Can changing your thoughts and reducing stress really improve your digestion?
There’s good evidence to suggest that the answer to this question is “yes.” According to recent Cochrane Review, stress reduction including acupuncture and meditation, has consistently been shown to be effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is basically a collection of symptoms that arises from impaired digestive function.
Acupuncture is more effective than anti-spasmodic drugs in treating IBS.
There are many possible mechanisms for acupuncture’s effectiveness for treating the symptoms of IBS, but modulation of the vagus nerve – in other words, getting the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system to work better – is thought to be a big part of it. (Excerpt from ‘How Your Thoughts Affect Your Digestion‘)
