Acupuncture to the abdomen, boosted by an electric current, helped relieve severe constipation, a new study found.
Chinese researchers studied 1,075 patients with severe functional constipation, which means they were unable to have a complete bowel movement more than twice a week. The study subjects all reported a number of unpleasant symptoms, including hard stools, a sensation of incomplete evacuation and often needing to strain when going to the bathroom.
They were randomly assigned to receive either a form of acupuncture or a sham procedure, according to the report published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine. During the eight weeks of treatment, 31.3 per cent of people in the treatment group showed improvement (measured by three or more bowel movements per week without the need for laxatives) compared with just 12.1 per cent in the control group who improved.
While it's not known exactly why acupuncture may have made a difference, one theory is that the treatment stimulates the muscles along the gastrointestinal tract.
"Though the safety of acupuncture is good, we do not suggest it as a first-line treatment," said the lead author, Dr. Marie Jia Liu of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
Source: The Punch News
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