When acupuncture was compared with medication in treating
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it was found improvement induced by acupuncture
was more significant and lasted markedly longer than medication. The study was
published in the journal of China and Foreign Medical Treatment.
IBS is a common, long-term condition that affects the
large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating,
gas, and diarrhoea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that
you'll need to manage it for long term. The precise cause of IBS isn't known;
however it is believed that it's related to increased sensitivity of the gut
and problems digesting food. Conventional medication relieves symptoms but
causes advertise effect if it is chronically used. Acupuncture has been used to
help improve the symptoms of IBS for a long time in China.
A clinical study to compare the effectiveness of
acupuncture with conventional medication was conducted with recruitment of 98
patients who suffered from type-D (diarrhea predominant) IBS, that were
allocated into acupuncture group (n=49) and drug treatment group (n=49)
respectively. In acupuncture group needles were applied on the following
acupoints ST36, ST37, ST39, ST25 and CV4, once daily for consecutive 5 days
(one course), then 2-day interval for total 4 courses. Patients in drug treatment group were treated
with the drugs flupentixol/melitracen (0.5/10 mg) and bacillus licheniformis
(0.25 g) once daily for consecutive 4 weeks. Outcome measures included symptom
scores and the total effective rates for each group. Symptom scores were used
to assess loose bowel movements, frequency of bowel movements, and mucus in the
stools. The total effective rates were calculated according to the degree of
improvements. The cured, markedly effective, and effective cases were added
together to calculate the total effective rate for each group. All measurements
were monitored at the base line, the end of the treatment and 6 months after
treatment.
The results showed that the acupuncture treatment had
significantly greater relief, with a total effective rate of 97.96%, compared
with 83.67% in the drug treatment group. Six-month follow up showed that only
6.12% of patients receiving acupuncture experienced recurrence of symptoms,
compared with 24.49% in the drug treatment group.
The study indicated that acupuncture is not only more
effective for relieving IBS symptoms but has more sustainable effect.
Reference:
Wang X, Therapeutic
Effect of warm needle acupuncture on Diarrhea-Type Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
China and Foreign Medical Treatment, 2018, Vol.29 pp.173-174. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1972-acupuncture-beats-drugs-for-ibs-relief
