A 28 year old woman came to our office suffering from severe acid reflux. She had been diagnosed with gastritis, and medications were not helping. Reflux pain in her stomach and esophagus immobilized her after every meal. She had been struggling with this condition for years. This acid reflux case study will explain how acupuncture resolved both her reflux and gastritis.
In addition to reflux, she also struggled with anxiety and stress. Her stomach pain increased when she was feeling anxious and stressed. This information was important for us to understand, as it needed to be addressed in her treatment. Acupuncture restores balance, and both physical and emotional symptoms need to be recognized if balance is to be achieved.
Acid Reflux Case Study
Also known as GERD, acid reflux is a condition where acid in the stomach travels up the esophagus, causing burning pain. Chinese medicine describes this as “rebellious stomach Qi”. Stomach energy is supposed to go down toward the intestines. Disharmony in the stomach can cause this energy to rise up instead. When acid rises up from the stomach it causes reflux.
Acupuncture treats this condition a number of ways simultaneously. First, we harmonize the stomach. This technique balances acid levels, meaning that if there is too much acid being produced it will reduce acid levels. If there is no enough acid it will increase levels. The end result is the correct level of acid for proper digestion.
Secondly, acupuncture redirects stomach energy downward, resolving rebellious stomach Qi. When acid descends to the small intestine, as it is supposed to do, symptoms of GERD and reflux disappear.
Our Patient’s Treatment
We applied both of these strategies for our acid reflux patient. We balanced her acid levels and directed her stomach energy downward. This was accomplished by using acupuncture points on her back, called Back Shu points. Treatment for digestive conditions can be done from the front or back. Our patient responded better to the back treatment.
Her treatment included the following back shu points: BL21, BL20, BL18 and BL15. These points addressed the stomach, liver and heart. Liver points were included because her condition was aggravated by stress, and the liver helps manage stress. Heart points were included to address anxiety, as the patient had some anxiety as well.
It was important to include liver and heart points, not just stomach points, because her reflux was aggravated by stress and anxiety. We were able to resolve her reflux and gastritis because the treatment addressed all of her imbalances. The human body is an interconnected web. It must be treated as a whole for complete healing to occur.
Chinese Herbs and Acid Reflux
In addition to acupuncture, we prescribed Chinese herbs. The formula was custom designed to address her stomach imbalance and included the herbs: Chai Hu, Ban Xia, Bai Zhu, Xiang Fu, and Dang Gui, to name a few. These herbs accounted for about 20% of her healing, supplementing the acupuncture, which was the primary healing technique.
Results
Our patient started feeling better after the second acupuncture treatment. We treated her a total of 10 times, after which she was pain free. In addition, her anxiety and stress were significantly reduced. A 12 month follow-up found the patient still feeling good. She had no reflux or gastritis symptoms.
Next Steps
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If you have questions about this acid reflux case study, give us a call at 919-819-8113. We look forward to speaking with you.
What our Clients are Saying
I’ve been coming to Raleigh Acupuncture for the last month and I have nothing but good things to say. They are so knowledgable about the whole body and care for the whole body. I have been taking acid reflux meds for years now every night. If I didn’t take them I had so many problems (burning, hurting stomach, waking up from pain in the middle of the night, etc.). After just the first treatment I was only having to take meds every other day. After 4 treatments now, I take medicine maybe every 3-4 days. The acupuncture has made more of a difference than anything else, and I am so thankful to have found Raleigh Acupuncture.
Thanks Mark for helping relieve my gastroparesis! The nausea, stomach pain, and reflux were driving me crazy. With your help and dedication I’m feeling so much better. Recommended!
Fantastic results for my acid reflux! No more burning pain, and I can eat alot more foods. Great job Raleigh Acupuncture! I’m sending all my friends to you!
I was diagnosed with GERD (acid reflux) 12 years ago and was put on medication at that time. The medication (Prilosec) eased my symptoms but I still always had some level of daily discomfort. I read an article about Chinese medicine being able to cure GERD and decided to explore my options. Raleigh Acupuncture had a good website and reviews so I booked an appointment. Their intake was very thorough and afterward they treated me with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Within three treatments I was feeling much less symptoms of the GERD, less pain and burning. Within nine treatments my condition was completely resolved. It’s been a year since my last treatment and the GERD has not reappeared. This should be mandatory for all patients suffering from acid reflux. It does not make any sense to take medications for your whole life when a condition can be cured in a month for less than $500.
My acid reflux meds stopped working about three months ago and someone suggested acupuncture so I gave it a try. I couldn’t eat anything without having burning pain from my stomach up into my chest. What a relief from the acupuncture! They totally cured my reflux. I’ve been living with this, just managing it with medications, when all the while I could have cured it with this. Absolutely amazing! I love Raleigh Acupuncture!!