Strengthen Your Digestive Health with Acupuncture

Strengthen Your Digestive Health with Acupuncture

More than 95 million Americans suffer from digestive disorders ranging from constipation, diarrhea

and irritable bowel syndrome to more serious conditions such as acid reflux (GERD), ulcerative

colitis and Crohn’s disease. In fact, more than 35 million physician office visits a year are due to

gastrointestinal complaints. Reports confirm that acupuncture and Oriental medicine can offer relief

from even the most complex digestive problems.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive Disorders

Evidence that Oriental medicine has been used for digestive disorders can be found in early

medical literature dating back to 3 AD, where specific acupuncture points and herbal formulas

for borborygmus (rumbling or gurgling in the intestines), abdominal pain and diarrhea with pain

are discussed.

According to Oriental medical theory, most digestive disorders are due to disharmony in the

spleen and stomach. The spleen plays a central part in the health and vitality of the body, taking

a lead role in the assimilation of nutrients and maintenance of physical strength. It turns

digested food from the stomach into usable nutrients and Qi (energy). Many schools of thought

have been formed around this organ; the premise being that the proper functioning of the

“middle” is the key to all aspects of vitality.

By taking into account a person’s constitution and varied symptoms, a treatment plan is designed

specifically for the individual to bring their “middle” back into harmony and optimize the proper

functioning of the digestive system. A variety of techniques can be used during treatment

including acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore

digestive health.

Is your digestive system functioning as well as it could? Acupuncture and Oriental

medicine are extremely effective at treating a wide array of digestive disorders. Call

(904) 448-0046 today for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Relief for Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is part of a category of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and it

presents with inflammation in the lining of the large intestine, specifically the colon and sometimes

the rectum. The lining becomes inflamed due to small wounds or ulcers, which then produce

mucus and pus.

To be more specific, the condition occurs when the body mistakenly identifies food or other

substances as foreign invaders. White blood cells are called up as part of an immune response,

which proceed to cause inflammation and damage in the large intestine. Flare-ups may be

triggered by stress, infections and certain anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

However, the exact cause of ulcerative colitis is not known, but medical researchers suspect a

link between a person’s genetics, general state of the immune system and environmental factors.

Most people start showing symptoms in their 30’s since the disease advances slowly over time,

and men and women are equally as likely to be affected. Children are also at risk and, in general,

the younger a child is the more likely the symptoms and complications will be severe. Growth

and mental development may be a problem in this case.

As there can be weeks or even months without a patient experiencing symptoms, when they do

occur, they are referred to as flare-ups. The inflammation and ulceration associated with

ulcerative colitis can cause pain and different problems, including frequent, watery diarrhea,

persistent diarrhea with pain and bloody stool, urgent bowel movements, incomplete evacuation

of the bowels despite a feeling of urgency, abdominal cramping, loss of appetite, weight loss, body

fluid depletion, fatigue, fever or urgent diarrhea that wakes you up in the middle of the night.

The symptoms and how long they occur for can vary widely for each patient. Many sufferers

report only minimal or moderate symptoms, while others experience life-threatening complications

such as severe dehydration and major bleeding from the colon.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is equipped to handle the symptoms of ulcerative colitis as

demonstrated by a meta-analysis of different scientific studies conducted since the 1990’s. A

team of researchers conducted a wide-scale analysis of 43 randomized, controlled trials

investigating the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of irritable bowel

disease. Of those 43 trials, 42 specifically analyzed and addressed ulcerative colitis.

Researchers then focused on 10 scientific studies that compared the use of acupuncture and

moxibustion to the use of oral sulphasalazine for symptom relief. Sulphasalazine is a doctor-

prescribed pharmaceutical drug that is commonly used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis

and rheumatoid arthritis. After analyzing the studies, researchers concluded “acupuncture

and moxibustion demonstrated better overall efficacy than oral sulphasalazine in treating

inflammatory bowel disease.” This meta-analysis was performed by a team at the Shanghai

University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China. The study was published in the

2013 issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a peer-reviewed

medical journal covering alternative medicine.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Acupuncture

A common disorder affecting 10 to 20 percent of adults at some point in their lives, irritable

bowel syndrome (IBS) was once called “spastic colon” and has a combination of symptoms that

may include constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, fatigue and headaches that can be worsened

by certain foods, stress and other irritants. IBS is the end result of nervous interference with

the normal function of the lower digestive tract. The symptoms are variable and change over time.

While other patterns may be present, IBS is typically considered a disharmony between the

liver and the spleen in Oriental medicine. The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi and

blood throughout the body. This flow can be upset by emotions or stress, causing stagnation of

Qi or blood. Oriental medicine views the spleen as being associated with the function of digestion

and transforming food into energy (Qi and blood). The spleen can be weakened by a number of

factors, including overeating unhealthy foods, overwork, stress, fatigue and lack of exercise.

When the spleen is weak and the liver is not moving smoothly, the liver overacts on the spleen

and can manifest as symptoms of IBS. Symptoms can be managed by avoiding overeating,

exercise, identifying trigger foods and reducing stress.

Do you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Call (904) 448-0046 today to see

how Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can improve your quality of life!

Crohn’s Disease Symptom Relief

Crohn’s disease is a medical condition that can cause chronic inflammation anywhere in the

gastrointestinal tract–from the mouth all the way to the rectum. Often, but not always, the

inflamed tissue is specifically found in the ileum (the end of the small intestine) and the

beginning of the colon. Inflammation can spread into the deeper layers of the tract and

frequently has what is known as a “cobblestone appearance.” This refers to the fact that

some patches of diseased tissue are found next to patches of healthy tissue.

Although all age groups are equally at risk, people 15-35 years old are most commonly affected.

Crohn’s is a difficult condition to cure, so the main focus of treatment is to help manage symptoms

with medication and dietary changes and, in some cases, surgery to repair or remove affected

areas of the gastrointestinal tract. Because the disease is chronic, the individual may experience

periods of flare-ups and aggravating symptoms, while at other times the person will have periods

with no apparent symptoms at all.

Symptoms vary from patient to patient, and may include persistent, recurrent diarrhea,

bleeding from the anus, urgent need to evacuate the bowels, constipation or feeling of incomplete

evacuation, abdominal cramping, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, mental

and physical developmental delays (in certain cases occurring amongst children), fever, night

sweats, or irregular menstrual cycle

It is important to receive an early diagnosis as untreated Crohn’s disease can eventually cause

life-threatening symptoms such as tears in the lining of the rectum and fistulas. Fissures can

cause excess bleeding and pain. Fistulas happen when inflammation erodes tissue, causing the

formation of a tunnel starting from the intestines, going to the urinary bladder, vagina or even

the skin.

A study called Acupuncture Helps Crohn’s Disease Patients was published in the journal World

of Gastroenterology, and it had some very promising results. It concluded that “acupuncture

provided significant therapeutic benefits in patients with active Crohn’s disease, beyond the

placebo effect and is therefore an effective and safe treatment.” Even more encouraging,

researchers also discovered that both lab scores and quality of life scores improved. This

means that acupuncture and Oriental medicine is adept at handling the physical and emotional

symptoms that often accompany the disease.

For the study, the acupuncture points selected for treatment focused on reducing inflammation

in the intestinal tract. Each participant received three treatments per week for a total of 12 weeks.

Additionally, moxibustion (moxa) was also used on four acupuncture points on the stomach. Moxa

is a traditional technique that uses the smoke from the herb mugwort to penetrate the skin. In

this way, it stimulates the body’s immune system. Often, the warm smoke provides a pleasant,

comforting experience for the patient.

Diet is very important and the right choices can help reduce some symptoms. In general,

acupuncture and Oriental medicine suggests refraining from eating raw and cold foods.

Call today to learn more about how diet can impact the symptoms of Crohn’s.

Reduce Your Risk of Getting Food Poisoning

Four simple steps to reducing the occurrence of food poisoning are to clean, separate, cook