Constipation: Can Acupuncture Support Your Digestion?
Constipation is one of those things that can be uncomfortable, frustrating and surprisingly disruptive to everyday life. It can leave you feeling bloated, sluggish and uncomfortable, and for some people it becomes a long-term problem.
Acupuncture can support people experiencing constipation by working with the nervous system and the digestive system, helping to encourage normal gut movement and supporting the body's natural processes.
At my acupuncture clinic in Westminster, I see people with a range of digestive complaints, including constipation, bloating and sluggish digestion.
Does this sound familiar?
Are you going to the toilet less often than usual?
Are your stools hard or difficult to pass?
Do you have to strain when you go?
Do you often feel bloated or uncomfortable?
Do you feel like you haven't completely emptied your bowels?
Does constipation seem to get worse when you're stressed?
Have you tried changing your diet or taking laxatives but still struggle with constipation?
If any of these sound familiar, you're certainly not alone.
Understanding constipation
Constipation isn't simply about how often you go to the toilet. It can also mean hard stools, straining, feeling that you haven't completely emptied your bowels or feeling uncomfortable and bloated.
There are many reasons someone might become constipated. Changes in diet, not drinking enough fluid, a lack of movement, stress, certain medications and changes to your usual routine can all affect how your digestive system functions.
Stress can also have a surprisingly noticeable effect on digestion. The brain and digestive system are closely connected through the gut-brain axis, so when we're stressed, it can affect how the gut moves and functions.
How can acupuncture support people experiencing constipation?
From a Western medical perspective, acupuncture stimulates nerves and influences the autonomic nervous system, which plays an important role in digestion.
Acupuncture can support gut motility - the natural movement of food and waste through the digestive system - and may help the digestive system function more normally. Treatment can also help regulate the body's response to stress, which can be particularly useful when digestive symptoms seem to worsen during stressful periods.
The aim isn't simply to get things moving for one day. Acupuncture can support the wider factors that may be contributing to constipation, while treatment is tailored to the individual.
Simple ways to support your digestion
Alongside acupuncture, there are some simple things you can do to support healthy digestion:
Do not drink/eat cold water and food! Digestion works best at 38 degrees, so when we consume cold food straight from the fridge, this puts out our digestive fire. The stomach has to then work harder to heat up the food, so that it can digest it properly. This overall weakens your digestion and can cause bloating and digestive issues.
In Chinese medicine each organ works at its best for 2 hours at a certain time within a 24 hour period. Digestion (which is controlled by the stomach and spleen organs) works best in the morning between 7am-11am. Whereas 12 hours later your digestion is at its weakest. This is why as acupuncturists we recommend that breakfast should be the biggest meal (because that is when you stomach and spleen work at their strongest and therefore can digest more food) and dinner should be the smallest (because this is when you stomach and Spleen are at their weakest).
Our digestion likes routine, and so it is important to try and eat at the same time every day.
Don’t eat when stressed - this can result in food not being digested properly resulting in bloating.
The Evidence
There is growing research into acupuncture for chronic and functional constipation.
A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 28 randomised controlled trials involving 3,525 people. The researchers found that acupuncture increased the number of complete spontaneous bowel movements and improved constipation symptoms and quality of life compared with sham acupuncture. They also found no increased risk of adverse events. The authors did, however, note that the overall quality of the evidence was relatively low and that more high-quality research is needed.
A separate review published in 2013 looked at 15 randomised controlled trials involving 1,256 people. It found that acupuncture appeared to improve bowel movements and quality of life and was broadly comparable with conventional medical treatment for some measures of constipation. Again, the researchers highlighted limitations in the quality of the available studies.
Read the research:
Looking for acupuncture in Westminster?
If constipation or digestive discomfort is affecting your everyday life, acupuncture can support your digestive health and help address some of the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
I offer acupuncture from my clinic in Westminster, welcoming patients from Pimlico, Victoria, Belgravia, St James's and the surrounding areas