Alternative medicine has become an accepted and popular branch of medicine. More and more people are opting for it and being healed without any side effects. Alternative medicine is effective in treating many different types of chronic diseases and physical dysfunctions. Apart from curing other diseases, alternative medicine can also help with Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. Sphincter is an organ that an Italian anatomist Ruggero Oddi found in the human abdomen and he researched on its function. The job of this muscular valve like structure is to control the amount of pancreatic juices and bile that flows into the first portion of small intestine called duodenum. The hormones that help our digestion process and the nervous system of our body are responsible for the proper functioning of the Sphincter. Dysfunction of the Sphincter of Oddi can severely affect our digestion system.
When our stomach is empty and the intestine is at rest then the Sphincter of Oddi stays closed, so that the bile and pancreatic juices do not flow into the duodenum. As soon as food enters the duodenum for digestion, the Sphincter of Oddi opens up to let in the bile and pancreatic juices. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and pancreatic juices are secreted by the pancreas. Due to the dysfunction of the Sphincter of Oddi, the bile can get inside the pancreatic duct. Bile triggers the activity of the enzymes that help in digestion of food.
The digestive enzymes can severely damage the pancreas walls. If the pancreatic cells damage due to the activities of the digestive enzymes, it will cause severe pain and inflammation. In critical cases, the pancreatic tissue dies due to the activity of the digestive enzymes and causes pancreatitis.
The Sphincter of Oddi becomes dysfunctional because of bad lifestyle, too much stress and drug abuse. Many alternative medicine therapies like visceral massage, acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, Anti-Candida program, Intestinal Flora and Colon Hydrotherapy help in stopping the spasms of Sphincter of Oddi.
Herbal medicines and a customized healing diet chart can also reduce the side effects of a harsh lifestyle and allopathic medicines in the patient. Alternative medicine can also be used as a companion of traditional medical treatments to help the patient of such dysfunction recover from their ailment.
