13 Aug Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine
Treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. It is characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits. Typically, doctors cannot find any abnormalities in patients’ intestines from medical tests.
Treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. It is characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits. Typically, doctors cannot find any abnormalities in patients’ intestines from medical tests.
The cause(s) of such altered intestinal motility is not known. Dietary, psychological, hormonal, or genetic factors may each play a role.
John, 51, male is an attorney and his first visit was on April 13, 2011.
He complains of frequent bowel movements (4-8 times daily) along with abdominal cramps. He recalled that he has always been sensitive to food since age 30 when he started his career. He can’t eat anything he wants, has cramps or urgency to go to the bathroom right after a big meal and feels bloated. This can happen once or twice a week, or more frequently. Increased stress seems to aggravate his condition. At first, his GI doctor thought that he had food allergies, but all tests were negative. Then the doctor diagnosed him with IBS.
In Chinese medicine, his condition is “Disharmony of Liver and Spleen”. The treating principle is to promote Liver Qi movement, and strengthen Spleen Qi.
We make plan: Acupuncture twice a week for 3 weeks, then once a week for 6 more weeks, along with Chinese herbs.
John is very dedicated to keeping his appointments. After one month of treatment, cramping is almost gone; diarrhea went down to 1-2 times a day and he has more energy. He still needs to be careful with his diet. He said, “I feel much more balanced, and I haven’t felt this well for months”. We continued treatment for a few more sessions, and his condition improved even more. John still receives treatment periodically for maintenance, to prevent a severe episode.
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