Acupuncture may help with physical emotional symptoms of IBS

British Acupuncture Council Factsheet on IBS by ARRC (Acupuncture Research Resource Centre).

The cause of IBS 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. The symptoms are usually triggered by stress or eating. Systematic reviews of the research literature suggest that conventional medications are of limited benefit in IBS (Akehurst et al, 2001).

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).
- Reducing anxiety and depression (Samuels et al, 2008).

Read the full article on recent acupuncture research for IBS -British Acupuncture Council Factsheet on IBS by ARRC (Acupuncture Research Resource Centre).