Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive Disorders
Evidence that Chinese medicine has been used for digestive disorders can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3 AD, where specific acupuncture points and herbal formulas for borborygmus (rumbling or gurgling in the intestines), abdominal pain, and diarrhea with pain are discussed.
According to Chinese medical theory, most digestive disorders are due to disharmony in the spleen and stomach. The spleen plays a central part in the health and vitality of the body, taking a lead role in the assimilation of nutrients and maintenance of physical strength. It’s job is to turn digested food from the stomach into usable nutrients and Qi (energy). Many schools of thought have been formed around this organ; known to be the "middle" it is the key to all aspects of vitality.
By taking into account a person's nature and varied symptoms, a treatment plan can be designed specifically for the individual to bring their "middle" back into harmony and optimize the proper functioning of the digestive system. There are a variety of treatments to help bring the “middle” back into harmony including acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations, and energetic exercises to restore digestive health.
What most doctors are missing is that trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi make up your microbiomes that create tiny ecosystems and influence your immune system and hormone balance. Most people tend to look at how to kill these ecosystems when they should be looking at it more like cultivating a healthy garden. Self-cultivation is also the key to optimizing your brain function. It all starts with a healthy microbiome garden.
There are a few different ways to help this cultivation and improve your gut health. A good way to start is through traditional Chinese herbal medicines (like MicroGuard Plus (https://botanicalbiohacking.com/herbal-products)). These herbal medicines not only have direct chemical effects, they also have indirect actions to modulate the body through cultivating the microbiomes.
Acupuncture is another amazing way to help balance and cultivate your microbiome. According to The Oxford Academic Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (https://academic.oup.com/ibdjournal/issue), acupuncture has demonstrated beneficial roles in the regulation of gut dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction, visceral hypersensitivity, gut motor function, depression/anxiety, and pain.
Chinese medicine doctors have actively worked to balance these microbiomes for thousands of years and have developed it into a highly sophisticated art and science. They discovered that the key to developing a more harmonious life starts with your microbiome and cultivating an internal garden.
Is your digestive system functioning as well as it could? Acupuncture is effective at treating a wide array of digestive disorders. Call today for more information or to schedule an appointment