According to a report on healthcmi.com, acupuncture could be used to reduce inflammation for people who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

MORE: Eight common complications of Crohn’s disease. 

Research has found that acupuncture can improve CDAI (Crohn’s Disease Activity Index) scores, increase the level of hemoglobin, and reduce C-reactive protein levels which lead to inflammation in Crohn’s patients.

Other studies have found that acupuncture in conjunction with moxibustion—which is an ancient Chinese therapy which consists of burning mugwort on certain points of the body—can benefit patients with mild to moderate IBD, helping to regulate certain cells associated with intestinal inflammation.

Different acupuncture points may need to be accessed depending on the severity and the symptoms of each patient according to livingwithCrohn’sandcolitisbook.wordpress.com. Acupuncturists would need to evaluate the patient, taking account of their symptoms and also their pulse and the appearance of their tongue.

MORE: Ten potential risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease. 

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