Soothe your stomach with acupuncture

I've helped many people with IBS during my years in practice. Some had been struggling with pain, discomfort and disruption to their daily lives for a long time. Others come looking for a safe, gentle and natural treatment to reduce or avoid medication. Many people who have suffered with IBS for years have found tremendous relief from their acupuncture treatment.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects 10-20%* of the UK population at any one time causing embarrassment and discomfort to sufferers. Up to 12 million people in the UK are affected by IBS at some time in their lives. More women seek help, but it is just as common in both sexes and commonly starts between 15-40 years old. Acupuncture has been found to be very effective in relieving the symptoms of IBS.

IBS is a long-term and often debilitating condition that causes re-occurring pain or discomfort in the abdomen. Bloating, swelling, bouts of diarrhoea and/or constipation and feeling sick are just some of the symptoms which can cause misery for sufferers. The exact cause of IBS is unknown; so many sufferers remain undiagnosed or struggle to manage their symptoms.

Traditional acupuncture is a branch of Chinese medicine that recognises the importance of healthy bowels for overall physical and emotional health. Acupuncture for IBS has been researched, refined and developed in China for thousands of years and understands how emotional stress can combine with physical factors to stagnate the body's vital energy, known as Qi, and result in the symptoms of IBS.

Acupuncture moves stagnation and regulates the flow of Qi in order to restore normal bowel function so that your body can properly digest food and eliminate waste products. By alleviating energy blockages in the body, acupuncture relieves IBS symptoms by reducing pain, regulating muscular movement and strengthening of the digestive tract, reducing anxiety and depression as well as decreasing stress. Acupuncturists look at the body as a whole and also provide dietary advice to ensure patients are well nourished and improve digestion.

Acupuncture can relieve stress, one of the main causes of IBS, as well as reduce pain, bloating and nausea. By treating the underlying cause of the problem rather than just the symptoms, acupuncture can provide longer term relief for sufferers.

So whether you have been 'putting up with' IBS or have recently developed symptoms, just give me a call today on 07974 093704 to arrange a confidential, no-obligation consultation and learn how I can help you!

A new study shows Britain is risking a back pain epidemic caused by unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles. The findings from a study by the British Acupuncture Council to mark 'Acupuncture Awareness Week' (3rd-10th March 2014) show that almost 80 per cent of people suffer with back pain, yet admit to behaviours that put their backs under unnecessary strain.

The study of 5,000 adults found that almost half of the nation admit to eating on their lap, 40 per cent complain they sit at a desk all day and over a third admit to watching TV or films in bed. When asked about their posture, almost a third also admitted they slouch most of the time.

Further results reveal that when it comes to dealing with back pain, 74 per cent say they repeatedly use painkillers to deal with their discomfort rather than addressing the root cause of the problem.

Painkillers often numb the end symptom and mask the problem but do not address many of the combined underlying causes of back pain. By stimulating different points of the body, traditional acupuncture can be extremely beneficial for back pain, providing long term pain relief and reducing inflammation.

With 2.3 million acupuncture treatments carried out each year, traditional acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary therapies practised in the UK today. Based on ancient principles which go back nearly two thousand years, acupuncture involves placing extremely fine, sterile needles painlessly at specific points on the body to trigger a healing response.

Despite acupuncture's widely recognised health benefits, many of us are missing the point when it comes to this ancient Chinese medicine. Statistics show that 41 per cent of people would only consider acupuncture as a last resort and 88 per cent didn't know the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends the therapy for persistent, non-specific lower back pain.

I find that many patients opt for the painkiller route with limited success before turning to acupuncture. Simple lifestyle changes alongside acupuncture could save millions of people taking medication every day. It's important to recognise the impact our behaviour has on our bodies and to make sure we are fully informed about all treatment options to promote long term health and wellbeing.

If your back is giving you grief, why not call me to arrange a free consultation and discover how acupuncture can help you?