Acupuncture treatment in gastrointestinal diseases: a systematic review

Complementary medicine is increasingly used in numerous diseases, also in gastrointestinal disorders. In particular, acupuncture (AC) has become increasingly recognized, which might be due to various reasons. Firstly, frequent diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) still lack an effective drug treatment, while complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers treatment options for suffering patients. Secondly, many patients are afraid of harmful side effects of conventional treatment, thus searching for harmless treatment options such as acupuncture. Furthermore, many patients seek additional CAM therapies as they feel their health related quality of life (QoL) to be improved when treatment strategies are embedded in holistic concepts.

Antonius Schneider, Konrad Streitberger, Stefanie Joos