Abstract
BackgroundIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Many patients suffer from IBS that can be difficult to treat, thus complementary therapies which may be effective and have a lower likelihood of adverse effects are being sought.This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at critically evaluating the current evidence on moxibustion for improving global symptoms of IBS.MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, AMED, CINAHL, and CNKI databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of moxibustion comparing with sham moxibustion, pharmacological medications, and other active treatments in patients with IBS. Trials should report global symptom improvement as an outcome measure. Risk of bias for each RCT was assessed according to criteria by the Cochrane Collaboration, and the dichotomous data were pooled according to the control intervention to obtain a risk ratio (RR) of global symptom improvement after moxibustion, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsA total of 20 RCTs were eligible for inclusion (n = 1625). The risk of bias was generally high. Compared with pharmacological medications, moxibustion significantly alleviated overall IBS symptoms but there was a moderate inconsistency among studies (7 RCTs, RR 1.33, 95% CI [1.15, 1.55], I2 = 46%). Moxibustion combined with acupuncture was more effective than pharmacological therapy but a moderate inconsistency among studies was found (4 RCTs, RR 1.24, 95% CI [1.09, 1.41], I2 = 36%). When moxibustion was added to pharmacological medications or herbal medicine, no additive benefit of moxibustion was shown compared with pharmacological medications or herbal medicine alone. One small sham-controlled trial found no difference between moxibustion and sham control in symptom severity (mean difference 0.35, 95% CI [−0.77, 1.47]). Moxibustion appears to be associated with few adverse events but the evidence is limited due to poor reporting.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that moxibustion may provide benefit to IBS patients although the risk of bias in the included studies is relatively high. Future studies are necessary to confirm whether this finding is reproducible in carefully-designed and conducted trials and to firmly establish the place of moxibustion in current practice.
Highlights
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder
Abnormal intestinal motility, visceral hypersensitivity, abnormal neurohormonal responses to stimuli or stress and alteration of normal intestinal microflora are known to be causes of IBS [3]. Recent conventional treatments such as antispasmodics, fiber supplementation and antidepressants have focused on the alleviation of intestinal IBS symptoms, limited effects of them have made many IBS patients interested in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) [4]
8 trials tested moxibustion alone [20,22,25,26,27,28,32,36]; moxibustion combined with acupuncture was used in 7 studies [17,18,19,21,31,34,35]; moxibustion and pharmacological medication was used in two studies [23,29]; two studies used moxibustion with herbal medicine [30,33] and one used moxibustion with psychotherapy [24]
Summary
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Many patients suffer from IBS that can be difficult to treat, complementary therapies which may be effective and have a lower likelihood of adverse effects are being sought. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic or recurrent functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterised by abdominal pain or discomfort and disturbance of bowel habit for at least three months. Recent conventional treatments such as antispasmodics, fiber supplementation and antidepressants have focused on the alleviation (or relief ) of intestinal IBS symptoms, limited effects of them have made many IBS patients interested in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) [4]. Acupuncture-related interventions are one of the most frequently sought CAM modalities and have been widely used in various conditions including functional GI disorders with 12 million treatments per year in the US [5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
