How Can Acupuncture Help with Diverticulitis?

So you have been diagnosed with diverticulitis: It can be scary and confusing. I was diagnosed almost two years ago and have never been in better shape since. Yes! It was a wake up call, I was frightened it may lead to something else and generally mad at myself for getting it in the first place.

Of course I was mad at myself, as having family members who suffered from the disease, I swore I would never let myself get it as I believed I had a fairly healthy lifestyle. I was far from being overweight; I exercised and was always on the go. I drank occasionally and did not smoke.

I thought I had to eat rubbish all the time and not do any form of exercise to be susceptible to the disease. Oh, how wrong could I be? You just don’t realize that what you think you get away with when you are young, creeps up on you like age and before you know it, you are not as fallible as you may think.So the years of eating irregular when I was younger, living on sweet things and candy, never worrying about fiber, as I did not experience any constipation on a regular basis and staying so slim. Yes I had fooled myself into thinking I was healthy.

Being diagnosed with diverticulitis and seeing the damage to my colon was like looking at something completely alien to me, in fact I wondered if indeed I had an alien living in my intestine.

I was under the illusion that diet and exercise alone was the reason I had developed my alien friend, and that I had better get use to that concept and think about changing my eating habits big time. Now middle aged, I felt I had better to something and fast.

Out went spicy food, not that I was a lover of spicy food, but!!! When you can’t eat something you want it more. Out went potatoes, bread, pizza, pasta, corn, nuts, raisins, peas, anything that could get stuck in those nasty pockets in the colon and fester a life of their own. In came lots of fiber, more salads, and natural olive oil on my salads. I ate little and often throughout the day and a very light meal in the evening. I exercised more, walked more, and drank copious amounts of water which I still struggle to drink, so I add vitamin C to at least on glass.

Over the weeks, I felt lighter, lost some weight, people noticed my skin looked clearer and in general I felt really well. Then as soon as I wandered of the path and ate a bit more than usual in the evenings, went out more over the holiday period or just veered away from my routine, all it took was 10 days and baboom! Right back to more weight, feeling sluggish, not being able to go to the restroom easily and my skin became dull. How could this be and why so soon?

I was annoyed to think that just a little off track caused me so much discomfort, and I would result to colon cleanse to make me feel better and loads of yogurt and salads. Hmm! So why was this alone not doing the trick?

I took myself of to see an acupuncturist, it has been years since I last went; only this time I went to see about neck and shoulder relief from an old injury many years prior. It was during the initial consultation and without a word from, that after listening to my pulses he asked me if I had digestion problems. I went on to explain about my diverticulitis and he explained that they can treat the root cause of this disease. Root cause! What the hell was he talking about? I told him I was under the impression was my diet, lack of fiber and rattled off everything I knew and held to be true.

Well he told me that when you hold certain emotions, stress and stagnant energy in our digestive systems the blood flow was not doing its job and our organs are struggling to be healthy. That with moving the energy and treating the way I hold on to stress I could keep my diverticulitis under control and in fact improve my colon condition immensely and alleviate intestinal discomfort, constipation and inflammation often caused by diverticulitis.

With acupuncture and cupping along with the usual needles in places I would rather not know. Some points that were utilized were bladder, stomach and gallbladder along with intestinal and certain conception points. All that relates to moving the energy build up and encourage healthier intestines.

Acupressure was interesting and both the stomach, which was actually below the knee and the large intestine, somewhere near the elbow along with the liver.

Massage can help to and I found using virgin olive oil and chamomile, with 3-4 drops of peppermint mixed up was good at reliving some bloating feeling and comfort. This I did myself, however, massage with acupuncture and acupressure has made an enormous difference in my digestion and my energy.

The secret is watching your diet, exercise, how you manage and are aware of your emotions and stress, and I definitely recommend Acupuncture.