Digestive Issues
Many of the most common ailments facing patients today relate to digestive problems. Emotions, stress, medications, and dietary habits all have a great impact on the proper functioning of our digestion and elimination. Energetic blockages anywhere in our digestive tract quickly cause symptoms such as heartburn, acid reflux, burping, stomach ache, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Commonly, clinical testing reveals the patient is “fine”, despite their discomfort.
Emotions: Did you know that 80% of our serotonin is found in our digestive tract? It’s no wonder emotional or stressful events can easily trigger bouts of constipation, diarrhea, or IBS. So many of us live under constant low to high level stress that our digestive systems function at very low levels.
Stress: Stress causes inflammation in the GI tract, making the body more susceptible to inflammation and ulcers. This combined with frequent use of headache or pain medications really make the digestive tract prone to ulceration. Furthermore, stress can cause spasm of the esophageal muscles and increases in stomach acid, leading to acid reflux, heartburn, stomach pain, and other issues.
Dietary Habits: Most of us have heard that sugary, fried, and spicy foods can aggravate the digestive system. Acidic foods, such as meat, coffee, alcohol and soft drinks may also be problematic, lowering the body’s pH and causing digestive discomfort. But, Chinese nutrition takes this one step further by considering properties of foods (like taste and temperature) in relation to your body’s constitutional imbalances. Often these subtle changes are just what your body need to achieve well-being and freedom from symptoms.
By releasing energetic blockages, relieving inflammation, and improving digestive efficiency, acupuncture has helped millions of people find relief from digestive discomfort. Typically, I will also consult with you regarding your diet, as the addition and/or elimination of certain foods, drinks or herbs will usually provide more permanent resolution.
