Does Acupuncture Aid in Digestion?

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It is reported that a staggering 60-70 million Americans suffer from digestive diseases. Even those that have not been clinically diagnosed with a digestive disorder can still suffer—72% surveyed say they still commonly experience some sort of digestive issue. While these problems can range from occasional acid reflux to debilitating disorders such as Crohn’s disease, even fatigue and weight gain can be attributed to poor gut health.

If you suffer from digestive issues, but prefer alternative, drug-free methods, acupuncture offers a proven effective treatment for digestion ailments. Like chiropractic medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) takes a holistic approach to wellness, attending a particular focus on gut health. Acupuncture is one of the modalities derived from Chinese medicine that can target specific acupuncture points on the body to help balance digestion and ease symptoms of gastrointestinal irritation. At Tannenbaum Chiropractic, our Beverly Hills acupuncturists are specialized in treating digestive issues and eager to lead you into a healing journey.

How Acupuncture Treats Digestive Issues

Acupuncture has risen in popularity as studies continue to report its success in treating various GI issues as a method of alternative medicine. In fact, both the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have recognized acupuncture as an effective method to treat digestive imbalance and gut health. Overall, acupuncture serves to treat imbalances by regulating the endocrine and nervous system through a series of identification points for acupuncture placement. These Acupuncture points specifically aid in digestive function and can help to speed up the metabolism, reduce gastric acid secretion, and regulate small and large intestinal function. Our certified acupuncturists take great care in this practice, assuring a comfortable, painless, and relaxing experience.

The stomach’s functionality can affect all the organs contained in the abdomen, leading to a myriad of health issues. From a TCM perspective, an overactive nervous system will decrease digestive function, and therefore lead to the inability to properly absorb nutrients and excrete waste. Acupuncture treatments work by balancing the nervous system to reduce hyperactivity and stress, therefore balancing the gut and improving function. In turn, this process decreases pain and inflammation, and helps to regulate acid production and natural peristalsis.

Causes of Digestive Issues

While may not be surprising to hear that Americans as a whole are seeing a steady increase of gastrointestinal problems, it is true that even healthy individuals can find themselves suffering from tummy troubles. Dietary issues such as food sensitivity, overconsumption of high-fat or acidic foods, drinking alcohol, poor sleep, lack of exercise, trauma, serious injury as well as even chronic stress can all wreak havoc on your gut and cause digestion imbalance. Anything can throw your body’s functionality into disarray and manifest as digestive issues and stomach pain.

Even if you have not been diagnosed with a digestive disorder, GI issues are all-too common. There are various digestive issues that many people consider “normal,” leading to a daily life of discomfort, and sometimes even an overuse of over-the-counter self-medication treatments. However, these are not normal conditions, and you should not need to suffer!

Acupuncture can help reduce dependency on medication by mitigating symptoms and conditions such as:

  • Acid Reflux
  • Colitis
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Constipation
  • Weight fluctuation
  • Fatigue
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Sour stomach
  • Cramping
  • Abdominal Pain

Digestive Issues Affect the Whole Body

From a holistic perspective, poor gut health and digestive problems are not rooted in only the digestive tract—the mouth, intestines and stomach. Because holistic medicine treats the body as an entire connected system of being rather than compartmentalizing symptoms (like in Western medicine), treating digestive issues with acupuncture can improve emotional and mental wellbeing as well as physical. After seeking acupuncture treatments for digestion, patients often report long term improvements in their overall health such as an increase in energy and decrease in stress.

Our acupuncturists will discuss in detail your symptoms and diet to provide lifestyle guidance and alongside your digestion-targeted acupuncture treatments to help you with whatever digestive issue you may be suffering from.

Call Tannenbaum Chiropractic today to discuss healing your gut with our expert team of acupuncturists in Beverly Hills!