Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Tanya Keam | Jan 24, 2024 | Acupuncture, Anxiety, Chinese medicine, Client information, Digestive health, Emotions, Herbal remedies, Irritable bowel syndrome, Loose stools, Nambour, Nutrition, Stress, Sunshine coast

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Name: Tanya Keam Wellness - Acupuncture & Holistic Health
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the stomach and intestines, also called the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, cramping, gas, and diarrhoea or constipation, or both.

Only a small number of people experiencing IBS have severe symptoms, while others experience mild pain and alternation of bowel habits. So how are your insides? Worried about where the next toilet will be? Your digestion is switching from diarrhoea to constipation and you’ve tried dairy free, gluten free or the low-FODMAP diet?

Sometimes people can visit their medical physician with symptoms and either be dismissed or referred to a gastroenterologist. Sometimes people can get a parasite or gastroenteritis (infection/inflammation in the gut) from eating contaminating food/water from traveling overseas and then end up with IBS symptoms long term.

To date, the pathophysiology of IBS is still not completely understood. However, specialists are now more accepting of IBS signs and symptoms being a functional disorder with both physiological and psychosocial factors, despite x-rays, lab tests or biopsies being clear.

What might a specialist first exclude before diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Due to many digestive conditions having similar signs and symptoms, a specialist must first rule out other conditions such as:

Small-bowel bacterial overgrowth
Lactose intolerance
Eating disorder
Inflammatory bowel disease
Autoimmune disease
Coeliac disease or celiac sensitivity
Parasites
Infection
Laxative use
Microscopic colitis
Pharmaceutical side effects
Gastritis or Enteritis

A patient may undergo blood tests, stools tests, physical examination, colonoscopy, ultrasound or sigmoidoscopy tests and a physician will also exclude any of the above causes (1). If tests come back clear and no other gastrointestinal diseases are determined, then IBS is considered (2).

How is Irritable bowel syndrome treated ?

Doctors may treat IBS by recommending changes in what you eat and other lifestyle changes, medicines, probiotics, and mental health therapies (3).

Also:

Increasing fibre to improve constipation
Decreasing gas producing foods
Following a FODMAP photocol or other dietary protocol that improves symptoms
Mental health support
Stress management
Getting enough sleep
Increasing exercise
Drug therapy for the dominant symptoms

What does research say about other therapies such as Chinese medicine, Acupuncture and behavioural therapy?

A review of mind/body approaches to irritable bowel syndrome has suggested that alternate strategies targeting mechanisms other than thought content change might be helpful, specifically mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches (4).

Best practices in treating IBS support the idea that patients should be referred for behavioural therapy early, not just when patients have failed everything else. Ideally, consultation with a gastrointestinal psychologist would be incorporated very early into the treatment plan so that collaboration can occur between the patient, psychologist, gastroenterologist, and possibly a dietitian. IBS is a multifactorial disorder, and the field of gastroenterology is moving toward additional in-clinic assessments of mood to more comprehensively aid patients in the management of complexities associated with IBS (5).

A 2015 Australian randomised-controlled trial showed that Chinese herbal medicine may be an effective treatment in relieving IBS. The double-blinded trial was for constipation-type IBS, and it found that Chinese herbal medicine reduced symptoms, increased bowel satisfaction and stool consistency, reduced straining and hard lumpy stools, compared with placebo (6). The study also showed how quickly symptoms can improve with symptoms improving by week 8 of the trial and the herbs being well tolerated by participants.

Other research suggested by The World Journal of Gastroenterology of a meta-analysis of 6 randomised controlled trials in 2014. The review found that acupuncture clearly leads to control of IBS symptoms which is both statistically characteristic and statistically significant (7).

Moxibustion (moxa) is a technique to burn mugwort on or close to a patients skin with or without acupuncture stimulation. It is used to help relieve pain, discomfort, to encourage blood flood and alleviate other symptoms according to Chinese medicine diagnosis. A review of 20 randomised-controlled trials of managing IBS showed moxa may provide benefit to IBS patients, however further research is needed (8).

How does Chinese medicine and Acupuncture help Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Publications of the interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and the gastrointestinal system from the years 2004 to 2021 has been widely studied, with the number of papers rapidly increasing since 2018 (9).

One of the branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine is Acupuncture, which is used to stimulate documented acupuncture points to relieve pain, treat internal organ problems, reflect on disease conditions and activate the self healing ability to keep people well.

The Acupuncturist will talk with the patient about signs and symptoms and other lifestyle or dietary factors that may be contributing to the problem. Sometimes acupuncture alone can regulate the digestive system, other times herbal medicine is prescribed alongside depending on predominant symptoms such as constipation or diarrhoea. Other symptoms are taken into account for the patients individual pattern when herbs are given.

Educating patients about lifestyle factors for managing stress is also important. We will work closely with the patient to improve their diet, reduce foods that may be contributing to IBS or other gastrointestinal problems.

Tanya Keam is an integrative Chinese medicine Doctor and registered Acupuncturist in Nambour in the beautiful Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia. If you’re experiencing the above symptoms or interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture treatment specifically for Irritable Bowel Syndrom, please reach out to see if Acupuncture, herbal medicine and lifestyle guidance might support you to feel better.

You can see Tanya’s training here, call us here, or book online here.

References

1. Mayo Clinic (2018). “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360016

2. Harvard Health Publishing (2018). ‘The gut-brain connection.’ Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection

3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2024). ‘Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome’. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome/treatment

4. Sebastián Sanchez B, Gil Roales-Nieto J, Ferreira NB, Gil Luciano B, Sebastián Domingo JJ. New psychological therapies for irritable bowel syndrome: mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) Rev Esp Enferm Dig. 2017;109(9):648–657.

5. Riehl, M. (2018). ‘The Emerging Role of Brain-Gut Therapies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.’ Gastroenterology & Hepatology14(7), 436-438.

6. Bensoussan, A., Kellow, J., Bourchier, S., Fahey, P., Shim, L., Malcolm, A. & Boyce (2015). ‘Efficacy of a Chinese Herbal Medicine in Providing Adequate Relief of Constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial’. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 13(11), Pages 1946-1954.

7. Chao, C. & Zhang, S. (2014). ‘Effectiveness of acupuncture to treat irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.’ World Journal of Gastroenterology, 20(7), Available at: https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1871.

8. Park, J., Lee, B. & Lee, H. (2013). ‘Moxibustion in the management of irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis’. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 13. Available at: https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-13-247.

9. Yang, S. Hao, S. Wang, Q. Lou, Y. Jia, L. Chen,D. (2022). The interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and gut microbiota : Global research status trends. National Library of Medicine, 12: 1005730. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9510645/

Other articles:

1. Sebastián Sanchez B, Gil Roales-Nieto J, Ferreira NB, Gil Luciano B, Sebastián Domingo JJ. New psychological therapies for irritable bowel syndrome: mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) Rev Esp Enferm Dig. 2017;109(9):648–657.

2. Thakur ER, Shapiro J, Chan J, et al. A systematic review of the effectiveness of psychological treatments for IBS in gastroenterology settings: promising but in need of further study [published online May 10, 2018] Dig Dis Sci. doi:10.1007/s10620-018 5095-3.

3. Keefer L, Palsson OS, Pandolfino JE. Best practice update: incorporating psychogastroenterology into management of digestive disorders. Gastroenterology. 2018;154(5):1249–1257.

What is Self Care

by Tanya Keam | Jan 24, 2023 | Acupuncture, Adrenal Fatigue, Anxiety, Authentic self, Chinese medicine, Chronic fatigue, Daily Rituals, Exercise, Mental health, Nambour, Self care, Sleep, Spiritual growth, Stress, Sunshine coast

What is self care ?

You might think having a relaxing bath and exercising is self care, and it is. However self care for everyone is going to be different and there are many ways to take care our wellbeing.

Checking in with yourself to see how you are is a good place to start. Sitting down for 15 minutes, closing your eyes and focussing on your breathing will tell you if you’re conscious of your breathing or not. People often find it difficult to meditate so if this is you, just sitting or lying down and focussing on your breathing is a start. Inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 4 counts continually for 15 minutes. If this is difficult then start with 5 minutes. Does the inhalation feel the same as the exhalation? Or does one feel more restricted than the other?

Once here, ask yourself how you are.

What emotions are present right now? Have I been sleeping well lately? What has been upsetting me lately? Do I feel well in my body – my energy stamina, my digestion, do I have pain in my body? How have the last 3 months been going? The past year? How do I take care of my well being? Do I take care of myself at all? Do I reach for things to change how I feel? A glass of wine, substances? How do I handle stress?

As a Eastern medicine practitioner in the health industry I often ask people how they take care of themselves day to day and also when they aren’t feeling good.

Self care ideas you maybe haven’t thought of:

Saying no to social events because you’re not up to it
Calling friends to be around people you love for company
Doing food prep so you have healthy meals through the week
Asking a friend to help you with something
Getting help with kids so you can have a few hours to yourself
Seeing a therapist to talk about things
Exercising every day to get the feel good chemicals going in your body
Reducing your work or study load
Taking time off work
Resting at home – literally putting your feet up with a book
Sleep
Stepping away from unhealthy relationships or jobs
Allowing yourself to cry and feel
Magnesium bath
Time in nature
Taking a holiday
Being conscious of your behaviours when you are stressed
Prayer
Meditation
Doing your favourite hobbies
Conscious breathing
Staying off social media if peoples highlight reels are triggering
Journaling
Trying a new activity
Asking for help
Quiet days at home
Going for a health treatment such as acupuncture to balance your nervous system
Reducing or completely removing alcohol and substances
Slowing your life down, simplifying things

Life can get on top of us sometimes. Checking in with yourself every day by practicing self care is loving yourself. Your self care isn’t going to look the same as someone else’s self care but know there are many ways to nourish your body, mind and spirit. Give yourself time and space to move through things that are happening in your life.

Hi, I’m Tanya Keam, an AHPRA registered Acupuncturist and natural health practitioner in Nambour in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Queensland Australia. I practice Chinese medicine and Acupuncture because its safe, logical, relevant and has effectively shown methods of natural wellness for thousands of years (read more about my training here). Life doesn’t need to be complicated and nor does the treatment approaches to get people feeling vibrant and well. I’ve seen people gain a lot from treatments, much more than just alleviating symptoms. It’s exciting to connect with people and share deep wisdom from the classics of ancient and traditional medicine, with modern protocols for todays mind-body living. If you need some guidance in practicing better self care get in touch or book online today.

Gut Feelings

by Tanya Keam | Sep 26, 2018 | Acupuncture, Anxiety, Chinese medicine, Client information, DIY Wellness Tips, Emotions, Gut flora, Liver Health, Mental health, Rest, Sleep, Sunshine coast, Uncategorized

Have you ever experienced a ‘gut feeling’? Sometimes accompanied by butterflies in your stomach, a strange feeling in your abdomen or food isn’t digesting well because life has been a bit h E c T i C? We’ve all been there – someone’s energy doesn’t sit right with us, eating on the run or while multitasking 5 different things, pent up emotions or general daily worry of what to do, what to do.. you’re not alone. I’ve been doing a lot more study around gut-brain connection as well as adrenal health this year and by golly, the 21st century is all about RUSHING. This time of year in October, people start to get tired and stressed with only 2-3 months left until the dramatic Christmas season. Already, people are visiting the clinic worn out and running on their reserves. Just take a moment, to take a deep breath, to check in with where you are at.

Today’s living involves a lot of low level anxiety over multi tasking, relying on coffee/stimulants to wake us up, too rich food, restless sleep, social media, lack of exercise and real fun, financial pressure and general trying to ‘have it all’ or merely keep up. I recently read a book called ‘Slow’ by Brooke McAlary and it is literally about living a slower life. To come back into a state of rest and digest so that sleep is sound and restorative, moods are better, you aren’t relying on coffee/stimulants and you’re recognising your own values and what really matters to you.

Nerve pathways run throughout our body, assisting in all things function. Concentration, digestion, respiration for example are all connected in a linking system. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve that starts in the brain and connects through to our neck and chest, then linking to the abdomen. The vagus nerve is involved with the parasympathetic (rest and digest – when you feel calm and grounded) and the sympathetic (fight-flight – a natural response from stress, when adrenaline kicks in). Both (parasympathetic and sympathetic) are needed to function. Sometimes though, the fight-flight response gets a little overworked – when we push ourselves, when life has thrown us curve balls all at once, pressures of keeping up with everyone else, post traumatic symptoms from trauma and simply feeling anxious and worrying too much. What happens – our gut is affected ! Not to mention pain in the body, fatigue etc.

Chinese medicine offers some relieving perspective for easing back into the rest and digest state of being by addressing the pathology at its root. When an issue is rectified at the root level, innate processes within you start to take over in a positive domino effect.

Examples include using acupuncture to:

Regulate the circadian rhythm (the sleep cycle) so that your hormones and metabolism naturally function well and you wake feeling refreshed, therefore you’re not relying on coffee to perk you up. Not to mention healthy weight and all things gynaecological for woman is smooth sailing throughout monthly cycles.
Regulate and strengthen your immune and digestive function so that you are absorbing nutrients properly, your bowel movements feel great and your energy is therefore good too!
Unblock stagnant energy in the body from built up stress, tight muscles, poor posture, repressed emotions and that funny gut feeling when worries build up.
Supporting your body to prevent overstimulated adrenaline – there is only so many times you can push your adrenals before it becomes detrimental to your health long term.

The vagus nerve doesn’t need to be shocked into shape. It can be toned and strengthened similar to a muscle with small mindful changes to bring you back into feeling cool, calm and collected where you can take a big deep abdominal breath, shaking that funny gut feeling.

Other ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and bring you back into rest and digest ways of being include:

Gargling – stimulates the palate which is fired by the vagus nerve.
Singing and chanting – increases the heart rate, sending relaxing vibrational waves through the vagus nerve that passes through the neck.
Laughing – bursts of joy are natural immune boosters. A good laugh can also be followed by coughing, swallowing and bowel movements which all are connected through where the vagus nerve travels.
Yoga and Tai chi – both increase the rest and digest activity and studies show regular yoga practices increase the feel good neurotransmitters in the brain.
Positive social relationships – research has suggested that thinking compassionately about others naturally increases feelings of joy, hope and serenity which therefore increases the heart rate, thus stimulating the vagus nerve in a positive domino effect.
Deep breathing and meditation – your heart and neck contain neurons that have receptors which detect blood pressure and transmit information to your brain. This activates the vagus nerve that connects through to your heart to lower the heart rate and blood pressure. Breathing the equal amount in as out can be very helpful, and you may even notice you naturally breathe shallowly or mildly hyperventilate which then leads to anxiousness.
Exercise – shown to stimulate the vagus nerve which then benefits the brain and mental health. As the vagus nerve also connects to digestion, your gut is also stimulated when exercising – increasing blood flow, expanding the diaphragm through breathing and moving pent up stuck emotional stress.
Colonic hydrotherapy – expanding the bowel increases vagus nerve stimulation and increases the livers detoxifying pathways.
Bursts of cold – washing your face with cold water stimulates the vagus nerve via temperate change and “always takes the edge off” when you’re in a state of panic, stress or mindlessness. A quick 10 seconds of cold water at the end of your morning hot shower can have a similar effect.
Learning to CHILL OUT may just be what the doctor ordered. Learning to ‘do nothing’ on weekends, say no to social events when you are tired, and living in a state of your own values and rest.
Trusting your gut feeling is a good way to intuitively check in with yourself to give you a heads up about whether you’re in rest and digest mode or fight-flight mode. Most relaxing activities will stimulate the vagus nerve, thus bringing you into a natural state of peace.

Hi, I’m Tanya, an Acupuncturist in Nambour on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, Australia.

I practice Chinese medicine because its safe, logical, relevant and has effectively shown methods of natural wellness for thousands of years. Life doesn’t need to be complicated and nor does the treatment approaches to get people feeling vibrant and well. I’ve seen people gain a lot from treatments, much more than just alleviating symptoms. It’s exciting to connect with people and share deep wisdom from the classics of ancient and traditional medicine, with modern protocols for todays mind-body living. See you in the clinic !

Manage Insomnia with Chinese Medicine

by Tanya Keam | Nov 2, 2017 | Acupuncture, Anxiety, Body clock, Chinese medicine, Client information, Daily Rituals, DIY Wellness Tips, Immune system, Insomnia, Mental health, Nambour, Sleep, Stress

The impact of Insomnia on your health

Poor sleep leads to a host of concerns affecting both health and lifestyle. Such as:

Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression
Obesity and poor metabolism
Heart disease
Hypertension (high blood pressure) from the increased impact on cardiovascular health
Lack of concentration
Poor productivity
Fatigue
Low Immunity

How to manage insomnia with Chinese Medicine and natural remedies

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the 24 hour day is viewed in 2 hour blocks – such as 7-9am is when the energy of your stomach is the strongest (breakfast time!). 1-3am is liver time (when life is a bit stressful it impacts the liver so you’re awake thinking about the world’s problems at 2.30am).

If you are having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, are restless, having unpleasant dreams or relying on sleeping tablets then consider some lifestyle adjustments listed below:

Go to bed at the same time every night and before 10.30pm. Why? Our bodies have a sleep cycle every 90 minutes within a 24 hour day. Missing the window to fall asleep such as at 9.30pm, it is most likely that you will be awake until the next sleep cycle 90 minutes later.
Avoid/reduce over-stimulating food such as hot peppers, alcohol, and coffee that overstimulate the nervous system causing an imbalance in the liver.
Drink chrysanthemum tea – A light yellowish flower that has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine for insomnia and liver health. Other sleepy time teas are also helpful – lavender, spearmint, hops and camomile.
Get acupuncture to improve the quality of your sleep and general maintenance of your health and wellbeing. Acupuncture also puts our body back into the ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic state) where healing, proper rest and feelings of wellbeing reside. A 2016 study showed that “Acupuncture compared to sham/placebo and pharmacotherapy showed statistically significant results in a systematic review for sleep quality in people with insomnia, with further studies need to support the efficacy of acupuncture for sleep”.
Herbal medicine prescribed by a registered practitioner. Herbs can be very powerful sleep aids that don’t tend to have the same issues with side effects as more conventional pharmaceuticals.
Remove electronics from your room, as well as turning off bright lights such as the blue light on your phone/ipad 1 hour before bed.
Do regular exercise, both high intensity and low impact. Preferably in the morning as afternoon evening exercise can keep you awake from all of the endorphins flowing. Sunshine in your eyes also activates Melatonin (a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness).
Try a mediation and/or yoga class to bring awareness to your self. Both are fantastic for clearing your head and breathing into your abdomen – it will help bring your attention away from anxious thoughts. Both are considered “a practice”, meaning you make them a regular part of your life.
Avoid icy cold drinks. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine your body has to work extra hard to heat up the icy cold water you are drinking, which is also over-stimulating your body to cause you to stay awake.
Walk around barefoot will naturally get you feeling grounded and reconnects you with yourself. In Chinese Medicine, massaging the meridian points on the feet are correlated with sleep.
Write down your thoughts/to-do lists before bed or earlier on in the day so that if you do wake up during the night, your mind doesn’t automatically start thinking about all the things that need doing the next day, week, month.
Clean your sleep environment – declutter, dust and dirt removal, clean bed linen regularly and don’t sleep with your pets. Cats are known for running around the house at 2am!
Manage other health concerns – sleep disturbances due to pain, itching, asthma or other breathing disturbances are not considered true insomnia. These issues must be treated to allow a restful night’s sleep.

Hi, I’m Tanya, an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland Australia. I practice Chinese medicine because its safe, logical, relevant and has effectively shown methods of natural wellness for thousands of years (read more about my training here). Life doesn’t need to be complicated and nor does the treatment approaches to get people feeling vibrant and well. I’ve seen people gain a lot from treatments, much more than just alleviating symptoms. It’s exciting to connect with people and share deep wisdom from the classics of ancient and traditional medicine, with modern protocols for todays mind-body living. See you in the clinic !

For more information about how I can assist your health and manage insomnia with Chinese medicine, you can contact me or you can now book online.

Research:

JL Shergis, X Ni, M L.Jackson et al. A systematic review of acupuncture for sleep quality in people with insomnia, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Vol 26, June 2016, p 11.20.
Gao, Xiyan, Cuixiang Xu, Peiyu Wang, Shan Ren, Yanli Zhou, Xuguang Yang, and Ling Gao. “Curative effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on insomnia: a randomized clinical trial.” Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 33, no. 4 (2013): 428-432.