Digestive disorders

The old saying ‘you are what you eat’ has some truth, yet why is it if we change our dietary habits, take supplements and exercise it quite often is not enough to remedy a digestive disorder that has occurred.

Gastro-intestinal conditions are amongst the most common to be seen in a GPs surgery, and are equally common in Acupuncture clinics.

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The common patterns of digestive disorders in tcm

According to Chinese medicine, the common patterns associated with acupuncture for digestive problems are:

Spleen deficiency symptoms may be felt as fatigue, loss of appetite, bloating or loose stool.
Phlegm-damp accumulation symptoms are abdominal fullness, gas, weight gain, heavy feeling in body.
Liver Qi stagnation can be due to your emotional state and current stress factors. Symptoms may be epigastric distention, rib side pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, frequent sighing and neck/shoulder tension.
Food stagnation is related to overeating, fullness after meals, bloating, abdominal cramping or constipation.
Stomach heat is associated with symptoms of acid reflux, belching, foul breath or rapid hunger.

It’s common to experience more than one pattern at a time and many other patterns exist then the few listed above.

How does acupuncture treatment help?

Reduce inflammation of the stomach and pancreas and improve digestive functions
Increase gastrointestinal muscle contraction and relaxation, speed up metabolism
Reduce gastric acid secretion
Regulate small and large intestine function
Restore stomach acidity to normal levels
Decrease stress and improve energy

Acupuncture for digestive problems may integrate recommendations for diet and lifestyle modifications in order to correct dietary imbalances and regulate digestion.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have specifically reviewed, analysed and reported upon the valuable and comparable support and relief acupuncture provides for common gastroenterological symptoms across many disorders.