Acupuncture works in the body by using thin, filiform needles with the purpose of balancing the flows through the body. When the body is out of balance and the function is down, that is when symptoms and diseases present themselves. When the body is in balance and function is up, the body is able to handle the stresses of the world and can handle the symptoms and diseases that pop up.
With that being said, what does this have to do with the gut microbiome? The gut, specifically the intestines, are home to a vast array of microbes. These play an important role in the body, from helping digest the food that we eat, to boosting the immune system. When the body’s function is down then one of the areas most affected is the gut. When the gut is out of balance it can lead to the following conditions (along with many other not listed here):
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Certain allergies (including seasonal allergies and food allergies)
- Skin conditions (such as contact dermatitis)
- Some mental conditions, that are linked to the gut-brain axis (stress response, anxiety, etc.). If you want to do a deep dive into the gut-brain axis you can find that information at the National Library of Medicine.
Now lets get to the main question:
“Can Acupuncture influence the gut microbiome?”
There are definitely some really good things that a qualified acupuncturist can do to influence the gut microbiome. There are actually 5 pillars of Chinese Medicine, that almost every acupuncturist practices every day. They are:
- Acupuncture
- Herbal Medicine
- Nutrition
- Body movement, including Qi Gong and Tai Chi (also presented as ‘right thinking’)
- Massage
When they (the acupuncturists) utilize each of these branches or pillars of Chinese Medicine the chance of influencing the gut increases dramatically.
However, with just acupuncture they can increase circulation going into the stomach, pancreas, spleen, and intestines, which in turn increases the ability of the body to heal the gut AKA diminishing the symptoms that are presented when the gut is off balance. This can be just enough to get the body working the way it should. In other words acupuncture just by itself is fantastic at healing the gut. Just think if you do the other 4 branches of Chinese Medicine what could happen with the gut.
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What about things that you can do at home?
Well, that is where some of the other branches of Chinese Medicine comes into play.
Nutrition
Nutrition is obviously a huge part of it, from the foods that you eat to the supplements that you take. Every one of those will change the gut microbiome in either a good way or a bad way. Either increasing the good microbes or increasing the bad microbes.
Fun aside: Taking an antibiotic will wipe out all microorganisms in the gut, whether they are good or bad, the antibiotic can’t really distinguish between the two. It becomes very important after taking antibiotics to get as much of the “good” microbes as you can.
Making sure that you are having both prebiotics (food that good microbes like) and probiotics (introduces new microbes into the gut) is absolutely important, especially if you are eating the standard American diet.
Herbal Medicine
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While acupuncture works from the outside to the inside, herbal medicine works from the inside to the inside meaning it doesn’t have to travel as far to work.
Each herbal formula that we make at Acupuncture and Holistic Associates is custom made with the express purpose of increasing the function in your body.
