Updated May 2026
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, causes uncomfortable or painful abdominal symptoms. Constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating are all common symptoms of IBS. IBS doesn’t damage your digestive tract or raise your risk for colon cancer. You can often manage symptoms through medications, diet and lifestyle changes. Researchers don’t know exactly what causes IBS, but they classify it as a neuro-gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. These conditions, also called disorders of the gut-brain interaction, have to do with problems with how your gut and brain coordinate to help your digestive system work. (Source: Cleveland Clinic1)
Risk factors for IBS
The Cleveland Clinic cites a number of risk factors (characteristics, conditions, behaviors, and environmental exposures) that may increase a person’s likelihood of having IBS. IBS most often occurs in people in their late teens to early 40s; women are up to twice as likely to get diagnosed with IBS. Other risk factors include:
- Intolerance to certain foods.
- Severe digestive tract infection.
- History of abuse
- Diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
IBS triggers
If you have IBS, you may have noticed that certain things trigger symptoms. A trigger doesn’t cause the condition itself, but it can cause or worsen a symptom flare-up. According to the Cleveland Clinic, common triggers include:
- Periods: You may notice symptoms worsen predictability according to your menstrual cycle.
- Certain foods: Food triggers vary from person to person.
- Stress: Some researchers suggest that IBS is your gut’s response to stress.
If you think you may have IBS, see your primary medical provider for a diagnosis and to rule out anything more serious.
What are some alternative treatments for IBS?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
TCM does not view the body and illnesses the same way Western medicine does. You will never hear a TCM practitioner or acupuncturist tell you that you have IBS. However, you may hear “liver-spleen disharmony” due to stress.
Remember, when a TCM practitioner refers to an organ system they do not mean the physiological organ system associated with Western medicine. Rather, they are referring to the energetics of the organ system and associated meridians as described within Traditional Chinese Medicine. We capitalize the name of the organ to show that an entire Organ System in TCM is being referenced.
The Liver is in charge of the free flow of energy, blood, and oxygen to the Spleen and Stomach. The Spleen and Stomach organ systems are responsible for digestion and taking the nutrients from the food to be transported back to the Liver organ system which then makes the “blood.” This function of the Spleen is commonly referred to transporting and transforming the food.
When the Liver energy becomes stagnant through emotions such as stress, frustration, anger, moodiness, unresolved emotions, and tightness in the body (the Liver is kind of a cranky organ system and is sensitive to these emotions), this hinders proper digestion and what can result is acid, belching, nausea, abdominal distention, and bloating. Diarrhea or constipation can occur, or alternating constipation and diarrhea.
Other common symptoms of Liver qi stagnation are PMS, cramping with clots and irregular menstruation. The most important part of the treatment plan to get to the root of the issue would be to decrease stress.
Your TCM practitioner can help you to understand your TCM diagnostic pattern and recommend treatments that may include acupuncture and herbal medicine, as well as adjustments to your diet to eliminate triggers that are irritating for your particular constitution.
NAET Allergy Elimination
Food and other sensitivities can be triggers of IBS symptoms. Eliminating these triggers can help tremendously. NAET Allergy Elimination has been shown to be very beneficial for most digestive issues, including IBS. See our article, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and NAET2, for more details.
Stress Reduction Methods
Stress plays a huge role in so many pathologies. Whether or not you choose to reduce the impact of stress on you body using acupuncture, Reiki (or other energy work), yoga, meditation, or mindfulness, certain lifestyle changes may also be appropriate.
Modalities that work to reduce the impacts of stress, anxiety and a trauma history include:
- Reiki as a personal practice. The Reiki practices (meditations, precepts, chanting) help you cultivate a capacity to be less stress-reactive to challenging situations or events.
- Energy treatments such as Reiki and Access Consciousness Bars. Energy treatments can be calming and grounding, and help reduce the impact of stressors on the body.
- Auricular acupuncture – specifically the NADA protocol. Certain points in the ear can be stimulated to activate the body’s own calming and healing responses to stressors.
- Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET). This mind-body practice can locate and dissolve stresses that have become fixed within the body’s neurophysiological system, causing recurrent or chronic physical and emotional symptoms.
References
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Cleveland Clinic) ↩︎
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and NAET ↩︎
