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The way we look at gut health in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is to look at the body-mind-spirit as a whole. Ever wonder why Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) happens after a stressful or traumatic experience? Why brain-fog has much to do with what’s happening in the digestive system? Why we get colds easily after a weekend of binge eating?
Do you ever wonder where the expression “go with your gut” comes from or why you get “butterflies in your stomach” when you’re nervous?
Within your digestive system are hidden intricate interactions between nerve signals, gut hormones and microbiota—the bacteria that live in the digestive system. These signal the brain. Poor digestion and obesity have been linked to depression, hence the gut-brain connection. The digestive system is also important for good immune function. As Jonathan Jacobs, MD, PhD, a professor of digestive diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA says, “the microbiome and the immune system are critically intertwined.” “What’s present in the gut determines what education immune cells get.”
HOW CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP?
Acupuncture needles are inserted in points on meridians close to nerve bundles that send signals to the brain, thus having an immediate switch to calm the nervous system and take your “fight, flight and freeze” response and put you into a “rest and digest” response. This in turn produces good-feeling hormones and has been shown to increase vagal tone (the longest cranial nerve that goes deep into the gut) as well as increase feel-good hormones like endorphins and serotonin.
“Researchers note that acupuncture has been shown to stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain therefore increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels.” HealthCMI 2/2/2015.
Most of my patients with digestive issues are able to remediate them with acupuncture, dietary changes and daily calming habits such as meditation, yoga or simply going for a walk. I love seeing the changes in my patients’ digestive system after a few sessions. Sleep also improves which is an added bonus!