROHN’S DISEASE AND SPINAL PROBLEMS

According to a recent study, researchers in Japan say there is a possible link between Crohn’s disease and interference to the nervous system from spinal misalignments.

The research was published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and grew out of a previous study involving more than 3,000 patients with allergic diseases and over 1,000 non-allergic patients. It focused on the relationship between immune function, spinal displacements called vertebral subluxations, and how reducing those displacements resulted in improvement, and in some cases complete remission, of symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease causes inflammation in the small intestine but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation causes pain and makes the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea.

There are many theories about what causes Crohn’s disease but none has been proven. The most popular theory is that the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestine.

Treatment for Crohn’s disease includes corticosteroids to control inflammation but while these drugs are considered the most effective for active Crohn’s disease, they can cause serious side effects, including greater susceptibility to infection. Immune suppressing drugs are also used to treat Crohn’s disease.

According to Dr. Yasuhiko Takeda, a chiropractor and lead author of the study: “This is why it is so important to develop other means of dealing with this terrible disease. If we can find treatments that enhance the function of the immune and nervous systems perhaps we can help millions of people with this disease without the harmful side effects of drugs.”

Beginning in 1992, the focus of Takeda’s research has been on the relationship between subluxation, allergic disease, asthma, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disorder and ulcerative colitis. He became […]