ACUPUNCTURE FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal problems, although this does not lessen the impact it can have on a person's daily life. Visit this BBC Health page for more information about the condition itself.

 

According to Chinese acupuncture, IBS can often relate to stress or PMS, with an imbalance in the stomach and spleen. I will mainly use earth element points to remove stagnant or blocked energy and balance these organs. 

 

However, as IBS symptoms vary from person to person, as always, I will draw up an individual treatment plan and take an in depth history of the patient. The acupuncture points used in a treatment may appear far from the actual problem, but certain points on the feet, for example, have a direct effect on the stomach due to the meridian lines running along the body. 

 

It is also important to look at a patient's diet and lifestyle to examine what could be attributing to their digestion problems.

 

Many conditions have been identified, by both the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel and the World Health Organisation, that are suitable for acupuncture treatment. These include a number that directly pertain to IBS:

 

Abdominal Pain

Muscle Cramping

Constipation

Diarrhoea

 

Acupuncture has also been deemed effective for stress related problems which can exacerbate IBS symptoms.