More and more people are now availing of acupuncture therapy for the treatment of their condition. Even for IBS sufferers, acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary and alternative therapies to help allay their symptoms.
What is Acupuncture?
The ancient healing art of acupuncture is actually a component of an ancient medical codex known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which also comprises Tui Na (Chinese massage), Tai Chi and Chinese herbal therapy among many others. Acupuncture is designed to bring back health by enhancing and restoring balance to the vital energy in the body known as qi. Acupuncture helps bring back proper function to organ systems of the body including the vessels, nerves, glands, muscles and other major organs.
How Are IBS Symptoms Treated With Acupuncture?
As mentioned a while ago, acupuncture helps improve body functions by restoring balance to qi which travels through the 14 major energy pathways known as meridians in the body. A patient suffering from IBS often manifests qi weakness in the large intestine, kidney, liver, lung and spleen meridians. These meridians then are the ones targeted for treatment by the acupuncturist. However, the acupuncturist will also need to consider the patient’s unique constitution and his specific symptoms to determine what proper course of treatment to follow.
The following IBS symptoms can be readily treated with acupuncture:
Diarrhea
Constipation
Abdominal pain
Muscle cramps
Besides these, acupuncture is great in alleviating stress and all other negative factors that cause IBS symptoms to develop. These factors include:
Menstrual cramps
PMS or premenstrual syndrome
Insomnia
Anxiety
To generate enhanced flow of chi in the meridians, the acupuncturist utilizes ultra-thin, sterile and single-use needles into acupuncture points in the skin. Just below these acupuncture points lie the meridians that correspond with the major organs in the body. How far the needles are inserted into the skin depends on the patient’s muscle thickness.
The needles do not elicit pain once they are inserted into the body and after a very short while the patient will begin to feel the effects of the treatment. After the needles are inserted into the skin, the acupuncturist may manipulate the needles to generate the desired effects. Sometimes the needles are connected to an electrical generating machine via wires to better stimulate the meridian. The needles are left in place for as short as 5 minutes to as long as an hour. After the needles are removed all sensations brought about by the needles disappear.
Besides the needling process, acupuncturists also can use moxibustion for IBS. Moxibustion is a procedure that uses mugwort herb that is burned above specified acupoints. It is believed that this treatment penetrates deeper into the body compared to the acupuncture needles.
Despite the abundant empirical evidence of acupuncture relieving many kinds of symptoms and balancing energy in the body, Western medicine thinks that acupuncture treatment merely helps release pain-killing chemicals like endorphins to alleviate pain and discomfort and improves the flow of blood to help better symptoms. Although how acupuncture really works seems to be still a mystery, abundant evidences show that a lot of IBS sufferers have gained relief from symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, cramping and abdominal pain with acupuncture.
Acupuncture is a very safe treatment option but you need to talk to your doctor first before trying it out. You need to know that acupuncture treatment may entail multiple sessions before you start to experience its more substantial effects. Lastly, you need to look for a licensed acupuncturist who has experience treating your specific condition.