Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for Colitis

By: Dr.Zhang (MD China) Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Specialist

Colitis can be referred to as the inflammation of the colon. Colitis can have many different causes such acute and chronic inflammation, inflammatory disorders such as Crohn’s Disease or food poisoning or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Symptoms can include abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, bloody stools, diarrhea, fever, gas and mucus.

As colitis worsens, steroids are often used as a temporary solution to cover up the symptoms. However, it cannot cure colitis. Steroids must be taken for long periods of time, and if discontinued, the symptoms will recur. Long term use of these strong chemicals will have extremely adverse side effects. One of my past patients suffered from Crohn`s Disease for over 35 years and has taken steroids for as long as he could remember. Instead of helping his health, the drugs worsened it. His heart developed problems and had a heart attack, he also developed osteoporosis and arthritis. The steroids failed to cure the colitis and did the opposite of what it was intended for, and brought the patient more problems.

How Chinese Medicine Helps

According to the Chinese Medical Theory, colitis is caused by the irregular functioning in the stomach and spleen systems. Chinese medical treatment will focus on regulating and improving the spleen and stomach systems. This will naturally decrease and stop bleeding, mucus, and diarrhea. It will enhance the body`s immune system and the ability to digest nutrients. 

Chinese medicine has established a method for treating colitis from thousands of years of medical practice and experimentation, Each patient must have a treatment plan specifically built for them. Chinese Medicine must have a detailed understanding of the patient’s situation. Many different factors affect how colitis is treated. Some people will experience diarrhea when stressed, angered, or having consumed fatty foods. Other might recall the diarrhea painful along with dry mouth and or a hot/cold sensation. The tongue and pulse must also be checked in order to determine whether the problem in yin deficiency or yang deficiency. Although treatment plans will vary among patients, the basis remains the same, and that is to improve the functioning of the spleen and stomach systems.

Clinical studies have shown that that Chinese medicine is very effective for colitis. Many treatment methods are incorporated to achieve the desired result. Acupuncture is used along with herbal brew and sometimes moxibustion. Acupuncture will stimulate the flow of energy within the body and strengthen the internal systems. The herbal brew is a mixture of many herbs blended together. Some herbs will target the root source of the problem, while others will treat the external symptoms.

Example Cases

Case 1: This was the case for a fifty year old male. One of my business neighbours developed a severe case of colitis. He had about more than twenty bowel movements a day along with plenty of mucus and bleeding. When he visited the hospital and his family doctor for assistance, their response was that they could not find anything wrong with his health. After about two weeks of suffering, he wanted to try acupuncture. I performed acupuncture treatment over a period of two weeks, and prescribed two weeks’ worth of Chinese herbal brew. His colitis symptoms have disappeared and have not returned for many years.  

Case 2: This was the case for a 34 year old female: She suffered from colitis for seven months. She had lots of mucus, bled constantly and lost large amounts of blood every day. Her family was very concerned for her health. I administered acupuncture treatments over four weeks, and after that her condition disappeared. The acupuncture needles were inserted along specific meridians to help restore balance to her body.

Practitioner's Notes

Case 1 is an example of an acute situation. The damp-heat in the patient’s body prevented the stomach and spleen systems from working to their full potential. The energy in that area was disrupted.
Case 2 is an example of a chronic case. It occurred because of a spleen and stomach deficiency. Although the case was chronic, it was still possible to only use acupuncture to alleviate the problem.

The human body is extremely complex. All the different parts of the body must remain in balance with one another in order to keep the body healthy. Chinese medicine treats the body as a whole, and regulates and or enhances the internal systems. Chinese medicine specializes in targeting and treating both in root source of the problem, but also the external symptoms. This is why Chinese medicine is extremely effective for colitis. It’s essential that patients strive to seek treatment soon after it appears, in order to experience the best result for their health.

Dietary therapy is an important part of treatment. Patients should avoid or limit dairy, cold, spicy/greasy deep fried foods. Easy digest and cook food are recommended.

This patient started getting symptoms of diarrhea, bleeding and mucus. This woman had symptoms that could develop into colitis. In just one acupuncture treatment, all her symptoms disappeared.