Natural Health & Wellness

One of the best therapies that IBS sufferers can turn to is acupuncture. This oriental type of treatment can be used effectively to relieve IBS symptoms. Originating in China, acupuncture is a multi-millennial mode of treatment that is designed to bring back good health by enhancing and balancing the distribution of qi throughout the body. Qi is what the Chinese refers to as life or vital energy and how it flows in the body determines the state of health we have. Acupuncture helps bring back the normal operations of the blood vessels, nerves, glands, muscles, and body organs.

How can the Symptoms of IBS Be Improved with Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is known to be an effective modality for resolving IBS symptoms such as:

-Diarrhea
-Constipation
-Stomach pain
-Muscle cramps

Furthermore, stress and other factors that increase the risk of IBS can be effectively reduced with acupuncture. Some of these factors include:

-Menstrual cramping
-PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
-Insomnia
-Anxiety
-Nervousness

Acupuncture as aforementioned, works by enhancing and restoring balance to vital energy (qi) that flows via invisible pathways of energy called meridians. People with IBS typically suffer from deficiency in the large intestine, kidney, liver, lung and spleen meridians. Therefore, these meridians are the areas where the treatment will be focused. Unlike western medicine, the type of acupuncture treatment that each patient receives is different and unique and is based on the area where the discomfort is felt.

To help boost the flow in the affected meridians, single-use, disposable and tiny acupuncture needles are inserted into predetermined acupuncture points in the body. The depth of the insertion is based on how thick the muscles are. The needles need to penetrate the meridians associated with the targeted organs and tissues.

When the needles are inserted into the skin, the effect is painless but with a numbing or tingling sensation instead of pain at the site of the insertion.

After inserting the needles, the acupuncturist may twirl the needles or connect them to an electrical current to amplify the stimulation. The needles remain inserted in the body for around 20 minutes to an hour. All the sensations related to the procedure disappear after the needles are removed from the patient’s body.

There are actually other Chinese medicine techniques besides acupuncture that can benefit IBS patients. Moxibustion is one such procedure. This type of treatment uses a mugwort herb that is burned on the targeted acupoints. This therapy is known to reach the deeper parts of the body that needles are unable to reach.

Despite the fact that Chinese medicine through acupuncture can help relieve IBS symptoms by restoring the balance of qi in the body, western medicine complain that acupuncture can actually cause internal inflammation which leads the to manufacture and release endorphins – the body’s own natural painkillers. Whether that’s true or not, it is obvious that a lot of IBS suffering individuals have gotten well from their symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, bloating, cramping, and stomach pain.

For most people acupuncture is a very capable alternative form of treatment. What you need to do though first is to talk to your doctor prior to availing of this therapy. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, it usually takes a number of sessions before your condition starts to improve. Lastly, it’s imperative that you only seek treatment from an experienced and licensed acupuncture practitioner.

DeJongh Acupuncture Clinic
2929 SW 3rd Ave #610
Miami, FL 33129
(305) 677-3214