If you have diabetes, you already know some of the difficulties involved with that disease. If the body is functioning normally, it will convert any carbohydrates are eaten into glucose (blood sugar). This glucose conversion will then trigger the pancreas to release insulin, which will then convert the glucose into energy.

In patients with diabetes, however, that glucose builds up in the blood, instead of signaling the pancreas to release insulin. This will lead to high blood-sugar levels, one of the main indicators of diabetes. Over time, diabetes can lead to a number of serious conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness due to glaucoma, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation.

Dr. Nathen Horst, a Temecula chiropractor, discusses diabetes, and how chiropractic care may help diabetic patients.

Fast Facts about Diabetes

There are two distinct types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes (often referred to as juvenile diabetes) occurs when the body cannot make enough insulin on its own, and type 2 diabetes happens when the body cannot properly use the insulin it has stored. Type 2 diabetes accounts for anywhere from 90 percent to 95 percent of all cases of diabetes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), more than 29 million Americans have diabetes, while another 86 million have type 2 pre-diabetes, which can increase their risk for developing diabetes later in life. Type 2 diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2013, as well as the leading cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness.

How Can Chiropractic Help Control Glucose and Insulin Levels?

The fundamental basis of chiropractic care is in the spine, specifically in treating what are known as vertebral sublaxations. These sublaxations occur when the spine shifts out of alignment, causing the individual vertebra to place pressure on the various nerves leading in and out of the spinal cord. Because the spinal cord is responsible for sending and receiving signals from the brain, which are then transmitted to the various muscles and body organs via these nerves, anything that blocks these nerves will cause those muscles and organs to not function properly.

When Dr. Nathen Horst performs a chiropractic adjustment to release the vertebral sublaxations and shift your spine back into proper alignment, this will remove pressure on the nerves leading in and out of the spinal cord. This then frees up any blockages that may have occurred due to an improperly aligned spine, including those that are responsible for controlling blood sugar and insulin levels.

Of course, controlling blood sugar and insulin levels is just one part of properly managing diabetes. Dr. Horst also recommends a healthy, low-carb, low-sugar diet and a regular exercise routine of at least 30 minutes for three days out of the week. The eventual goal, of course, is to get your diabetes under control with a combination of regular chiropractic adjustments, diet, and exercise.

If you live with diabetes, Dr. Horst recommends that you be under the care of a regular doctor to monitor your progress. However, chiropractic care may be able to help in terms of controlling blood-sugar levels and insulin production without having to resort to medication that may have undesirable side effects or interactions.