Study Shows Acupuncture is Effective for Crohn's Disease

Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis respond very well to Chinese medicine – acupuncture and herbal therapy. Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease which involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The main symptoms of Crohn's disease are abdominal pain, fever, fatigue and persistent, watery diarrhea. Symptoms range from mild to severe, and can come and go with periods of flare-ups.

Articles and Research

• In a study published in the journal, Digestion, acupuncture was found effective for treating Crohn's disease.

In this German study, 51 patients with mild to moderately active Crohn's disease had a decrease in disease activity after receiving 10 sessions of acupuncture. Study members also showed an improvement in general well-being and reported an improvement in quality of life.

Source: Joos S, Brinkhaus B, Maluche C, Maupai N, Kohnen R, Kraehmer N, Hahn EG, Schuppan D. Acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of active Crohn's disease: a randomized controlled study. Digestion. 2004;69(3):131-9.

Reprinted from Gather.com

• A Chinese herbal formula containing Ku Shen (Radix Sophorae flavescentis) has been shown to be as effective as the anti-inflammatory drug mesalamine for treating ulcerative colitis (UC). The study, published in a Chinese medical journal (readable here). This herb is often included in formula for both UC and Crohn's, though we individualize herbal therapy and acupuncture for the patient.