Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition which has become much more prevalent in recent years. A recent modern condition in western terms, this has been recognised and treated for thousands of years with Chinese Medicine.

Symptoms commonly associated with this condition include:
Worse with Stress
Worse after eating particular things
Alternating diarrhoea and constipation
Worse for emotional turmoil
Loose stools
Constipation

Since this is a functional problem rather than a structural problem with the digestive tract, acupuncture is a good treatment choice along with appropriate dietary and lifestyle advice. Along with acupuncture, this will involve eating food which is easier for the body to digest. Often stress is unavoidable but there are ways to help ourselves cope better and the main one is exercise.
IBS is a much used term now for a whole variety of digestive disorders. It seems that it is often given as a diagnosis when nothing else can be found. I have seen a large variety of patients with this diagnosis that present with symptoms such as bloating, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation or abdominal pain. Chinese medicine is more refined in this case and distinguish these clearly as differing problems. For this reason acupuncture and Chinese medicine can get good results in treating IBS. It is important to note that with all digestive disorders, appropriate diet and lifestyle changes may be necessary.