With an estimated prevalence rate of 0.6% for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 5% for constipation, 10% for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 18% for dyspepsia, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are prevalent in the Australian community. About 44% of participants in a survey with a larger sample size reported having symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. It has also been demonstrated that ileus lasting longer than three days occurred in about 10% of patients who had abdominal surgery. When experiencing gastrointestinal issues, almost one-third of patients typically see general practitioners. In the community, GI disorders have a major socioeconomic impact and comprise 10% of general practitioners' workloads. Prokinetic laxatives for constipation, proton-pump inhibitors for GERD, 5-aminosalicylic acid, corticosteroids, and biologic agents for IBD, and antispasmodics, antidepressants, and prokinetics for functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are examples of pharmacological treatments that are still the primary means of measuring GI diseases. Still, there are a number of problems that require attention. Opioid use has surged in the past several years in relation to gastrointestinal disorders and is linked to increased GI symptoms (such as nausea, constipation, and severity of GI symptoms), greater depression, and a more compromised quality of life. More than half of IBD patients still experience fatigue (almost 50% in remission and more than 80% in active patients). In clinical trials, effective medicines have only shown a 7%–15% therapeutic increase over placebo for FGIDs. As a result, among people with GI diseases, complementary and alternative medicine treatments are becoming more and more common. Representative of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture has gained international recognition in recent years, primarily due to its analgesic properties, but it has also demonstrated efficacy in gastrointestinal regulation. Different acupoints, mostly located along the meridians of the large intestine, stomach, bladder, and spleen, can be stimulated to produce varying effects on the gastrointestinal tract. For example, two studies indicate that acupuncture (four sites stimulated daily for six weeks, with a break of two to three days between each week of stimulation) can considerably alleviate symptoms related to GERD and minimize bile reflux and esophageal acid reflux. Another study discovered that adding acupuncture (10 sessions over 4 weeks) was more beneficial than doubling the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dosage for people with persistent GERD symptoms despite once-daily PPI medication. Acupuncture, on the other hand, can meet patient preferences and circumvent the narrow range of pharmaceutical treatments offered to pregnant people.
Reference:
Dossett, ML, EM Cohen, and J Cohen. "Integrative Medicine for Gastrointestinal Disease." Primary care 44, no. 2 (2017): 265-80.
Ishida, Y. "Acupuncture for Gastrointestinal Disorders." Gut 52, no. 4 (2003): 614.
Rabitti, S, CM Giovanardi, and D Colussi. "Acupuncture and Related Therapies for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases." Journal of clinical gastroenterology 55, no. 3 (2021): 207-17.
