The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, credits acupuncture as one of the oldest healing practices in the world, even though it is still considered a "complementary" or "alternative" therapy in the United States. In a 2010 commentary published in the journal Gastroenterology, University of Michigan gastroenterologists Monthira Maneerattanaporn and William D. Chey note that patients with irritable bowel syndrome are "voting with their feet," investing billions of dollars of their own money into acupuncture and other treatments that are not traditionally considered part of conventional medicine.
Therapeutic Rationale
Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine attribute health problems to disruption in the flow of energy, or qi, caused by imbalance between the forces of yin--cold, slow or passive force--and yang--hot, excited or active force. Acupuncture seeks to correct the imbalance through stimulation of specific anatomical points.
Technique
Acupuncture entails shallow penetration of the skin with hair-thin, solid, metallic needles manipulated by the practitioner's hands, sometimes with the addition of small electric currents. Some acupuncturists apply the needles to the feet; others apply them to other points on the body, but not the feet.
Safety
The United States Food and Drug Administration maintains regulatory authority over acupuncture needles, approving only sterile, non-toxic needles for single use by licensed practitioners only. Although millions of patients undergo acupuncture each year, complications such as skin infections and organ puncture remain extremely rare, according to the NIH.
Animal Studies
According to the 2010 Gastroenterology article, animal studies demonstrate that acupuncture stimulates the production of gastrointestinal hormones such as "vasoactive intestinal peptide" and "substance P," which sometimes circulate in lower-than-normal levels among patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Studies in rat and dog models of irritable bowel syndrome also found increases in colon motility and normalization of nerve responses in the rectum.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials evaluating the success of acupuncture have been hampered by the lack of an effective placebo for acupuncture and the diversity of approaches applied by its practitioners. In a 2009 review published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, members of the American College of Gastroenterology Task Force on irritable bowel syndrome acknowledged that acupuncture "seems to show a benefit" in patients with irritable bowel syndrome but concluded that "more work is needed" before a formal recommendation can be issued.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Acupuncture: An Introduction
- "Gastroenterology;" Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome; M. Maneerattanaporn and W.D. Chey; 2010
- "American Journal of Gastroenterology;" An Evidence-Based Systematic Review on the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome; American College of Gastroenterology Task Force on IBS; 2009
