Acid reflux/ heartburn / GERD is extremely common affecting up to 1 in 4 adults in the UK . It is a discomfort, often a ‘burning’ sensation, in the chest that occurs after eating, lying down or bending over. Western medicine generally treats the disorder’s symptoms by acid suppression drugs with varying degrees of success.
Those who come to my acupuncture clinics in Brentwood, Chelmsford and Leigh on sea are either not helped by the drugs or who dislike taking drugs or wish to treat the cause of the problem rather than suppressing symptoms.
Acupuncture views the cause of acid reflux to be the reverse/ upward flow of acidic digestive fluids up into the œsophagus ( food pipe) often caused by a weakened sphincter which separates the stomach from the food pipe .
Acupuncture focussed on calming anxiety and restoring the downward flow of energy/ Qi and strengthening the stomach sphincter.
The Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine , 2010 (16), 298-303 wrote
‘Acupuncture can effectively inhibit the intra- oesophageal acid and bile acid reflux in GER patients to alleviate symptoms with good safety and is well accepted by patients.’