Acid Reflux in Torrance
Do you suffer from acid reflux in Torrance and are looking for relief? Our team at New Health Medical wants to help you! Learn more here about acid reflux and see how we can help.
WHAT IS THE TRUE CAUSE OF ACID REFLUX?
Your doctor has probably told you the cause of your acid reflux is “too much acid in your stomach and an esophageal sphincter that is not closing properly, allowing the overflow of acid to back-up into your esophagus”. You were then undoubtedly prescribed an acid blocker such as Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix, Zantac, Pepsid, or a handfull of other medications.
Well the true cause is actually not enough of the normal stomach acid (HCl). You see, your stomach makes HCl for a living (that’s it’s job), and there are 2 very common reasons many people don’t have enough of this very important digestive acid.
- Your stomach and esophagus receive vital nerve signals from your brain, controlling their every function. Any irritation to the delicate nerves in your body can interfere with those vital messages traveling through them. Spinal disc herniations, bulges, and even spinal sprains can cause pressure on those delicate nerves and affect how those nerves function. The malfunctioning nerves can in turn, cause abnormal functioning of the stomach and esophagus.
- The fast-paced, convenient lifestyle most people lead (junk food, fast food, processed food, refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, food additives, chemicals, preservatives, etc.) overwork your stomach and literally tire it out, causing a deficiency in HCl.
When your stomach is lacking HCl it cannot properly digest the food you eat, so the food begins to rot and ferment, producing organic acids. These abnormal organic acids are actually the ones that you burp-up into your throat and feel as heartburn or acid reflux.
HOW DOES YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTROL YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACT?
Your nervous system exerts a profound influence on all digestive processes, namely motility, ion transport associated with secretion and absorption, and gastrointestinal blood flow. Much of this control happens from the digestive system’s own, local nervous system referred to as the enteric or intrinsic nervous system. The magnitude and complexity of the enteric nervous system is immense – it contains as many neurons as the spinal cord.
The Enteric Nervous System
The principal components of the enteric nervous system are two networks or plexuses of neurons (nerve cells), both of which are embedded in the wall of the digestive tract and extend from esophagus to anus:
- The myenteric plexus is located between the longitudinal and circular layers of muscle in the tunica muscularis and, appropriately, exerts control primarily over digestive tract motility.
- The submucous plexus, as its name implies, is buried in the submucosa. Its principal role is in sensing the environment within the lumen, regulating gastrointestinal blood flow and controlling epithelial cell function. In regions where these functions are minimal, such as the esophagus, the submucous plexus is sparse and may actually be missing in sections.
Within these enteric nerve plexuses are three types of neurons:
- Sensory neurons receive information from sensory receptors in the mucosa and muscle. At least five different sensory receptors have been identified in the mucosa, which respond to mechanical, thermal, osmotic and chemical stimuli. Chemoreceptors sensitive to acid, glucose and amino acids have been demonstrated which, in essence, allows “tasting” of lumenal contents. Sensory receptors in muscle respond to stretch and tension. Collectively, enteric sensory neurons compile a comprehensive battery of information on gut contents and the state of the gastrointestinal wall.
- Motor neurons within the enteric plexuses control gastrointestinal motility and secretion, and possibly absorption. In performing these functions, motor neurons act directly on a large number of effector cells, including smooth muscle, secretory cells (chief, parietal, mucous, enterocytes, pancreatic exocrine cells) and gastrointestinal endocrine cells.
- Interneurons are largely responsible for integrating information from sensory neurons and providing it to enteric motor neurons.
Enteric neurons secrete an intimidating array of neurotransmitters. One major neurotransmitter produced by enteric neurons is acetylcholine. In general, neurons that secrete acetylcholine are excitatory, stimulating smooth muscle contraction, increases in intestinal secretions, release of enteric hormones and dilation of blood vessels. Norepinephrine is also used extensively for neurotransmission in the gastrointestinal tract, but it derives from extrinsic sympathetic neurons; the effect of norepinephrine is almost always inhibitory and opposite that of acetylcholine.
The Autonomic Nervous System
The enteric nervous system can and does function autonomously, but normal digestive function requires communication links between this intrinsic system and the central nervous system. These links take the form of parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers that connect either the central and enteric nervous systems or connect the central nervous system directly with the digestive tract. Through these cross connections, the gut can provide sensory information to the CNS, and the CNS can affect gastrointestinal function. Connection to the central nervous system also means that signals from outside of the digestive system can be relayed to the digestive system: for instance, the sight of appealing food stimulates secretion in the stomach.
In general, sympathetic stimulation causes inhibition of gastrointestinal secretion and motor activity, and contraction of gastrointestinal sphincters and blood vessels.
Spinal misalignments (vertebral subluxations) in the mid thoracic region often cause continual stimulation of the specific portion of the sympathetic nervous system that connects to the stomach and esophagus; inhibiting the proper secretion of hydrochloric acid and slowing the movement of food through the stomach and into the duodenum.
When the stomach lacks HCl it cannot properly digest the food a person has eaten, so the food begins to rot, ferment, and putrefy producing organic acids and gas. This abnormal acid and gas fill the stomach causing bloating and irritation which eventually escapes, or refluxes, into the esophagus.
New Health Medical is the only clinic in the South Bay to specialize in the Gonstead method of chiropractic. This highly specialized and precise system of correcting vertebral subluxations is extremely effective in helping patients who suffer from acid reflux or constipation by eliminating or reducing the inhibitory nervous stimulation to the GI tract.
OUR PATIENTS SPEAK
Monday
8:00am - 7:00pm
Tuesday
8:00am - 1:00pm
Wednesday
8:00am - 7:00pm
Thursday
8:00am - 7:00pm
Friday
8:00am - 11:00am
Saturday
Closed
New Health Medical
1628 Cravens Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 787-8104
