TCM better than western medicine to heal IBS

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) works better than traditional western treatment in relieving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), said a study revealed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Thursday, January 15, 2009.

The university's Faculty of Medicine innitiated a study more than a year ago, in which 84 patients with IBS, a common digestive disease in Hong Kong, were divided into groups receiving different treatments.

The results show that after eight week's treatment, 46 percent of the patients taking traditional Chinese medicines which include seven types of herbal medicines reported overall improvement in symptoms, compared to 29 percent from the western medicine group.

The above trend was maintained after stopping treatment for eight weeks, with patients taking Chinese medicine still had significant improvement in bowel movements.

Director of Institute of Digestive Disease of the University Professor Joseph Sung said that over 70 percent of the IBS patients have troublesome abdominal pain and diarrhea that lead to major disturbance on daily activities and psychological well-being.

Sung said that conventional Western medicine cannot provide satisfactory and sustained relief of IBS symptoms. Many patients even experience worsening of symptoms after taking these medicines.

In TCM, irritable bowel syndrome is considered to be primarily a disorder of vital energy (Qi) pertaining to the Liver and Spleen TCM organs.

Please be aware that in the context of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine the names of the organs when capitalized are not the same as the organs we know from western anatomy. Chinese "Kidneys" e.g. is the adrenals and endocrine system, "Bladder" is the kidneys and urinal system, "Spleen" is the energy system located throughout the body, "Liver" is partly the liver but also something throughout the body, "Lungs" is not only lungs but also skin.

IBS is mainly caused by impaired spleen and stomach functions due to emotional upsets or improper diet, or by chronic spleen and stomach deficiencies coupled with the attack of exogenous pathogens. The pathological process is often affected by the qi and blood-regulating functions of the liver and the gallbladder. During periods of emotional turmoil or disharmony, the Liver energy, which is responsible for the free flow of Qi in the body, may become stagnant. This stagnation may cause constipation, abdominal pain, and cramping, which is considered to be an intestinal "Wind". Factors such as overwork, poor diet, insufficient rest, or excessive worry may cause the Spleen Qi to become weakened, which can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, and distention.

Either of these factors can contribute to the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. When the Liver Qi is stagnant or the Spleen/Stomach Qi is weak, it is commonly said that the Liver Qi will invade and overwhelm the Spleen/Stomach Qi, leading to a combination of alternating diarrhea and constipation, accompanied by the other symptoms that characterize irritable bowel syndrome.

The disease is mainly located at the liver, spleen, and large intestine, but not entirely independent of the heart and the kidney. Although the condition's symptoms primarily involve the spleen and the stomach, the root cause lies with the liver.

Acupuncture, herbs, TCM medicated diet, Tui-na massage and counseling therapies are very successfully used by TCM practitioners to readjust the functions of the involved Organs (Liver, Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine), to reestablish the balance of the Qi energy in the body and to solve the unpleasant symptoms of the IBS.

The results using acupuncture and TCM therapies have a rate of success 63% better than western medicine methods.



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January 15th, 2008

Sources:
Xinhua News Agency

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