Digestive disorders may indicate overall health imbalance. Often due to chronic stress, digestive symptoms in the body can be a result of endocrine and nervous system hyperactivity. Symptoms of digestive disorders may include: concentration difficulties, fatigue, dry skin, hair loss, anemia, muscle cramps, low energy, and weight loss. It is estimated that as many as 14 million people in the UK suffer from chronic digestive problems, from bloating to bowel issues.

Chinese medicine through the use acupuncture and moxibustion (burning mugwort or other medicinal herbs on selected acupuncture points), can help digestive disorders. Moxibustion is used as an anti-inflammatory agent, to tonify deficient imbalances and is used for many gastrointestinal conditions.

Digestive disorders indicate that there is a disharmony between the body organs responsible for digestion, with the cause often rooted in lifestyle factors and diet putting a strain on the digestive system. Over time, this chronic strain can give rise to digestive disorders. Lifestyle changes and dietary therapy are usually integrated into the acupuncture course in order to optimize the treatment’s efficacy.

Acupuncture can be used for many digestive disorders including: heartburn, bloating, acid reflux, inflammatory conditions, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acute and chronic diarrhoea, chronic constipation and hiatus hernia syndrome. Research has also shown that acupuncture was effective in reducing the digestive side effects of chemotherapy medication.