Constipation causes serious misery for its sufferers. It’s time consuming, painful, causes difficulty eating and digestion, and can result in a bad mood for days on end. It’s also not healthy – the body needs to release the waste that is being stored in the colon. Thankfully, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be very helpful in alleviating constipation!
There are a number of ways that constipation can manifest. Some people experience very hard, dry stools that are too large or dry to leave the body. Some people do not get a daily urge to defecate, or they feel that they have to go but even though the bowel movement is soft it will not come out.
Each of these conditions can be treated by acupuncture and Chinese herbs. For hard, dry stools, acupuncture and Chinese herbs will be used to moisten the body and the stools. It will also be helpful for you to drink a lot more water and continue to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables to get more fiber and fluids into your digestive system.
For stools that are reluctant to come out, acupuncture and Chinese herbs will focus on strengthening the peristalsis, or digestive movement, of the digestive tract. Once the digestive tract is strong enough to reliably propel food and waste through the digestive tract, bowel movements will become easier. Often for people with this type of constipation, dietary changes should focus on eating more warm (not raw) foods and supplementing with warming and strengthening herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper.
Some people find that their digestion varies between diarrhea and constipation. Often these cases are due to high stress levels or emotional imbalances. In these cases, acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy would be focused on calming the emotions, releasing areas of stagnation or energy blockage in the body, and also supporting the overall health of the digestive system which may have been taxed by the emotions.
Especially in cases of constipation I love to rely on customized herbal formulas. There are a wide variety of herbs available to help with this type of digestive concern – from laxative herbs to moistening herbs to strengthening herbs to those that have been shown to improve peristalsis (movement through the digestive tract). I find that each person needs a specific balance of these herbs to relieve their constipation. Then additional herbs may be added to address emotional concerns or other constitutional concerns.
If you’re interested to learn more about how acupuncture and herbal medicine can help your digestive system, please give me a ring!
