Postural Digestive Disorders, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Postural Digestive Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Over my 48 years of medical career, I have come across many patients who have hyperkyphosis and gastritis and poor digestion disorders at the same time.

Many patients may not have hyperkyphosis initially but as they develop hyperkyphosis there are almost invariable occurrences of poor digestion or gastritis or gastroesophageal reflux.

Some may have poor postures (e.g., slouching) or scoliosis that inevitably lead to poor digestion or gastritis or gastroesophageal reflux.

Poor posture tends to mechanically compress the stomach and abdomen often causing acid reflux and poor motility of the stomach and small intestine.

One of the patients eventually died from cancer of the pancreas after 20 years of gastritis.

It is possible that the pancreatic cancer could have eroded the spinal bone and cause the collapse of the vertebra body resulting in hyperkyphosis.

Whenever I see the poor posture in patients I will try to advise them to improve their posture or they may develop digestive disorders.

They should take food that is easily digestible.

Physical movement after a meal may help to increase motility of the stomach and intestines helping better digestion.

Poor digestion can lead to poor absorption on digestion of food causing osteoporosis and collapse of spinal bones leading to hyperkyphosis.

So it may become a vicious circle.

Posture can affect the health in so many ways, including the digestion.

The digestive tract can be influenced by the change in spine shape caused by poor posture.

The patient should also be aware that some digestive tract disorders can lead to osteoporosis over time.

Osteoporosis often impacts the spine, which is made up of vertebrae.

The spine is made up of different regions, called the cervical, thoracic and the lumbar and sacral.

Osteoporosis is usually linked with fractures of the thoracic spine, causing changes in the posture known as hyperkyphosis, height loss, and pain in the upper back.

When the spine is affected by hyperkyphosis it will have an abnormal forward curvature that gives the appearance of a “humpback.”

In this case the curvature of the spine measures 50 degrees or more (on an X-ray) where the normal spine would measure 20 to 45 degrees of curvature.

Hyperkyphosis develops over time, as the vertebrae break and the spine lose its normal shape.

The more bones that are broken, the larger the curvature of the spine will become.

In some cases, there is no pain associated with fractures, and people notice over time that their clothes do not fit properly anymore, or they have become shorter.

In other cases, osteoporosis sufferers will experience sharp, intense pain as the tendons and ligaments around the vertebrae become stretched or the nerves get pinched.

In cases of severe hyperkyphosis, one may notice digestive problems, since the abnormal curvature of the spine will cause a reduction of the space between internal organs.

The stomach or abdomen may be moved forward, inducing eating and breathing disorders.

What the patient can do is to know the early signs of hyperkyphosis, which include:
1. Head bending forward compared with the rest of the body

2. Difference in shoulder blade height and position

3. Tight hamstrings muscles

4. Protect the spine from movements that increase the risk of fractures – avoid bending forward from the waist, bending forward when the patient cough or sneeze, twisting and bending at the torso, carrying heavy bags or items, or reaching for objects that are placed on high shelves.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Postural Digestive Disorders
Chapter 2 Posture
Chapter 3 Peptic Ulcer (Gastritis)
Chapter 4 Dyspepsia (Indigestion)
Chapter 5 GERD
Chapter 6 Treatment

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Apr 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463710128

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Postural Digestive Disorders,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2020 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Postural Digestive Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Postural Digestive Disorders)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Postural Digestive Disorders

Over my 48 years of medical career, I have come across many patients who have hyperkyphosis and gastritis and poor digestion disorders at the same time.

Many patients may not have hyperkyphosis initially but as they develop hyperkyphosis there are almost invariable occurrences of poor digestion or gastritis or gastroesophageal reflux.

Some may have poor postures (e.g., slouching) or scoliosis that inevitably lead to poor digestion or gastritis or gastroesophageal reflux.

Poor posture tends to mechanically compress the stomach and abdomen often causing acid reflux and poor motility of the stomach and small intestine.

One of the patients eventually died from cancer of the pancreas after 20 years of gastritis.

It is possible that the pancreatic cancer could have eroded the spinal bone and cause the collapse of the vertebra body resulting in hyperkyphosis.

Whenever I see the poor posture in patients I will try to advise them to improve their posture or they may develop digestive disorders.

They should take food that is easily digestible.

Physical movement after a meal may help to increase motility of the stomach and intestines helping better digestion.

Poor digestion can lead to poor absorption on digestion of food causing osteoporosis and collapse of spinal bones leading to hyperkyphosis.

So it may become a vicious circle.

What are Postural Digestive Disorders?

Posture can affect the health in so many ways, including the digestion.

The digestive tract can be influenced by the change in spine shape caused by poor posture.

The patient should also be aware that some digestive tract disorders can lead to osteoporosis over time.

Osteoporosis often impacts the spine, which is made up of vertebrae.

The spine is made up of different regions, called the cervical (the top part), thoracic (the upper and middle portion), and the lumbar and sacral (the lower part).

Osteoporosis is usually linked with fractures of the thoracic spine, causing changes in the posture known as hyperkyphosis, height loss, and pain in the upper back.

When the spine is affected by hyperkyphosis it will have an abnormal forward curvature that gives the appearance of a humpback.

In this case the curvature of the spine measures 50 degrees or more (on an X-ray) where the normal spine would measure 20 to 45 degrees of curvature.

Hyperkyphosis develops over time, as the vertebrae break and the spine lose its normal shape.

The more bones that are broken, the larger the curvature of the spine will become.

In some cases, there is no pain associated with fractures, and people notice over time that their clothes do not fit properly anymore, or they have become shorter.

In other cases, osteoporosis sufferers will experience sharp, intense pain as the tendons and ligaments around the vertebrae become stretched or the nerves get pinched.

In cases of severe hyperkyphosis, one may notice digestive problems, because the abnormal curvature of the spine will cause a reduction of the space between internal organs.

The stomach or abdomen may be moved forward, inducing eating and breathing disorders.

What the patient can do is to know the early signs of hyperkyphosis, which include:

1. Head bending forward compared with the rest of the body

2. Difference in shoulder blade height and position

3. Tight hamstrings (back thigh) muscles

4. Protect the spine from movements that increase the risk of fractures – for example avoid bending forward from the waist, bending forward when the patient cough or sneeze, twisting and bending at the torso, carrying heavy bags or items, or reaching for objects that are placed on high shelves.

5. Keep the spine in shape with exercise, but avoid toe touches or abdominal crunches when the patient works out.

Digestive Problems can cause osteoporosis

Occasionally digestive disorders can cause osteoporosis, instead of the other way around.

Osteoporosis is diagnosed more often in people who also have gastro intestinal diseases, especially those associated with poor absorption or digestion (i.e. celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and after stomach or intestine surgery).

This happens since the nutrients from foods are not well absorbed, and therefore the bones will lack calcium and other minerals.

Medications which help to strengthen the porous bones such as biphosphonates have been known to cause gastritis, indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

What the Stomach is trying to tell the patient About the Spine

It is important to remember that all components of the bodies are interconnected.

More than just working together to keep the body functional on a daily basis, all of the systems also share in the same homeostasis.

Health and wellness is throughout, and pain in one part of the body may be linked to another.

A good indication of this can be seen in frequent stomach ailments like indigestion, diarrhea, and severe heartburn, which may be linked to the spine.

Treating the entire body indicates being familiar with the central nervous system that ties everything together: the spine.

By treating subluxations (misalignments) in the spine, the patient may be able to clear up chronic stomach troubles.

People know that stomach pain often is not limited to the stomach, and that the spine is almost always playing a part in wellness.

Whether it is the result of sitting at a desk all day, looking down at a smartphone, or lounging on a couch, poor posture is troubling people of all ages.

The person should also avoid sitting down after a meal to watch the TV.

He or she should take a walk instead to help the movement of the food through the stomach.

It is a frequent and important health disorder among humans, and it can lead to neck pain, back problems, and other aggravating conditions

While back and neck disorders top the list of possible posture woes, there are many others such as poor balance, headaches, and breathing difficulties

How does the spine affect digestion?

It is important to locate exactly which digestive disorder the patient is having.

Doctors can provide a clear diagnosis of what gastrointestinal disorders the patient is having.

A number of frequent digestive disorders are:

1. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS);

2. Acid reflux;

3. Chronic heartburn;

4. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);

5. Crohn’s Disease.

A range of spinal cord issues could produce disorders in other parts of the body.

These are disc compression, herniated discs, and strained ligaments.

The spinal cord transmits nerve signals to all parts of the body, involving how the digestion functions.

The lumbar spine, or lower back, involves the sacrum and is mostly vital in terms of nerve function.

Disorders in this part of the spine may result in symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, and bladder malfunction.

This is since this area of the spine involves the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves that are directly connected to the digestive system.

Any disorder with those will transmit faulty signals to the body.

Doctors will begin by doing a full examination and asking questions about the symptoms.

They will form a plan with the patient that treats both short-term and long-term disorders.

The purpose is pressing the reset button on the body’s central nervous system by getting the spine realigned.

Digestive problems often take some time to recover.

Unlike other treatments (such as surgery or heavy-duty prescription drugs) physiotherapy is a natural, noninvasive method to treat digestive disorders.

Spinal adjustments are often essential to correct subluxations (misalignments) of the spine.

Lifestyle changes may also be advocated for the patient, such as changes to the diet and different methods to exercise that may be beneficial.

3 disorders linked to poor posture of the lower spine may be:

1. Incontinence

Poor posture induces stress incontinence (when the person leaks a little urine if the person laughs or coughs).

Slouching raises the abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder.

The position also reduces the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to hold urine against that pressure

2. Constipation

Poor posture hunched over on a toilet with the knees lower than the hips can induce constipation.

This position closes the anus to some extent and makes it harder for the abdominal muscles to help move feces out.

Constipation is featured by:

a. Fewer than 3 bowel movements per week;

b. Hard, dry stools;

c. Straining to move the bowels; and

d. A sense of an incomplete evacuation.

3. Heartburn and slowed digestion

Slouched posture after a meal can activate heartburn produced by acid reflux (when stomach acid travels back up into the esophagus).

Slouching places the pressure on the abdomen which can force stomach acid in the wrong direction.

Some evidence indicates that movement in the intestines slows down when the patient slouches.

The aim of a person’s posture is a neutral, upright spine position (not flexed too far forward or backward).

A neutral spine is also significant when it is time to move the bowels.

The person should maintain the back straight and bend forward at the hips.

Maintaining the knees higher than the hips by placing the feet on a footstool imitates a squatting position, which is best for helping to open the anus so the patient can pass feces without straining.

To decrease the risk of stress incontinence leakage, the doctor advocates strengthening the pelvic floor muscles