ACUPUNTURE FOR IBS
#351306 - 10/28/09 04:54 PM
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Has anyone tried this? I have had two treatments so far. I noticed a little change after the last treatment which was 4 days ago. I am curious for any feedback.
Thanks,
Julie
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I had acupuncture treatments twice. They did not do anything for my IBS symptoms. It did seem to give me a bit of a general lift to life 
There have been a number of clinical trials of acupuncture and IBS that have all shown that it has little or no effect on the management of IBS symptoms.
Here is a link to an abstract of a recent study that tried real and sham acupuncture on 230 IBS patients. They were randomly assigned to 3 weeks of true or sham acupuncture (6 treatments). This study did not find evidence to support the superiority of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in the treatment of IBS
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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That is disappointing. Did you do the Chinese herbs? My acupuncturist has me on those as well. I hate taking the ametriptylene. Since I have been on it I have felt a slight of emotional numbness, sadness and tired. So I am hoping that the combination of the herbs and acupuncture can help.
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Yep - I tried the Chinese herbs with the acupuncture. I didn't see any benefit from them either 
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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That is discouraging. Have you tried the Ametriptylene?
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I have not tried amitriptyline. I have tried low doses of other tricyclic antidepressants but they did not work for me. Some people seen benefits from them.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Please don't stop you acupuncture because of someone else's experience or clinical trials/studies.
Sometimes these things take time. There is no quick fix. Eastern/holistic/alternative care moves at a much slower pace than Western medicine, that relies on poisoning, nuking or cutting. At least give it a good trial period before you decide if it is or isn't working for you.
Then you can say based on your own experience, whether it helped you or not, instead of basing your results/opinions on someone elses, or studies that may have nothing to do with your experiences.
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Thank you for your response. I am DEFINITELY going to give it all the time I need because I believe in the holistic approach more then the other.
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That is basically what this is and I don't like the way it makes me feel day to day. Funny that it is classified as an anti-depressant because since I have been on it I have felt mildly depressed! How long were you on what you were taking before you realized it wasn't working. I have been on this almost 1 1/2 months. Soon I will cut the dose in half to try to wean off of it.
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They made me feel weird immediately. I gave the two I tried 6 weeks and then I quite them.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I'm curious about acupuncture, too. I've been thinking about trying it for back pain - if it works for IBS, too, maybe I can have them stick in a few extra needles while they're at it. 
I tried amitriptyline many years ago and it also made me feel depressed - weird. I gave it up after a few weeks. I don't need something that makes me feel worse. I'm generally a happy person when my gut's not out of control.
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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How long were you on the Amytriptyline? Did you notice a change in your gut? I feel clouded mentally from it.
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I started electronic acupuncture, called Acupoint Meridian Therapy, on Christmas Eve. This is needleless acupuncture. My gut was killing me and I hadn't been able to eat anything in several days. I immediately felt better that night and ate a bowl of my homemade chicken soup, first time I'd been able to eat without pain in days!
With acupuncture, you have to stick with it for awhile. Kinda like going to a chiropractor for your back - you probably have to have several sessions before you reach success. My therapist (who is a chiropractor) told me how to do my own acupoint massage, which I do twice a day at home between visits. I am definitely seeing improvement in my IBS symptoms. There seems to be a split of opinions about the outcome of acupuncture for IBS, but for me, it is so far so good.
Here is a You Tube video that explains the device used for needleless acupuncture.
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I am a big fan of alternative treatments. I will look at the video. I know that most times, natural care of the body takes longer.
Could you please share with me the acupoint massage that you use at home? Thanks!
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