IBS, bloating, reflux, constipation, food sensitivities — Chinese medicine addresses digestive dysfunction at its root. Serving Lane Cove and all North Shore communities.
Book Your Appointment Call (02) 9427 5696Digestive disorders are among the most common presentations at Lane Cove Acupuncture. Patients from Lane Cove, Chatswood, Artarmon, Willoughby, and across the North Shore come to us with conditions that range from chronic bloating and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), chronic constipation, and food sensitivities that have resisted dietary elimination alone.
In Chinese medicine, the digestive system is understood primarily through the Spleen-Stomach axis. The Spleen (a broader functional concept than the anatomical organ) governs the transformation and transportation of food and fluids — essentially, how your body extracts nutrition and energy from what you eat. When Spleen function is impaired, digestion becomes inefficient, and a range of characteristic symptoms emerge.
Chinese medicine does not merely manage symptoms. It asks why the digestive system has become dysregulated — what constitutional, emotional, dietary, or lifestyle factors have impaired Spleen-Stomach function — and addresses those underlying causes. This is why our results for digestive conditions are often more durable than symptomatic management alone.
The foundational pattern underlying most chronic digestive complaints. Symptoms include: bloating after meals, loose stools or alternating bowel habits, fatigue, poor appetite, tendency to gain weight easily, and a pale or sallow complexion. Spleen Qi deficiency develops from overwork (particularly excessive mental effort), irregular eating patterns, over-consumption of cold/raw foods, and chronic worry. It is extremely common in North Shore professionals who eat at irregular hours, work long days, and consume a high proportion of cold convenience foods.
When the Spleen is deficient, it fails to adequately transform and transport fluids, and Dampness accumulates in the body. Dampness in the digestive system manifests as: a feeling of heaviness in the body, thick coating on the tongue, generalised bloating and water retention, sluggish bowel, nausea, and a foggy, heavy-headed feeling. Damp in the intestines contributes significantly to IBS-C (constipation-predominant) and IBS-M (mixed) presentations.
Excessive consumption of spicy, greasy, or heating foods, combined with stress and alcohol use, can generate Stomach Heat. This manifests as: a burning sensation in the epigastrium, GORD and acid reflux, increased hunger, strong-smelling belching, constipation, bad breath, and a red tongue with yellow coating. Many Lane Cove and Chatswood patients with GORD present with a combined Stomach Heat and Liver overacting on Stomach pattern — where stress drives the Liver to attack the Stomach, causing reflux that worsens predictably under emotional pressure.
This is the classic stress-gut pattern. Liver Qi stagnation — driven by emotional stress, frustration, or chronic tension — disrupts the smooth flow of Qi in the middle jiao, causing Liver energy to "invade" the digestive system. Symptoms include: bloating that worsens with stress, alternating constipation and diarrhoea (classic IBS-D or IBS-M), epigastric tightness, nausea, and flatulence. The gut-brain connection is well-established in modern gastroenterology; in TCM, this connection was described and treated for centuries through the Liver-Spleen axis.
IBS-C, IBS-D, and IBS-M. Acupuncture regulates gut motility and addresses the brain-gut axis. Herbal medicine provides between-session support.
Persistent bloating — whether post-meal or chronic — often reflects Spleen Qi deficiency and Damp accumulation. Highly responsive to TCM treatment.
Stomach Heat and Liver-Stomach disharmony patterns. Acupuncture reduces lower oesophageal sphincter dysfunction and Stomach acidity.
Qi stagnation, Yin deficiency, and Spleen Qi deficiency constipation — each requiring different treatment. Highly effective with combined acupuncture and herbal treatment.
TCM addresses why certain foods provoke symptoms by correcting Spleen function, reducing intestinal permeability, and calming immune reactivity.
Including morning sickness in pregnancy (PC-6 is one of the most researched acupuncture points), chemotherapy-induced nausea, and functional nausea.
Research into acupuncture's mechanisms in gastrointestinal conditions has grown substantially. Key findings include:
Liu Jun Zi Tang (Six Gentleman Decoction) — the foundational formula for Spleen Qi deficiency with Phlegm-Damp. Strengthens Spleen, resolves dampness, regulates Stomach Qi. Suitable for chronic bloating, loose stools, fatigue, and poor appetite.
Chai Hu Shu Gan San — for Liver-Stomach disharmony with stress-related IBS, bloating, and reflux. Moves Liver Qi, harmonises Stomach.
Ping Wei San — for Dampness in the Stomach and intestines. Drying, regulating, and transforming formula for heavy, bloated presentations.
Huang Lian Jie Du Tang — for Stomach Heat with burning reflux, bad breath, and constipation. Clears Heat from the digestive tract.
HICAPS private health rebates processed on the day. Open Monday–Sunday, 9am–9pm. Serving Lane Cove, Chatswood, Artarmon, Willoughby, and North Shore communities.
Digestive health shapes everything — energy, mood, skin, immunity. Book at Lane Cove Acupuncture and find out what Chinese medicine can do for your gut.
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