SHENCLINIC
BERKELEY ACUPUNCTURE
Berkeley Acupuncture, Acupressure, and Herbs
serving Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito, and the East Bay
since 1987

Shen Clinic 1385 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA (510) 848-HERB sales@drshen.com

Acupuncture and IBS

To the acupuncturist, IBS symptoms are well documented in traditional Chinese texts. Patterns known as Spleen Qi Deficiency, Damp Heat in the Large Intestine, Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Invades Spleen, are all diagnosed by Western doctors as IBS. To insure successful acupuncture treatment, IBS must first be diagnosed acording to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Acupuncture Research and IBS

A study presented to the American college of Gastroenterology investigated the use of acupuncture versus relaxation therapy in IBS patients. The study found that patients' quality-of-life and gastrointestinal symptom scores were equally improved in both groups, with a statistically significant reduction in abdominal pain. However, when the patients were followed for a 4-week period post-trial period, pain reduction persisted only in the acupuncture group.

Furthermore, a significant reduction in stress perception was also observed in the acupuncture group, but not in the relaxation group. The conclusion drawn was that acupuncture is an effective form of treatment for IBS, particularly the pain and stress symptoms, and that its benefits exceed those of standard relaxation treatment.

(Lu B, Hu Y, Tenner S. A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome. Program and abstracts of the 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology; October 16-18, 2000, New York, NY.)