IBS Sufferers can Get Relief from Their Symptoms with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Both the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel have determined that acupuncture is a proper form of treatment for conditions directly related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. These include:
-Diarrhea
-Constipation
-Muscle cramping
-Stomach pain

Furthermore, acupuncture has also been regarded as a potent way of reducing stress and resolving problems that trigger IBS symptoms including:

-Premenstrual syndrome
-Menstrual cramps
-Nervousness
-Insomnia
-Anxiety

Like Tai Chi, acupuncture, is a very old form of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is performed by a trained and licensed practitioner who balances the energy of the body known as Qi by needling certain areas known as acupuncture points to stimulate the meridians (energy pathways) underneath the skin to enable the proper flow of Qi. These meridians normalize all psychological and mental processes. They are either activated or sedated to bring back balance to the flow of Qi.

Traditional Chinese medicine’s view on acupuncture mirrors the theory that the body comprises an emotional, spiritual, mental physical system that is holistic and complex and that the balance of its energy determines the state of health of the body. This means that an imbalanced Qi flow brings about dis-ease. To restore balance to Qi and to resolve dis-ease, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners (acupuncturists) usually use acupuncture in combination with dietary therapy and Chinese herbal remedies.

Acupuncture can help boost the flow of energy or remove the obstructions in the meridians through the use of hair thin needles inserted at specific acupuncture points in the body. It is important to note that your acupuncturist should only use disposable, sterile and single-use needles to prevent infections.

There are literally thousands of acupuncture points (acupoints) scattered throughout the human body and each one is connected to a specific organ system. The patient may feel a slight heaviness, warmth, aching or tingling sensation once the needles are pricked into the skin. A lot of patients profess no pain sensation from the needles; however, they may feel an unusual sensation that is neither discomforting nor unpleasant.

Sometimes, the needles are manipulated or heated with burnt moxa leaves to heighten the stimulation and make the treatment more potent. One acupuncture treatment may last for as short as five minutes to as long as a full hour. This depends on how well the patient responds to the treatment.

How many sessions of acupuncture are needed will depend on the acupuncturist and the condition being treated although usually they may range from one to several sessions in one week over a certain period of weeks or months. For the alleviation of pain, six sessions are usually needed to obtain significant results. If no relief from pain is achieved after ten sessions, the acupuncturist will deem the treatment as unsuccessful and will discontinue treatment. Treatments gradually lessen over time as the dis-ease gets better, though follow up treatment may be required from time to time to maintain the results.

Studies Done Regarding IBS and Acupuncture Treatment

We can cite a study that has been done that has observed the effectiveness of acupuncture vis-à-vis relaxation therapy in IBS patients. The study discovered that the gastrointestinal symptoms and the quality-of-life of both groups improved with acupuncture treatment with a notable improvement in stomach pain. However, after a month-lasting post trial period, the group given acupuncture therapy was the only group that attained long-lasting pain relief. Moreover, a substantial lowering in stress perception was also seen in this group and not in the relaxation group. The study administrators concluded that acupuncture can indeed effectively treat IBS, especially its stress and pain symptoms, and that its potency exceeds that of conventional relaxation therapy.

There is no doubt that acupuncture indeed provides relief from pain and resolves the other symptoms of IBS; the question Western medicine asks is how does acupuncture do it and if it does really achieve what it claims to achieve. One theory that tries to explain this phenomenon is that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system to release neurotransmitters known as endorphins that prevents pain signals from reaching the spinal cord and brain. Research has discovered that acupuncture affects the conduction of neural signals in the brain, which boosts the flow of blood to the area of the brain responsible for sending pain impulses into the body.

No one in the Western medical community knows how and why these changes happen. They probably will never know unless they accept the reality of Qi. For those suffering from the telltale symptoms of IBS, including constipation, diarrhea and daily pain, they wouldn’t care a bit as to how and why acupuncture works just as long as it helps them overcome their condition. The end result is what really matters, not the underlying reasons why it works.

The success of alternative healing techniques such as acupuncture, Tai Chi or even mediation cannot be explained without putting Qi into the picture. All these modalities have been proven successful for a wide range of conditions and because Western medicine cannot explain how they work, these therapies often come with the label “no proven therapeutic claim.” This label is misleading since they do have some therapeutic claims that are usually anecdotal in nature. But those who have gotten well using these modalities do not care at all what western medicine says about them. They just know that they work. Western medicine sees IBS as a psychosomatic problem, which is an excuse for its complete lack of understanding of the condition and its failure to come up with an effective cure or even a treatment for it. The most important thing for a treatment is the results it can accomplish. So if something helps relieve or prevent an IBS episode, then it should be considered a valid form of remedy for the condition. Of course, it would be desirable to know how and why the treatment works but if the treatment has no side effects and helps the patient get well, then why stop it at all?

Christina Prieto is an Orlando acupuncturist, a certified Yoga instructor and the founder of Harmony Wellness center in central Florida.