Acupuncture for IBS

Acupuncture for IBS: bloating and abdominal pain are just two common characteristics of IBS. A large British trial studying the use of acupuncture for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), has shown it offers significant benefits for patients. A total of 233 patients were drawn from five GP practices. Their mean age was 44, 81% were women, and they had suffered from IBS for on average 13 years. Half were assigned to receive ten weekly acupuncture sessions plus their usual care, whilst the other half received usual care alone. Acupuncture was given by experienced practitioners according to an individual traditional Chinese medical diagnosis.

At the three month point, the two treatment groups exhibited a statistically significant difference in favour of acupuncture. Using a validated scoring system based on the severity of the key symptoms of IBS, the acupuncture group exhibited a 49% treatment success rate, set against 31% in the control group. This largely persisted at six, nine and twelve months.

(Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Primary Care Based Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial. BMC Gastroenterology, October 2012.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.