Electroacupuncture for patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome or functional diarrhea

Abstract

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) and functional diarrhea (FD) are highly prevalent, and the effectiveness of acupuncture for managing IBS-D and FD is still unknown.The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of electroacupuncture with loperamide.It was a prospective, randomized, parallel group controlled trial.A total of 448 participants were randomly assigned to He electroacupuncture group (n = 113), Shu-Mu electroacupuncture group (n = 111), He-Shu-Mu electroacupuncture group (n = 112), or loperamide group (n = 112). Participants in the 3 acupuncture groups received 16 sessions of electroacupuncture during a 4-week treatment phase, whereas participants in the loperamide group received oral loperamide 2 mg thrice daily. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in stool frequency at the end of the 4-weeks treatment. The secondary outcomes were the Bristol scale, the MOS 36-item short form health survey (SF-36), the weekly average number of days with normal defecations and the proportion of adverse events.Stool frequency was significantly reduced at the end of the 4-week treatment in the 4 groups (mean change from baseline, 5.35 times/week). No significant difference was found between the 3 electroacupuncture groups and the loperamide group in the primary outcome (He vs. loperamide group [mean difference 0.6, 95% CI, –1.2 to 2.4]; Shu-Mu vs. loperamide group [0.4, 95% CI, –1.4 to 2.3]; He-Shu-Mu vs. loperamide group [0.0, 95% CI, –1.8 to 1.8]). Both electroacupuncture and loperamide significantly improved the mean score of Bristol scale and increased the weekly average number of days with normal defecations and the mean scores of SF-36; they were equivalent in these outcomes. However, the participants in electroacupuncture groups did not report fewer adverse events than those in the loperamide group. Similar results were found in a subgroup analysis of separating patients with IBS-D and FD patients.Electroacupuncture is equivalent to loperamide for reducing stool frequency in IBS-D and FD patients. Further studies on cost effectiveness of acupuncture are warranted.

Effects of preconditioning of electro-acupuncture on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial

“…[7] Combined with the effect of electrical stimulation, it can produce different treatment effect at different acupoints by adjusting the waveform, time, frequency, and intensity parameters. [8][9][10] Studies showed that treatment with EA could improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer disease. [11] Our previous study suggested that preconditioning of EA could reduce the incidence the postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged rats.…”

Using Traditional Chinese Medicine for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

“…Study conducted by Zheng et al, showed the effectiveness of electro-acupuncture for treating patients with diarrhea prominent IBS (IBS-D). The result of the study showed that electro-acupuncture was equivalent to the use of pharmaceutical Loperamide in reducing stool frequency in patients with IBS-D. Additionally, electro-acupuncture improved stool consistency, the number of days with normal defecation, and quality of life for patients [7].…”

Electro‐acupuncture at ST37 and ST25 induce different effects on colonic motility via the enteric nervous system by affecting excitatory and inhibitory neurons

“…The currently used medical treatments can improve intestinal motility and thereby improve the patient's quality of life, but they do not improve the contraction and relaxation of intestinal muscles, and are also associated with adverse side effects . In clinical practice, acupuncture is accepted as an alternative potentially effective therapy for constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other diseases . It is believed that specific acupoints are associated with certain regional effects .…”

“…4 In clinical practice, acupuncture is accepted as an alternative potentially effective therapy for constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other diseases. [5][6][7] It is believed that specific acupoints are associated with certain regional effects. 8 In the case of gastrointestinal dysfunction, ST 25 (tianshu) and ST 37 (shangjuxu) are the most commonly used acupoints for treatment.…”