Treatment of Digestive Conditions

A Pain in the Gut | Simply a Matter of Qi | Print This Page

A Pain in the Gut
Digestive disorders may manifest as

• pain in the abdomen or below the rib cage
• excessive gas or belching
• difficulty digesting food
• diarrhea
• constipation
• vomiting
• acid reflux/GERD
• decreased or increased appetite
• jaundice (a yellow or orange color to the skin and whites of the eyes)

Pain may occur after food consumption or as a result of a stomach too empty. Western diagnoses may include

• diverticulitis
• Crohn's disease
• ulcerative colitis
• duodenal or peptic ulcer
• GERD
• irritable bowel syndrome
• hepatitis
• pancreatitis
• cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)
• gallstones
• food poisoning
• "stomach flu"

Eastern Body Therapy has tools to manage all of these conditions. Treatment starts with a complete evaluation of your history and present complaints including physical examination and review of relevant medical records. We may have you send a stool sample to an independent laboratory to test for things such as parasites, excessive yeast or bacterial growth, and occult (hidden) bleeding. If you have bleeding in the digestive tract which has not been diagnosed, we will recommend you consult with your physician for further diagnostic studies such as upper and lower GI series or colonoscopy. Based on all of this information, an Oriental Medicine diagnosis is made and a treatment plan is developed which may incorporate a variety of modalities. back to top

Simply a Matter of Qi
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are the cornerstones of treatment for digestive disorders. These conditions may be due to too much heat, too much cold, poor diet, great diet which is wrong for your constitution, too little qi, too much qi, etc. Once your diagnosis is made, acupuncture points are chosen to correct the imbalance. If the condition is too cold, moxibustion may be used to warm the interior of the body. If the condition is too hot, a few drops of blood may be drawn from points on the hands or feet to facilitate cooling. If there is too much qi, herbs may be given to promote circulation or draining of qi (and sometimes stool). If there is too little qi, herbs may be given to boost qi.

Treatment is typically once per week for a series of about 10 treatments, or until the condition has resolved. For some patients, 3-5 visits is sufficient. For others, long term maintenance is the best course of action. Herbs may be continued beyond the acupuncture to maintain the balance restored with the treatment. You can expect to feel less pain, have more normal stools, and experience a greater overall sense of wellbeing if the treatments are working for you, even if it takes several months for all of the signs and symptoms to go away. back to top