Acupuncture for Digestive Issues and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

According to the NICE, each year approximately 10% of the population will experience IBS symptoms with up to half of those presenting to primary care clinicians. In England and Wales the number of people consulting for IBS is estimated to be between 1.6 and 3.9 million. However, as many people with symptoms do not seek medical advice these figures may be an underestimate (NICE, 2017).

Western medicine hasn’t yet come up with an underlying cause of IBS but what they do know is that it is often aggravated by stress, gut microbiome changes and intestinal muscle contractions. Chinese medicine doesn’t recognise IBS as it is able to explain its pathology but in a different framework. Acupuncturists seek to address the root cause of the IBS rather than just simply providing relief from any symptoms.

The most common symptoms of IBS:
- alternating diarrhoea and constipation
- bloating
- stomach pain
- nausea and borborygmi (stomach gurgling).

Acupuncture can help to manage stress, a well documented trigger of IBS, by bringing balance to both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. It can enhance the gut brain communication through vagus nerve activation allowing digestion to function optimally. Studies have shown that acupuncture can decrease disease activity and regulate inflammatory factors. It may also balance the immune system thus smoothing out the excessive responses that cause inflammation of the gut. This action can help relieve pain and digestive discomfort.

Because acupuncture triggers the bodies own feel good hormones like endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin it may improve your gut function and boost your mood regulation.

Acupuncture can also stimulate the digestive tract muscles and this can help food to move through your gastrointestinal system at a proper rate thus helping to prevent diarrhoea, constipation and reducing discomfort from bloating. It may also help to regulate the production of stomach acid by stimulating the closing action of the cardiac sphincter.