Western medical practitioners rely heavily on tests - blood tests, x-rays, MRI's, CAT scans, etc. These tests are powerful diagnostic tools which have advanced medicine greatly. However, the body can often go awry in ways that are not detectable by western medical tests, and in these cases physicians are at a great disadvantage. Doctors are often uncomfortable with something they can't see on an image or a lab result. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is one of these conditions. It is diagnosed by signs and symptoms, with no specific known cause. Unlike ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, IBS does not cause any changes to the tissues of the colon. The problem is functional, not structural. Basically the colon forgets how to behave, sometimes becoming sluggish, sometimes becoming overactive. The main symptoms are alternating constipation and diarrhea with bloating and abdominal pain. Certain foods, the menstrual cycle, and stress can all trigger symptoms of IBS.
In fact the gut is especially sensitive to stress. There are actually receptors for neurotransmitters throughout the digestive system, making it literally true that part of the brain is in our digestive system. It seems as though the digestive organs can "learn" how to behave, and can develop a type of "memory". This memory tends to be very persistent and the body locks into a stubborn pattern of dysfunction.
Chinese medicine is well equipped to deal with IBS. We do not rely on medical tests. Instead, the signs and symptoms, as well as the tongue and pulse, tell us what the patient's overall pattern is. We look at the whole body and how it relates to the particular area where symptoms manifest. For example, a woman who has IBS and PMS would have to go to two different doctors, neither of which would have much to say about the other's area of expertise, even though the colon and the uterus are obviously nestled against each other, and an inflammation in one will certainly affect the other. In addition to addressing local bowel inflammation, acupuncture is also very effective at calming the central nervous system, thus alleviating stress that can exacerbate IBS symptoms. Many of the points we use for digestive issues have a common effect on the reproductive organs, thus addressing the possible effect of the menstrual cycle on IBS. In general acupuncture works to change the behavior of the colon, not always immediately, but slowly and surely, working to transform the bad "memory" to a more balanced behavior.
- William Zvarick, L.Ac. (Towson)
