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Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome – A review of studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There are few high-quality studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome. Although there are not many studies, it can be seen that acupuncture is effective in relieving irritable bowel syndrome.
A study published in the journal Neurogastroenterology Motility in 2012 examined the effect of acupuncture on the brain. The aim of the study was to examine which areas of the brain acupuncture affects in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and through what mechanisms it alleviates symptoms.
Thirty patients with irritable bowel syndrome who suffer from diarrhea were taken into the study, half of whom received real acupuncture and the other half formed the placebo group – sham acupuncture.
MRI was performed to examine the effect of acupuncture on the brain in four different conditions: rectal tension, rectal tension during acupuncture, rectal tension after the end of acupuncture treatment, and acupuncture without rectal tension.
The results of the study showed that acupuncture led to greater activation of the right insula and the thalamus region compared to placebo acupuncture.
The researchers concluded that the effect of acupuncture on irritable bowel syndrome may be by activating serotonin pathways in the insula and affecting the patient's mood.
To the study abstract >
In 2014, a review of 6 studies was published that examined the effectiveness of Chinese acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers concluded that acupuncture is effective for symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. One of the studies on which this statement was based was a study that included 233 people with irritable bowel syndrome. The subjects were divided into two groups: a group that received conventional medical treatment only and a group that received conventional medical treatment plus acupuncture. The patients received 10 treatments once a week, but the researchers continued to check their condition for 9 months after the end of the treatments in order to check whether there was a difference between the two groups and whether the difference could be maintained over time.
At the end of the treatments, there was a significant difference between the two groups in favor of the group that received acupuncture. The significant improvement was also maintained six months after the end of the treatments. After 9 months, there was a difference between the two groups (in favor of the acupuncture group), but it was no longer significant, so it can be assumed that it is important to maintain maintenance treatments in order for the improvement to be maintained.
Study abstract >
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