Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
ACUPUNCTURE FOR IBS
The Truth Of IBS SymptomsTo an acupuncturist trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine there is no such disease as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
To MDs, IBS is a diagnosis for a combination of gastro intestinal symptoms not understood through conventional tests. If your diagnosis is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it means your doctor doesn't know what's causing your problem. It means that tests have revealed little or nothing to explain your symptoms.
Acupuncture and TCM, has a better understanding of these ailments. Combinations of diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and pain have been observed categorized, and successfully treated for many generations without benefit of colonoscopy, endoscopy, and microscopic examination for millennia.
To the acupuncturist, IBS symptoms are not a mystery. These patterns involve the flow of energy, and/or the harmony of the digestive organs. They are well documented in the medical literature of acupuncture.
Many differing patterns are undifferentiated by modern medicine, and are lumped together under the name IBS.
CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES FOR IBS
Acupuncture and IBS
To the acupuncturist, IBS symptoms are well documented in traditional Chinese texts. Patterns known as Spleen Qi Deficiency, Damp Heat in the Large Intestine, Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Invades Spleen, are all diagnosed by Western doctors as IBS. To insure successful acupuncture treatment, IBS must first be diagnosed according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture Research and IBS
A study presented to the American college of Gastroenterology investigated the use of acupuncture versus relaxation therapy in IBS patients. The study found that patients' quality-of-life and gastrointestinal symptom scores were equally improved in both groups, with a statistically significant reduction in abdominal pain. However, when the patients were followed for a 4-week period post-trial period, pain reduction persisted only in the acupuncture group.
Furthermore, a significant reduction in stress perception was also observed in the acupuncture group, but not in the relaxation group. The conclusion drawn was that acupuncture is an effective form of treatment for IBS, particularly the pain and stress symptoms, and that its benefits exceed those of standard relaxation treatment.
(Lu B, Hu Y, Tenner S. A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome. Program and abstracts of the 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology; October 16-18, 2000, New York, NY.)
Selected Acupuncture Points Used to Treat IBS
Acupuncture Point Liver 13 • Zhang Men • Liver 13 Camphorwood Gate. Front Mu Point of the Spleen that connects with Back Shu BL20.
Location: On the lateral abdomen, slightly inferior and anterior to the tip of the free end of the eleventh rib.
Harmonizes The Liver And Spleen
Regulates The Middle Burner
Regulates The Spleen
Spreads Liver Qi
Regulates The Lower Burner
Regulates Qi
Acupuncture Point ST36 • Zu San Li • Stomach 36 Leg Three Miles. He Sea Point on the Stomach Channel. Special Command Point for the Abdomen.
Location: On the leg, one finger breadth lateral to the tibia's anterior crest, 3 cun inferior to ST 35 in the depression to the lateral side of the patella.
Harmonizes The Stomach
Regulates The Spleen
Supports The Correct Qi
Regulates Qi
Cools Fire
Activates The Channel
Revives The Yang
Revives Consciousness
Drains Damp
Calms The Spirit
Nourishes Blood
Nourishes Yin
Strengthens Original Qi
Alleviates Pain
Acupuncture Point ST25 • Tian Shu • Stomach 25 Celestial Pivot. Front Mu Point of the Large Intestine.
Location: On the abdomen, 2 cun lateral to the umbilicus.
Contraindication: Do Not Needle If Pregnancy is known or suspected
Regulates The Intestines
Regulates The Spleen And Stomach
Drains Damp
Regulates Qi And Blood
Transforms Stagnation
Resolves Damp Heat
Acupuncture Point SP6 • San Yin Jiao • Spleen 6 Three Yin Intersection. Meeting Point on the Spleen Channel with the Liver and Kidney Channels.
Location: On the medial leg, 3 cun superior to the medial malleolus, on the posterior border of the tibia.
Contraindication: Do Not Needle If Pregnancy is known or suspected.
Regulates The Spleen And Stomach
Drains Damp
Regulates The Liver
Regulates The Lower Burner
Activates The Channel
Alleviates Pain
Tonifies The Kidneys
