Electro-acupuncture and IBS

One of the things that I love about writing for About.com is the fact that I get to learn new things every day. Today’s new thing was that there is something called electro-acupuncture (EA). EA differs from traditional acupuncture in that the acupuncture needles apply brief electrical pulses to the areas to which they are attached. My acquaintance with EA occurred when I came across a study that used EA on, of all things, rats with irritable bowel syndrome. This little study offers some nuggets in terms of understanding IBS and so I believe it is worth taking a look at.

Your first question might be “How does a rat get IBS?” Apparently, the rats develop the visceral hypersensitivity (decreased ability to tolerate pain in inner organs) seen in human IBS patients, after being subjected to colon irritation as newborns. Poor rats! You may be able to relate to this if your IBS began after experiencing a bad stomach bug.

In this study, the rats with visceral hypersensitivity received EA at two specific acupuncture sites on their bodies or underwent the same procedure on the same spots without any electrical stimulation. Another group of rats with visceral hypersensitivity received EA on spots not thought to be acupuncture points. The rats that were given EA on the specific spots showed improved pain tolerance and changes in specific receptor sites on their spinal cords. No such changes were seen in the other two groups. Similarly, no such changes (e.g. change in pain tolerance or spinal cord receptors) were seen in normal (non-traumatized rats) who were given EA on the acupuncture points. The researchers conclude that EA is effective in reducing visceral hypersensitivity and that these changes occur on a chemical level within the spinal cord.

I bring this study to your attention for a few different reasons. The first is that it provides more support for the notion that IBS is “not all in your head”. It also provides some clues as to the physiological basis for the visceral hypersensitivity that is characteristic of IBS. And, although quite preliminary, it does lay down a foundation for investigating the use of electro-acupuncture as a treatment for IBS.

Further Reading:

• Treatment of IBS
• Five Reasons Why IBS Is Not All in Your Head
• Visceral Hypersensitivity and IBS
• What Is Acupuncture?

Source:

Tian, S., Wang, X. & Ding, G. “Repeated electro-acupuncture attenuates chronic visceral hypersensitivity and spinal cord NMDA receptor phosphorylation in a rat irritable bowel syndrome model.” Life Sciences 2008 83:356-363.