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Is Chiropractic Worth the Hype for Diabetes?

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Is Chiropractic Worth the Hype for Diabetes?

Chiropractic care is one among many tools in the arsenal of individuals seeking health. A practice focused on bones and joints and their function in the body, chiropractors are typically men and women who manipulate the body’s joints and movement systems to ease discomfort or pain or realign nerves that have gone askew.

For some, chiropractic care is just another facet of wellness. For others, chiropractic seems to be a bit of a hoped-for magical cure, promising to rid people of all of their ailments and restore balance to the body.

What Exactly Is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic care is any type of physical care that involves manipulation of the spine and joints. Unlike physical therapy, which uses exercises and movements to change the body, chiropractic relies upon a thrusting or shoving motion and aims to realign or rebalance the body’s joints and bones. Although the spine is the main source of attention for chiropractors, most will adjust the entire body, if necessary, including the joints in your legs and arms.

Chiropractic care regularly comes under fire, as it is frequently not recognized as a legitimate medical profession. Instead, chiropractic care can be seen as something of a fringe science, claiming a larger health effect than has consistently been proven.

Chiropractic and Diabetes

Can chiropractic care help diabetes? The answer is a little more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no.” Although some chiropractors claim to have revolutionary techniques or supplements to assist or even cure diabetes, these claims are not based on facts. Regular chiropractic adjustments will not provide a seamless means of managing blood sugar, nor will they have any lasting or meaningful impact on the presence of diabetes in your body.




That being said, chiropractic care can be of some benefit to diabetes patients. Although the manner in which chiropractic care helps is not directly related to diabetes, adjustments can help relieve tension and misalignments that can cause pain and discomfort and make exercise (or any physical movement) difficult. A sedentary lifestyle is dangerous—especially for diabetics—so keeping your body in optimal physical shape is ideal.

In addition, some chiropractic users have found significant improvements in nerve damage. If you’ve experienced some nerve damage due to your diabetes, seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis has the potential for restoring some nerve function or at least minimizing the discomfort created by damaged nerves.

To Adjust or Not?

Chiropractic adjustments can be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Although they will not provide a magical or instantaneous cure for diabetes, it can help manage some of the complications and pains associated with diabetes and provide a better quality of life.

References

Diabetes Self Management. Accessed 5/23/17.
The Joint Chiropractic. Accessed 5/23/17.