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As one of the many Americans suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)— it affects one in five people and is twice as common in women — I’ve had constipation, gas and bloating for years. After trying a range of supplements and good-for-your-gut tonics, ingestibles weren’t really cutting it and a trip to my local GP just ended in a recommendation to up my fiber intake. Groundbreaking! So I started asking around for referrals from friends or family for alternatives. Surprisingly, acupuncture was at the top of the list and although I’d tried it a few years ago for back pain it never crossed my mind as a treatment option.

FROM SKEPTIC TO EVANGELIST

Fast-forward nine months and I am a regular push-pin - so to speak, and now acupuncture’s biggest advocate. After eery session I have a bowel movement and feel it resets my digestive system for the rest of the week. According to my practitioner, Elizabeth Cullen founder of The Dao Health, “Treatment is effective by regulating Qi (energy) and blood to support movement in the digestive tract by strengthening the relationship between the spleen and stomach,” she says. “Together, their role is to support the function of the digestive system including the vegetative nervous system, endocrine system and fluid metabolism.”

But it’s not just the monthly acupuncture sessions that get me moving, it’s what I’ve learned from Traditional Chinese Medicine along the way, too.

THE WISDOM OF ANCIENT CHINESE NUTRITION + DIET

Before I started seeing Liz, my diet looked somewhat like this: skipping breakfast, drinking two cups of coffee a day, having a cold salad for lunch and then eating a gigantic dinner that could feed three adults. I was also topping every single meal with a truckload of hot sauce. If you’re well-versed in TCM or Ayurvedic practices you’d already know that cold, raw foods slow digestion as they’re hard to break down, while sauce adds heat to the body causing an imbalance in Qi energy.

Every expert I’ve met (Eastern and conventional) agrees I should take the dietary approach of avoiding said cold and raw foods, and instead sticking to warming dishes like bone broth, roast vegetables and stews as they’re warming and easier to digest.

Pair that with digestion-boosting eating habits like chewing for each tooth, cutting my last meal of the day into thirds, following intuitive eating (hey, not eating when you’re not hungry is a thing) and avoiding foods that flare up my IBS (goodbye dairy and hot sauce) as well as avoiding drinking any liquids during meal times as it’s said to flood the stomach and dilutes stomach acid - and only drinking warm water (too cold can slow digestion) and the bloating, gas and pain I used to experience is no longer.

I've also started eating according to the Chinese energy clock, whereby the stomach’s energy is at its peak between 7 and 9am - translating to eating breakfast and making it my biggest meal of the day.
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PLUS NEW HERBAL CONCOCTIONS 

Then, there’s the prescribed Chinese herbal medicine I take twice daily. These ancient remedies are made from boiled down raw herbs and work to help nourish and relieve any symptoms. I’ve also implemented multiple gut strategies, including improving my flora with pre- and probiotics.

It’s important to note that everyone’s digestion is different and what works for some won’t work for others. But these small changes have made a significant difference to curing my IBS and the future is looking bright and bloat-free!

by Kelsey Ferencak