What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common digestive condition that affects the gut. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. IBS is a chronic condition, meaning it can come and go over time, impacting both physical health and emotional well-being.
How Acupuncture Can Help with IBS
Research suggests that acupuncture may help manage IBS symptoms by improving gut function and reducing discomfort. Several studies have explored its effectiveness:
Zheng et al. (2016): A randomised controlled trial found that electroacupuncture improved symptoms and quality of life in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS and functional diarrhea.
Forbes et al. (2005): In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 50 IBS patients, those who received real acupuncture experienced significant relief from symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea compared to those who received sham acupuncture.
Cochrane Review (Lim et al., 2006): A review of eight clinical trials with 597 participants found some positive effects of acupuncture for IBS, though the authors noted that more high-quality research is needed.
Reference Lists
Forbes, A., Jackson, S., Walter, C., Quraishi, S., Jacyna, M., & Pitcher, M. (2005). Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: a blinded placebo-controlled trial. World journal of gastroenterology, 11(26), 4040–4044. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v11.i26.4040
Lim, B., Manheimer, E., Lao, L., Ziea, E., Wisniewski, J., Liu, J., & Berman, B. (2006). Acupuncture for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4), CD005111. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005111.pub2
Zheng, H., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Zeng, F., Zhou, S. Y., Zheng, H. B., Zhu, W. Z., Jing, X. H., Rong, P. J., Tang, C. Z., Wang, F. C., Liu, Z. B., Wang, S. J., Zhou, M. Q., Liu, Z. S., & Zhu, B. (2016). Electroacupuncture for patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome or functional diarrhea: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine, 95(24), e3884. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000003884