DISGESTIVE DISORDERS

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A wide variety of digestive issues fall under the umbrella term of ‘Digestive Disorders’, including stomach ache, acid reflux, IBS, constipation, gas, bloating, and any digestion-related abdominal pain, to name a few. 

The underlying causes can be numerous and symptoms vary largely, ranging from mild to moderate to severe, from cramps to belching, heartburn, upset tummy and changes in bowel habits, among others. While we all suffer from poor digestion from time to time, persistent symptoms shouldn’t be overlooked or masked by relying solely on over-the-counter medications. These, in fact, can only provide quick but short-term relief from uncomfortable symptoms. If not addressed effectively, digestive disorders can have a huge impact on daily life and overall health. 

When digestion isn’t working, meaning that you’re not digesting the food you eat, or not actually absorbing all nutrients from it, or not excreting waste material properly, the rest of the body might slowly start to suffer too. These symptoms may include rashes, eczema, psoriasis, fatigue, low immunity, depression and insomnia. 

Over time, chronic conditions or autoimmune diseases may develop, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s Disease, Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), along with thyroid and hormonal problems, emotional issues and mood swings.  Stress and lifestyle also play a huge role in digestive health and can often trigger flare-ups of the condition. In order to treat any digestive ailment effectively, it is crucial to address stress levels, including emotional difficulties, anxiety and depression. 

Whether you choose the Western or the Chinese Medicine’s approach or a combination of the two, it is therefore essential you also address lifestyle factors. 

Western Medicine View 

‘All disease begins in the gut’. 

As acknowledged 2,000 years ago by Greek physician Hippocrates (400 BCE) – ‘the Father of Modern Medicine’ – scientific research is now consistently proving the undeniable link between gut health and immunity, brain function, mood, stress and overall health. Studies are showing that an imbalance in the gut flora, ‘our second brain’, together with hyper-permeability of the intestinal walls can potentially damage other organs and cause multi-organ dysfunctions.

In addition to this, disruption in the digestive system has been shown to impact mental health, resulting in anxiety, stress and other emotional symptoms. 

Supported by a growing body of evidence, Western Medicine is now starting to take into account lifestyle factors in the treatment of digestive disorders and encourages healthier choices and a more mindful approach to food and life in general. 

From a treatment perspective, symptoms still remain the main target with over-the-counter drugs like indigestion pills, liquids and laxatives, designed to give immediate but temporary relief. The main concern to be aware of is that continued use of such drugs can cause symptoms to get worse over time, requiring higher dosages or leading to overuse. This not only reduces the efficacy of the medication itself but also allows the possibility to develop more serious or difficult to reverse chronic diseases. 

Chinese Medicine View 

‘Above all else, protect your digestion.’ 

The importance of the digestive system and the link between brain, mind and whole body or, in modern terms ‘the Brain-Mind-Gut axis’, has been recognized in Chinese Medicine for millennia. In fact, according to Chinese Medicine, any impairment of the digestive system can result in what is called ‘Qi deficiency’ and is known for triggering multiple mental and physical symptoms. 

Today, science confirms that an imbalance in the gut microbiota can be a root cause of several brain, mind, and physical disorders. In Chinese Medicine digestive disorders are seen as a result of imbalances within the Stomach, Liver, and Spleen organs, the major areas responsible for the absorption and the transformation of food, drink, medications and anything you ingest into fuel and vital nutrients. Hence, their optimal health is crucial to all bodily functions. Symptoms will vary depending on which orgain is affected. Therefore treatment will vary too.   

Chinese Medicine practitioners will seek to restore the overall health of the digestive system and ease symptoms by using Acupuncture and will also make suggestions regarding lifestyle and diet. In fact, the belief that food is a form of medicine and that a healthy, balanced diet is integral to overall health and well-being is a foundation of Chinese Medicine. Not only does it matter what you put into your body, but it also matters how you eat it and when/how often you eat during the day. 

Acupuncture Can Help 

A wide variety of digestive disorders, both chronic and acute, can be successfully treated with Acupuncture. This is consistently validated by a growing body of research and endorsed by the WHO for certain conditions. 

Following a health consultation, our practitioner will tailor an individualised treatment for you. The treatment will primarily focus on reversing the underlying cause of the disorder, while also addressing and relieving uncomfortable presenting symptoms. 

Such an approach, while being ultimately more effective and safe than other drug-based approaches, can take longer to show effects. We normally recommend a minimum of 3-4 weeks to start seeing some effects, although appreciable improvements might be noticed sooner.

Acupuncture at Bubbling Spring Acupuncture Clinic 

Many clients come to Helen for help with a range of digestive disorders, commonly for things like IBS, bloating, variable bowel movements, acid reflux. In recent times she has also been successfully helping clients with continued digestive system issues following a Covid-19 infection, for example bloating, gas, acid reflux, loose stools, pain, loss of taste/smell.  

During the consultation, our practitioner Helen Trill will ask lots of questions about your symptoms as well as any seemingly unrelated issues you may have. She will use this information to form a diagnosis and choose an individualised course of treatment for you. Recommendations may also be made at the end of the consultation.    

Client Feedback 

'Helen is the perfect example of a person whose total aim is calmly and thoughtfully to improve one’s health! Not only does she use her wide range of Acupuncture and Shiatsu skills with great success but she also is constantly widening her healing knowledge with other techniques. Most medication therefore, without all the inevitable side effects, is thankfully not needed. Helen, thank you very much indeed!' Nichola (Left on Google Reviews)

'I have been visiting Helen for a few months now for help with my chronic IBS. Having suffered with IBS for over 5 years and having tried every medicine and 'quick fix' going I was completely lost and without hope. Helen made me feel immediately comfortable and welcome in her beautiful clinic. I was unmotivated, lacking in confidence and fed up before I started my acupuncture treatment but I can now happily say a few months on that my symptoms have either completely gone or are now so manageable and slight that they no longer impact me negatively. Helen is incredibly knowledgeable, really listens and truly cares about your welfare and health. I would recommend anyone struggling and feeling that there is no light at the end of the tunnel (not only with IBS but anything) to give Helen a try! Thank you!' Kate (Left on Google Reviews)

'Tried the treatment more from curiosity and wasn’t disappointed. After a weekly course then bi-monthly, discomfort has eased and energy levels improved. Helen’s quiet and gentle persona makes for a very relaxing session. Now taking mum who has enjoyed the experience and has found relief of arthritic knee pain. Would highly recommend Helen’s clinic.' Alison (Left on Google Reviews)    

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Clinical Research Papers

DIARRHOEA (DYSENTERY – ACUTE BACILLARY)  

Li KR. [Analysis on the effect of acupuncture treatment in 1383 adults with bacillary dysentery.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1990, 10(4):113-114 [in Chinese]. 

Qiu ML et al. [A clinical study on acupuncture treatment of acute bacillary dysentery.] In: Zhang XT, ed. [Researches on acupuncture-moxibustion and acupuncture-anaesthesia.] Beijing, Science Press, 1986: 567-57 [in Chinese]. 

Yu SZ et al. Clinical observation of 162 cases of acute bacillary dysentery treated by acupuncture. World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, 1992, 2(3):13-14. 

NAUSEA and VOMITING 

Dundee JW et al. Traditional Chinese acupuncture: a potentially useful antiemetic? British Medical Journal, 1986, 293:383-384. 

Dundee JW et al. Acupuncture to prevent cisplatin-associated vomiting. Lancet, 1987, 1:1083. 

Ghaly RG et al. A comparison of manual needling with electrical stimulation and commonly used antiemetics. Anaesthesia, 1987, 45:1108-1110. 

Weightman WM et al. Traditional Chinese acupuncture as an antiemetic. British Medical Journal, 1987, 295(6610):1379-1380. 

Dundee JW et al. Acupuncture prophylaxis of cancer chemotherapy-induced sickness. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1989, 82:268-271. 

Barsoum G et al. Postoperative nausea is relieved by acupressure. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1990, 83(2):86-89. 

Ho RT et al. Electro-acupuncture and postoperative emesis. Anaesthesia, 1990, 45:327-329. 

Ho CM et al. Effect of PC 6 acupressure on prevention of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-cesarean section pain relief. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 1996, 40(3):372-375. 

Andrzejowski J et al.Semi-permanent acupuncture needles in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Acupuncture-Medicine, 1996, 14(2):68-70. McConaghy P et al. Acupuncture in the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients receiving morphine via a patient-controlled analgesia system. Acupuncture-Medicine, 1996, 14(1):2-5. 

Schwager KL et al. Acupuncture and postoperative vomiting in day-stay paediatric patients. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 1996, 24(6):674-677. 

Liu SX et al. Magnetotherapy of neiguan in preventing vomiting induced by cisplatin. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture, 1997, 8(1):39-41. 

Al-Sadi M et al. Acupuncture in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anaesthesia, 1997, 52(7):658-661. 

Stein DJ et al. Acupressure versus intravenous metoclopramide to prevent nausea and vomiting during spinal anesthesia for cesarean section. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 1997, 84(2):342-345. 

Schlager A et al. Laser stimulation of acupuncture point P6 reduces postoperative vomiting in children undergoing strabismus surgery. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 1998, 8(4):529-532. 

Chu YC et al. Effect of BL10 (tianzhu), BL11 (dazhu) and GB34 (yanglingquan) acuplaster for prevention of vomiting after strabismus surgery in children. Acta Anaesthesiologica Sinica, 1998, 36(1):11-16. 

Alkaissi A et al. Effect and placebo effect of acupressure (P6) on nausea and vomiting after outpatient gynaecological surgery. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 1999, 43(3):270-274. 

Shenkman Z et al.Acupressure-acupuncture antiemetic prophylaxis in children undergoing tonsillectomy. Anesthesiology, 1999, 90(5):1311-1316. 

GALL STONES (BILIARY COLIC)  

Mo TW.[Observation of 70 cases of biliary ascariasis treated by acupuncture.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1987, 7(5):237-238 [in Chinese]. 

Yang TG et al. [Clinical report of electro-acupuncture analgesia in the treatment of abdominal colics.] Jiangsu Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1990, 11(12):31 [in Chinese]. 

Wu XL et al. Observation of acupuncture treatment of biliary colic in 142 cases. Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, 1992, 8(6):8. Epigastralgia (acute, in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm) 

Xu PC et al. Clinical observation of treatment of acute epigastralgia by puncturing liangqiu and weishu acupoints. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture, 1991, 2(2):127-130. 

Yu YM. [Therapeutic effect and mechanism of needling ST36 in the treatment of epigastric pain.] Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1997, 16(3):10-11 [in Chinese]. 

GASTROINTESTINAL SPASM 

Shi XL et al. [Acupuncture treatment of gastrointestinal spasm.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1995, 15(4):192 [in Chinese]. Renal colic 

Lee YH et al. Acupuncture in the treatment of renal colic. Journal of Urology, 1992, 147:16-18. 

Zhang WR et al. [Clinical observation of acupuncture in treating kidney and ureter stones.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1992, 12(3):5-6 [in Chinese]. 

Li JX et al. [Observation of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment of renal colic.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1993, 13(2):65-66 [in Chinese]. 

ABDOMINAL PAIN (in ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS or due to GASTROINTESTINAL SPASM) Shu X, et al. [Observation of acupuncture treatment of abdominal pain in acute gastroenteritis.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1997, 17(11):653-654 [in Chinese]. 

ULCERATIVE COLITIS (Chronic) 

Wu HG et al. [Therapeutic effect of herbal partition-moxibustion for chronic diarrhoea and its immunological mechanism.] Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1995, 36(1):25-27 [in Chinese]. 

Ma S et al. [Observation of combined acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of 60 cases of ulcerative colitis.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1997, 17(5):275-276 [in Chinese]. 

PAIN due to ENDOSCOPIC EXAMINATION 

Wang HH et al. A study in the effectiveness of acupuncture analgesia for colonoscopic examination compared with conventional premedication. American Journal of Acupuncture, 1992, 20:217-221. 

Wang HH et al. A clinical study on physiological response in electroacupuncture analgesia and meperidine analgesia for colonoscopy. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 1997, 25(1):13-20. 

GASTROKINETIC DISTURBANCE 

Zhang AL et al. Clinical effect of acupuncture in the treatment of gastrokinetic disturbance. World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, 1996, 6(1):3-8. 

IRRITABLE COLON SYNDROME (IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME – IBS) 

Wu HG et al. Preliminary study on therapeutic effects and immunologic mechanisms of herbal-moxibustion treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1996, 16(2):43-45 [in Chinese].