by urban-acupuncture | Dec 5, 2023 | Acupuncture
Acupuncture for Gastrointestinal Diarrhea Distress
Whether you’re grappling with chronic diarrhea, explosive bouts of loose stools, or post-meal discomfort, you may be dealing with gastrointestinal issues linked to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), food allergies, parasites, or stress. Acupuncture may provide an alternative approach to alleviating diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.
Understanding the Causes of Diarrhea
Diarrhea, characterized by loose stool, can result from various factors. Acute diarrhea, lasting only one or two days, often resolves on its own.
Short-term watery diarrhea is frequently attributed to food poisoning, typically caused by consuming spoiled or improperly cooked food, leading to symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. Viral infections, such as the “stomach flu,” can also trigger watery diarrhea.
Chronic diarrhea, persisting for weeks or involving recurring episodes, may be associated with IBS, IBD, Celiac disease, or other underlying issues. It’s worth noting that over 6% of adults in the U.S. report experiencing chronic diarrhea, and this is also a significant concern for children worldwide.
Common Culprits of Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a common occurrence, often temporary, but it can escalate to a point where treatment becomes necessary. Some common factors leading to loose bowel movements include:
- Bacterial infections, traveler’s diarrhea, food poisoning, or consumption of unsafe drinking water.
- Viral infections, like rotavirus, viral gastroenteritis, or stomach flu.
- Parasite infections, such as giardiasis.
- Food-related issues like allergies, intolerances, sensitivities, or Celiac disease.
- Reactions to medications, such as antibiotics, antidepressants, or Metformin.
- Side effects of radiation therapy or cancer treatment.
- IBS, a condition characterized by alternating diarrhea, constipation, and stomach cramps.
- IBD, encompassing conditions like colitis and Crohn’s disease, which are autoimmune disorders affecting the gastrointestinal tract.
- Malabsorption of food, leading to poor nutrient absorption.
- Menstrual cycle or perimenopause, with changes in hormones like estrogen contributing to diarrhea.
- Specific foods or supplements like excessive coffee, artificial sweeteners (e.g., mannitol and sorbitol), and red food coloring. Magnesium supplements can also lead to loose stools.
If diarrhea persists beyond a few days, it is crucial to seek medical advice, as chronic diarrhea can result in dehydration and fatigue, potentially indicating a more serious underlying condition.
Identifying the Causes of Chronic Diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea may signal underlying conditions like IBS or IBD, characterized by recurrent diarrhea episodes. Some common disorders associated with chronic diarrhea include:
- IBD, the most prevalent types being ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. IBD often leads to bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain, with the potential for chronic or recurrent diarrhea, dehydration, fatigue, and weight loss.
- Ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation and ulcers in the lower gastrointestinal system, including the colon and rectum.
- Crohn’s disease, another autoimmune disorder primarily affecting the small intestine but potentially impacting any part of the gastrointestinal tract.
- IBS, a functional gastrointestinal disorder, often resulting in recurring diarrhea and abdominal pain. It can manifest with alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation, with individuals experiencing more diarrhea-dominant IBS referred to as having “IBS-D.”
- Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition triggered by the consumption of wheat gluten, causing severe GI inflammation and leading to symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, malnutrition, fatigue, and skin rashes.
Can Acupuncture Be Beneficial to Treat Diarrhea?
Acupuncture is considered a valuable option for managing chronic diarrhea. Acupuncture emphasizes the interplay of organ systems in maintaining harmony within the body. Imbalances in one system can disrupt others, leading to various symptoms. The spleen plays a pivotal role in breaking down food nutrients and converting them into energy. Impaired spleen function often results in watery stools. Symptoms may vary depending on how the spleen interacts with other organs, such as the liver, stomach, or kidneys.
Common diagnostic patterns associated with chronic diarrhea include:
- Spleen Deficiency with Liver Qi stagnation: Marked by mucus in the stool, abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, irritability, and depression.
- Spleen Deficiency with Stomach deficiency: Characterized by watery stools, poor appetite, early satiety, stomach distension after meals, pallor, and fatigue.
- Spleen Deficiency with Kidney Deficiency: Indicative of morning diarrhea, partially digested food in stools, abdominal and lower back pain, knee pain, and a sensation of cold.
Acupuncture treatment, which may include moxibustion and herbal remedies, aims to restore the spleen’s health and balance other organs. Research has shown that acupuncture can effectively alleviate diarrhea and constipation associated with IBS. Moreover, acupuncture can assist in managing stress and anxiety, common triggers for IBS symptoms.
For individuals with diarrhea linked to IBDs like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, acupuncture can help reduce inflammation and regulate immune responses. TCM treatment for Crohn’s disease or colitis, incorporating dietary changes and herbal supplements, can promote a healthier gut microbiome and strengthen the intestinal walls, addressing the root causes of chronic diarrhea.
Contact Urban Acupuncture Center in Columbus, OH For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Columbus, Ohio (Clintonville) (614) 725-2488 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
by urban-acupuncture | Dec 1, 2023 | Acupuncture
Acupuncture Can Help Treat Digestion Issues Such as Constipation
Scientific research and clinical trials have shown that acupuncture offers a more effective and sustainable solution for chronic constipation than pharmaceutical drugs.
For many individuals, constipation can be a persistent and perplexing issue. When someone experiences less than three bowel movements per week without any underlying medical condition or medication as the cause, it is classified as chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC).
Chronic constipation is a prevalent concern, particularly among the elderly, and can lead to both acute and chronic stress. About 60% of the elderly population faces some degree of constipation, often due to sluggish peristaltic movements that result in prolonged stool retention and hardened stools caused by excessive water absorption. Straining during bowel movements in the elderly can potentially lead to changes in coronary and cerebral vascular flow, increasing the risk of serious conditions like arrhythmias, angina, high blood pressure, acute myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular damage, or even death. Long-term medication use to alleviate constipation may lead to side effects such as stomachaches, diarrhea, and electrolyte imbalances, making the need for a safe and effective constipation treatment paramount.
Eastern medicine takes a holistic approach to the patient, employing four diagnostic methods: observation, listening, questioning, and pulse examination. Gathering information through patient questioning is crucial and should encompass details about stool-related issues (such as sensation, consistency, interval time, color, odor, and quantity), the onset of symptoms (such as after childbirth, postpartum, menopause, or old age), the progression of symptoms, factors that alleviate or exacerbate the problem, and accompanying symptoms like abdominal distension, loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, and insomnia.
Scientific Studies Support Acupuncture as and Effective Treatment for Constipation
Studies conducted at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine reveal the effectiveness of acupuncture in providing relief from constipation. In fact, the combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine has proven to be more beneficial for elderly constipation patients compared to pharmaceutical drugs, showing low relapse rates. Chronic constipation often includes infrequent and hard stools, straining during bowel movements, and incomplete evacuation, with secondary symptoms like stomach cramps, pain, and abdominal bloating or distention.
The research involved 72 volunteers from the gastrointestinal department at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and randomly divided them into two groups: a true acupuncture treatment group and a sham control group. The patients’ average age was 44, with 9 males and 27 females in the treatment group and 11 males and 25 females in the control group.
The research findings indicate that acupuncture effectively addresses the root causes of constipation and results in lower relapse rates compared to those who used mosapride, a medication designed to facilitate bowel movements. Mosapride, while effective, demonstrates a relatively high relapse rate (54.2%) upon discontinuation, along with potential side effects like abdominal pain, loose stools, insomnia, dizziness, and headaches. The active sham control group exhibited a total effective rate of 67.65%, whereas the true acupuncture group achieved an impressive 82.56% total effective rate. Notably, the sham points were needled 1 cm laterally to the true acupuncture points, possibly contributing to the clinical success in the sham group. However, the true acupuncture group significantly outperformed the sham control group, showing improved scores for the frequency of bowel movements, the difficulty of bowel movements, and a higher total effective rate.
The treatment regimen consisted of one 30-minute session per day for five consecutive days, completing four treatment cycles for a total of 20 acupuncture treatments. Patients were evaluated before and after the treatment to assess its efficacy.
In another study published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2016, acupuncture was identified as a treatment option for people with chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC). This therapy involves using acupuncture needles and small electrical currents to stimulate specific points on the body. Researchers randomly assigned approximately 1,000 individuals with CSFC to either electroacupuncture sessions or sham acupuncture sessions, resulting in 31% of the treatment group achieving three or more bowel movements per week, compared to 12% in the sham group after 28 sessions spanning eight weeks. The effects were found to last an additional 12 weeks for both groups.
Professor Han Jing Xuan from Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine developed a treatment protocol using the Sanjiao acupuncture method and the traditional herbal decoction Huang Di San. This combination was found to be a more effective treatment for elderly constipation than cisapride, a conventional pharmaceutical medication. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) attributes chronic constipation in the elderly to a weak liver and kidneys, poor qi and blood circulation, and subsequent malnourishment of the large intestine. TCM also emphasizes that prolonged consumption of bitter and cold foods damages the spleen and stomach, resulting in slowed qi and blood replenishment and weakened peristaltic movements, ultimately affecting the ability to evacuate feces. Acupuncture has been proven as a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from functional constipation.
Contact Urban Acupuncture Center in Columbus, OH For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Columbus, Ohio (Clintonville) (614) 725-2488 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
by urban-acupuncture | Dec 1, 2023 | Acupuncture
Bloating Treatment with Acupuncture
Are you tired of dealing with uncomfortable digestive issues like bloating? If so, you’re not alone. While there are various treatments available, have you ever considered acupuncture as a potential solution? Due to its effectiveness in treating a variety of health concerns, including digestive problems like bloating, acupuncture, an age-old treatment technique derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, is becoming more and more well-known. In this post, we’ll look at how acupuncture can improve digestive health and reduce bloating.
Understanding Bloating and its Causes
Bloating is characterized by a feeling of fullness and tightness in the abdomen, often accompanied by gas and abdominal discomfort. It can be caused by various factors, including poor dietary choices, stress, food intolerances, and gastrointestinal disorders. Acupuncture offers a natural, comprehensive approach to treating bloating that goes beyond treating the symptoms to addressing the underlying reasons.
How Acupuncture Can Help Relieve Bloating
Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific points on the body known as acupuncture points. These locations are thought to be linked to the body’s internal meridians or energy lines. Acupuncture works to balance the body’s energy, by stimulating these spots.
In the case of bloating, acupuncture can help in several ways. First off, it encourages relaxation by encouraging the body’s natural mood- and pain-lifters, endorphins, to be released. Stress and tension, which are frequently linked to digestive problems, can be lessened with the aid of this relaxation reaction.
Second, by controlling the gastrointestinal tract’s motility, acupuncture can enhance digestive function. It aids in stimulating the digestive system’s muscles and nerves, improving peristalsis (the intestines’ wavelike action), and fostering effective nutritional digestion and absorption.
Acupuncture can also treat particular bodily imbalances that may be a factor in bloating. For instance, acupuncture can tackle imbalances if an underlying illness like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or dyspepsia is what’s causing your bloating.
The Process of Acupuncture for Bloating
A certified and experienced acupuncturist will carefully evaluate your symptoms and general health during a session of acupuncture. Once they have identified the underlying imbalances causing your bloating, they will develop a customized treatment plan for you. Depending on your particular needs, the acupuncturist will place tiny needles into particular acupuncture sites, which could be located on the hands, legs, or abdomen.
Most patients feel a sensation of tranquility during an acupuncture treatment, which is typically painless and soothing. The needles are usually left in place for a brief period of time, usually between 15 and 30 minutes. It is crucial to remember that acupuncture is a slow procedure, and for best results, several treatments may be required.
Conclusion: Rediscovering Balance and Relief
Remember that your health comes first, and looking into complementary therapies like acupuncture might pave the way to a better quality of life. Give it a try and see the remarkable changes it might bring about in your digestive health!
Contact Urban Acupuncture Center in Columbus, OH For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Columbus, Ohio (Clintonville) (614) 725-2488 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
