Acupuncture

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Treating IBS (Irritible Bowel Syndrome) with Acupuncture

The exact cause of IBS in Western medicine is unclear, but it appears that sensory nerves in the bowel are hypersensitive in people with IBS and may overreact when the bowel wall stretches. Intestinal muscles can be hypo- or hyperactive, causing pain, cramping, flatulence, sudden bouts of diarrhea, and/or constipation. However I have found that acupuncture helps to restore the harmonious function of the digestive system and patients in most cases respond quickly to treatment. As long as patients are not on any medication that interferes with the nervous system or hormonal function of the body, strong improvement is noticed within four sessions.


Where and how do I make a booking?

Treatments are available from Observatory, Cape Town. Fill in the form on the contact page or phone the acupuncturist directly with the number supplied to make an appointment.
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From the British Acupuncture Council website:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) describes a collection of symptoms, commonly including chronic abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence and altered bowel habits. It is a functional disorder of the intestines, occurring in the absence of visible structural abnormality.

Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may benefit IBS symptoms by:

  • Providing pain relief (Pomeranz, 1987).
  • Regulating the motility of the digestive tract (Chen et al, 2008).
  • Raising the sensory threshold of the gut (Xing et al, 2004). A lowered threshold to bowel pain and distention are hallmarks of IBS.
  • Increasing parasympathetic tone (Schneider et al, 2007). Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which can stimulate colon spasms, resulting in abdominal discomfort. In people with IBS, the colon can be oversensitive to the smallest amount of conflict or stress. Acupuncture activates the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates the relaxation or 'rest and digest' response.
  • Reducing anxiety and depression (Samuels et al, 2008). The distress provoked by IBS symptoms can lead to a vicious cycle of anxiety-pain-anxiety, while the embarrassing nature of the condition can lead to feelings of depression. Acupuncture can alter the brain’s mood chemistry, increases production of serotonin (Han et al, 1986) and endorphins (Han, 2004), helping to combat these negative affective states. Acupuncture can be safely and effectively combined with Western biomedicine, and other treatments such as relaxation exercises, herbal medicine and psychotherapy. In addition to offering acupuncture and related therapies, acupuncturists will often make suggestions as to dietary and other lifestyle changes that may be helpful in combating IBS symptoms. Working with a supportive therapist can also help people suffering from IBS to change their negative health beliefs and improve their coping mechanisms, which can have a positive influence on both mood and symptoms.
For a full list of studies and their conclusions view the BAcC website.

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