Digestive Disorder

Service Description

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 278 study participants with postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) were given either 12 sessions of acupuncture over 4 weeks or received “sham” acupuncture. The study found that participants who received actual acupuncture were significantly more likely to report “improvement” or “extreme improvement” in their symptoms. Acupuncture participants were also more likely to experience complete resolution of their symptoms. Researchers studied the effect of acupuncture on three main symptoms of PDS: post-meal fullness, upper abdominal bloating, and early satiation. They reported that 83 percent of participants in the actual acupuncture group reported a positive response from treatment versus 52 percent in the sham acupuncture group. All three symptoms were eliminated among 28 percent of the acupuncture group compared with 18 percent of the control group. Improvements were sustained for at least 12 weeks after the final acupuncture treatment, according to researchers, and there were no serious side effects among the study participants. Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Healthline that the study is the latest research “showing effects of acupuncture on the GI tract, including successful treatment of constipation.” “Most studies looking at GI symptoms have been small, though, so it is helpful to start seeing large clinical trials with randomization and a control group,” she said. “It would be even better to see a comparison to usual medical care as well.”

Contact Details

• 1800 Michael Faraday Dr. suite 201, Reston, VA 20190, USA