Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Not surprisingly, this is a poorly defined condition having as prominent symptoms abdominal pain (crampy or steady) and either constipation or diarrhea or both. Sometimes there is gas and bloating. Often times there is urgency to empty bowels at risk of soiling oneself. Smelly flatulence may accompany all of the above.

Stress often precedes or exacerbates the condition – either emotional, spiritual, or physical. Occasionally foods, coffee, or alcohol will bring on an episode, but usually that is just another physical stress.

Because there is no blood test, x-ray or colonoscopy finding, some physicians dismiss the condition, saying that it is “all in the patient’s head.” Such physicians should experience the symptoms – they might change their opinion then. An allied condition is “non-ulcerative gastritis/colitis.” It behaves and feels just like an ulcer, but there is no ulcer present on exam.

My current protocol normalizes the gut function by of both large and small intestine indirectly through low frequency electric stimulation of the abdomenal wall. This helps not only diarrhea but also constipation. It even relieves paralytic ileus - a cause of distress in after surgery. Medical Acupuncture done at the same time greatly enhances that direct stimulatioon.

All of these conditions have more recently been linked to inflammation in the digestive tract. The signs may not be grossly visible, but when one biopsies and examines tissue microscopically, there is clear evidence of inflammation with white blood cells prominent in the tissue. Interestingly, some of the more effective treatments are cortisone enemas and oral steroids – whose major effect is to combat inflammation.

Medical acupuncture can combat the symptoms and the underlying cause of IBS in several ways. Most simply, it can induce the body to produce more cortisol. That gives the good effects of cortisone, without the numerous bad side effects of administered prednisone or other steroids. Another way acupuncture can help is through electric stimulation of the bowel to even out the highly irregular contractions which lead to cramping, obstruction, and diarrhea. Combined with very simple and basic dietary advice (avoid dairy or wheat if intolerant, re colonize with beneficial bacteria, and pay attention to your body’s response to different foods), medical acupuncture can help most people to control IBS symptoms and have a much more comfortable life.

“Specializing in Difficult-to-Treat Medical Conditions”