Chiropractic care is often thought of as a treatment for back pain, neck pain, and maybe a few other related conditions. However, chiropractors can help many people with many different issues better manage their ailments.
In the following article, we will take a look at the extremely common condition of diabetes mellitus and break down the ways in which chiropractors can help these patients.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a general term for a disease in which a person has trouble with their blood sugar levels. Briefly, sugar in the bloodstream needs to be deposited in the cells of the body so that it can be used for various metabolic processes. Insulin is the hormone that removes sugar from the blood and deposits it in the body’s cells.
There are multiple types of diabetes, but there are three main ones.
- Type I Diabetes. Type I diabetes is a condition that often develops early in life. The condition is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, because these patients are unable to produce insulin on their own, and thus, must rely on external sources of insulin. This type of diabetes is irreversible and forces patients to monitor their blood sugar levels throughout their lives, often making it difficult to eat out at restaurants or enjoy many of the food-based pleasures we take for granted.
- Type II Diabetes. Sometimes called Adult Onset Diabetes, Type II diabetes can often be attributed to poor lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise and a poor nutrient profile in meals. With this condition, the pancreas either produces too little insulin, or the insulin is ineffective at extracting the sugars from the bloodstream. This type of diabetes is often totally reversible with a change in lifestyle such as an improved diet and even just a little bit of exercise each week.
- Gestational Diabetes. One of the more unusual forms of diabetes is that of gestational diabetes. This condition only occurs during pregnancy, and once the baby is born, the diabetes resolves immediately.
There are also rarer forms of diabetes that can affect people throughout their lives.
What are the Symptoms of Diabetes?
Depending on whether the person suffers from diabetes type II or diabetes type I, symptoms can vary. Often, one of the most debilitating symptoms of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is essentially an issue that develops in the hands and/or feet as a result of prolonged blood sugar issues. Diabetic neuropathy causes weakness, numbness, pain, and difficulty using hands or feet. Often, these patients will have to wear special shoes in case they step on a nail, as their feet are typically so numb that they might not even feel it!
How Can Chiropractors Help Diabetics?
Through targeted manipulations, chiropractors may be able to improve the nerve conduction between the spine and the rest of the body. By doing so, patients might have an easier time dealing with their neuropathy symptoms.
Furthermore, any pain throughout the body that a diabetic may have could benefit from a chiropractic adjustment. The connection between the nervous system, the endocrine system, and all of the other systems is still being discovered, but it does appear that by improving the position and ability of the nerves of the body, everything else improves as well.
Do you have diabetes? Are you interested in trying out chiropractic care to see if it can help you? If so, book your appointment with the professionals at At Last Chiropractic today. We’d love to be your local go-to chiropractors in Lithia, FL. Our team will take a detailed look at your symptoms and show you what we can do for you. Contact us today.
