Acupuncture for IBS

Acupuncture for IBS

Is your stomach in knots?  Do you have recurrent and frequent bowel movements?  Is it triggered by daily stress?  If so, you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also known as IBS.  According to the Mayo Clinic, IBS is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. IBS is a chronic condition that you will need to manage long term.

IBS can be very annoying because it interferes with daily activities and requires a bathroom to be nearby.  While some of the medications prescribed can lessen the symptoms, prescriptive medications have a difficult time getting to the root of the issue.  In addition, some of the medications can have side effects such as anxiety.  If IBS is left untreated it can lead to nutritional deficiencies due to malabsorption of of nutrients from food.  If the food is going right through the body, the body is not being given enough time to break the food down properly and extract the vitamins and minerals that are needed in the cells.  This can lead to long term problems.

Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture and very effective modalities used to treat IBS and it treats it at the root.  There are specific acupuncture points on the body that are for these exact symptoms.  By accessing the network in the nervous system, the acupuncture needles get the job done quickly by directing the nervous system about what to do.  The gut is innervated by nerves and when these nerves start to fire too quickly, peristalsis (or contraction) occurs at a rapid rate, causing the intestines to empty.  However, IBS also starts with the stomach (and in chinese medicine the spleen).  Although Western Doctors have a different perceived idea about the spleen, we as Chinese Medicine doctors see the spleen as the organ that helps the body break down food and water and assimilate nutrients.  Therefore, we use acupuncture points to tonify the spleen/stomach and get these organs working properly to digest food.  With a unique concoction of herbs sent home with you after the treatment, results are usually seen within the first 48 hours.

In our American culture, we are taught to eat our vegetables raw in the form of salad, especially at lunch time.  In Chinese culture they very much frown on this due to the idea that the body needs to to make more pancreatic enzymes and more hydrochloric acid to break down raw food.  A system with IBS is typically low in energy to begin with so it is not wise to cause more exertion.  Therefore, by eating cooked food this lessens the load for the body’s ability to break down the food.  Since it is already cooked it is much easier to digest.  Some minor dietary changes, acupuncture and Chinese herbs are a great option for someone inconvenienced with IBS.  Acupuncture is a safe and effective long term solution that treats the root cause.

Acupuncturist in Franklin Tennessee-Amy L. Suplee

Amy is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Board Certified by the NCCAOM, the governing body for Acupuncturists in the United States.  She received her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine at Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California and is a graduate of University of Colorado.  Amy is the Founder and CEO of the International Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Association.

Amy specializes in Women’s Health, Fertility, Pain Management and Chronic Illness.  She has been trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Classical Chinese Medicine and 5 Element Emotional Balancing and Acupuncture. She has a long history in Western Medicine so she has the ability to integrate an Eastern and Western approach.

Amy is passionate about her work and enjoys seeing results in her patients.  As an Acupuncturist and resident of Franklin, she is dedicated to helping individuals achieve their health goals.  She has taken on some of the most difficult cases, and treated patients who have seen multiple doctors who had not previously had relief from their ailments.