Thoracic 12: Small Intestine, Fallopian Tubes

Thoracic 12: Small Intestine, Fallopian Tubes

If you traveled down your throat and through your stomach your next stop would be your small intestine. The small intestine is where nutrients are absorbed from food into the blood stream. This blood is not just sent into general circulation, but is first sent to the liver where the nutrients are processed into a form the body can use.

The lining of the small intestine allows only particles that are small enough to pass into the blood stream. If this lining becomes unhealthy it can allow larger particles to pass through -- a condition popularly called "leaky gut syndrome." The use of anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen, etc.), antibiotics and steroid mediations, to name a few, can cause this breakdown in the lining of the small intestine.

When the small intestine becomes "leaky," excessively large food particles are allowed into the blood stream where the ever vigilant immune system can "see" them. At any one time over 80% of the bodies circulating white blood cells are found in the region bordering the small intestine. This makes sense because anything going from the outside to the inside of the body will most likely come through this way. When the immune system reacts to a foreign substance it triggers an inflammatory response which includes the release of histamine and numerous other inflammatory chemicals into the blood stream.

Fallopian Tubes

Over the years I've had several occasions where female patients underwent chiropractic care for an unrelated condition and found themselves able to become pregnant when their previous efforts, even with fertility specialists, had been fruitless. This T-12 area is a transitional area of the spine going from the thoracic spine to the lumbar spine. All such transitional areas are subject to higher mechanical stresses. As such, it’s a common place to adjust in many cases of back, neck and shoulder pain. Happily there are many women who also benefit from improved fertility.

The fallopian tubes contain millions of tiny hair-like cilia that serve to move the egg toward the uterus where it can be fertilized. Pressure on the nerves that supply the fallopian tube can inhibit this movement and make it difficult for the egg to become fertilized. This is the most likely reason that so many women enjoy improved fertility with chiropractic care.

Read more about fertility.

Chiropractic Adjustment

This area of the spine is very difficult to adjust with conventional techniques. Dr. Greenwood often uses a very comfortable method of seated adjustment. The patient doesn't feel like they are getting squished or pounded when adjusted this way. If the iliocecal valve is stuck open we often recommend that a washcloth dampened with cold tap water be placed over the valve each night for ten minutes before going to sleep. This helps to tonify the valve. If the valve is stuck closed then foods that are hard to digest like nuts, popcorn and sometimes even raw vegetables must be avoided for a short time.

Nutritional