As you age, the risk of developing diverticular disease increases. Diverticular are tiny sacs or bags that bulge or protrude in the digestive tract. Anywhere in the digestive system can develop the pouches. Nevertheless, they are typically found in the colon or large intestine and frequently arise naturally near the parts of the digestive tract with thin walls that buckle under pressure, allowing tiny bulges to protrude through the colon walls. As you age, waste material and bacteria accumulate around the pouches, causing inflammation and infection. This is what causes diverticulitis.

Are you experiencing lower left abdominal pain, nausea, stomach pain, constipation, vomiting, or diarrhea? If yes, you could have diverticulitis. There are numerous western treatment options available to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. However, if you have tried these remedies without success, it is time to look into acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an alternative.

Diverticulitis and Diverticulosis at a Glance

The two common illnesses that are likely to develop in the large intestine as you grow older are diverticulitis and diverticulosis. Together, these conditions are called diverticular disease.

If you fill a bike tire tube with excessive air, it develops bubbles or stretched areas. The bubbles form around the weakest areas of the tube due to extreme pressure. Like in tubes, when excess pressure is exerted on the weakest areas of the colon, they develop bulges or sacs called diverticular. These can vary from marble-sized pouches to much bigger ones. The sacs can develop in any place in the large intestines, but they are very common in the lower left side of the abdomen.

So, diverticulosis denotes the existence of small pouches in the colon. Normally, the condition does not cause any signs, and you are less likely to know you have an illness unless one or two diverticular become swollen and infected, causing diverticulitis.

On the other hand, diverticulitis is the swelling or infection of the diverticular when waste and bacteria build up on one or multiple diverticular. When the pouches swell or become infected, they cause fever, pain, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, and constipation. With the condition, the symptoms will show, and you should seek a diagnosis and treatment immediately.

Diverticulosis Prevalence

According to the American College of Gastroenterology, diverticulosis is common among senior citizens aged 60 or above, while it is uncommon among individuals 30 or younger. The risk of developing the condition surges with age.

Those likely to develop diverticulosis and, subsequently, diverticulitis include:

  • Persons above 40 years
  • Male
  • Those who live a sedentary lifestyle
  • Persons with excess weight or obesity
  • Cigarette smokers
  • Persons who regularly use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Persons with a lower fiber diet and who rarely eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, or legumes
  • Individuals who regularly consume high-fat diets and red meat

Causes of Diverticular Disease

Diverticulosis has no known cause, but low-fiber diets and foods high in fat have been suggested as potential contributors by scientists. Lack of adequate fiber causes the accumulation of waste material in the large intestine. The bloating exerts pressure on the colon walls, creating small bulges or sacs called diverticular. Due to the additional strain from the constipation pressure, the bulges form on the weakest areas of the large intestine walls.

Similarly, medical scientists are unsure of the causes of diverticulitis. However, they contend that the condition is brought on by stool or waste that builds up on the diverticular, resulting in inflammation and infection.

Symptoms of the Disease

Diverticulosis has no symptoms, although some patients report the following:

  • Sensitivity in the impacted area
  • Constipation
  • Bloating
  • Mild abdominal pain

Just because you are experiencing any of these signs does not indicate diverticular disease. The signs are also common in patients with:

  • Stomach ulcers
  • Inflammatory bowel illness
  • Gallstones
  • Celiac disease

With diverticulosis, you can go for decades without experiencing any signs. However, when the diverticular swells or inflames, causing diverticulitis, you will experience the following symptoms:

  • Abdominal tenderness, primarily on the lower left side — The pain can be gradual or sudden.
  • Nausea
  • Fever
  • Constipation
  • Bloating
  • Tenderness
  • Diarrhea
  • Lower abdominal cramps

Sometimes, the diseases can make you feel like not eating anything because of a lack of appetite. Subsequently, because you are not eating, you experience abrupt weight loss. If the condition goes for a long time without treatment, you could even develop an abscess that causes the tearing of the bowel walls. Under these circumstances, you will require surgery to treat the condition.

Diverticular Disease Diagnosis

Diverticulosis has no symptoms, so it is frequently found while you are being examined for a different, unrelated condition. However, diverticulitis can be diagnosed by a professional if you experience its symptoms.

When you visit your medical provider, they will ask about your health history and the symptoms you are experiencing. Additionally, your physician will ask you about the regular foods you eat and the frequency of your bowel movements.

After, they will perform several tests, including:

  • Blood tests to check for infections
  • A stool sample to check for abdominal bacteria
  • Digital rectal evaluation to check for problems in the anus
  • A CT scan for a clear image of the inflamed or infected diverticular
  • Colonoscopy to examine the entire large intestines

It would help if you understood that a diverticulitis diagnosis is not a death sentence. Even when you are diagnosed with the disease, it can be treated. Mild diverticulitis has no symptoms, so seeking treatment is not necessary.

Diverticulitis Treatment

Diverticulosis has no treatment because the disease does not show any signs. To prevent it from developing into diverticulitis, you must consume less red meat and stick to a diet high in fiber.

When you experience symptoms of diverticulitis, and your doctor diagnoses the disease, they will prescribe antibiotics because it is more of a bacterial infection. The antibiotics include Flagyl, Bactrim, Cipro, and Augmentin. The doctor will also recommend you purchase some OTC pain relievers. Additionally, they suggest low-fiber or liquid food until the symptoms have subsided. You can gradually resume your normal diet once the symptoms have improved, including fiber-rich diets.

Other recommendations your medical professional will make include:

  • Quitting smoking
  • Making diet adjustments

In the past, many doctors encouraged their patients to avoid popcorn, nuts, or seeds, believing that these foods' small, hard particles could be trapped on the diverticulum, causing flare-ups. Nonetheless, recent studies have shown these foods do not irritate diverticula. It would help if you took the time to find the foods that trigger or do not trigger your symptoms and steer clear of those that cause or worsen them.

Additionally, if your condition is serious, you will experience rectal bleeding or another diverticulitis attack. Your doctor will recommend admission to administer the antibiotics through an intravenous (IV). You will need diverticulitis surgery if you develop an abscess or tear after the IV.

An abscess is a walled-off collection of bacteria and white blood cells in the stomach. Typically, medical professionals use a needle to drain the abscess's fluid. However, surgery is required to drain the fluid and clean up the affected area when other treatments are unsuccessful.

Additionally, when a colon tear occurs, diverticulitis surgery is required. The tear, also known as a perforation, typically allows for the passage of infection or feces into the abdominal cavity, leading to fatal peritonitis. When you develop the infection, an emergency operation is required to wash the abdominal cavity and extract the impaired part of the large intestine.

Furthermore, surgery will be necessary for diverticular bleeding or when the diverticulitis is so severe that it does not respond to antibiotics. Several diverticulitis attacks on a diet rich in fiber could be a warning sign that you need surgery.

Diverticulitis surgery entails extracting the infected part of the large intestine and reattaching it to the rectum. Your doctor can use the less invasive treatment, which is laparoscopy. The treatment entails making holes in the abdomen and inserting tiny needles to remove the white blood cells or infected fluid from the colon. However, if the condition is severe, open surgery is required. Your surgeon will discuss the details of each surgery type, the risks, and your expectations.

Acupuncture and TCM as an Effective Option for Treating Diverticulitis  

Acupuncture and conventional Chinese medicine are excellent alternatives for treating diverticulitis. Inflammation, which contributes to pain and other diverticulitis symptoms, is said to happen whenever the body's energy flow is obstructed. If only a fixed location is experiencing the pain, there is blood blockage in the area. Most geriatric conditions among senior citizens develop because of subdued blood flow. Diverticulitis is no different.

In the TCM concept, the sharp abdominal pain you feel is caused by inhibited blood vessels. Also, the pain could be due to pathogenic energy like dampness, warmth, or cold. Another crucial factor TCM considers to be a cause of diverticulitis is a weak spleen. The function of your spleen is to convert nutrients into energy. If it stops functioning normally, impurities begin to sink and build up in the lower body part, explaining the pain and diarrhea symptoms you develop when you have diverticulitis. 

The diagnosis under TCM is based on the type of pain you are experiencing and how the pain reacts to pressure, food, activity, heat, or bowel movement. Your acupuncturist uses these clues to learn what is happening in your body that is causing the condition. Once the cause of the disorder has been identified, your acupuncturist restores the balance the body has lost, resolving your illness. The cause of diverticulitis varies based on the patient. And with six different types of abdominal pain causing the condition, it is critical to identify the specific cause to address it.

Your acupuncturist can arrest various symptoms of diverticulitis, including pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, inflammation, and bloating. You can strengthen your immune and digestive systems and restore functionality through acupuncture and TCM. With a strong immune system and a strengthened colon, you do not need to worry about the problem recurring in the future.

To treat your diverticulitis disease, your acupuncturist will do the following:

  • Release pressure, otherwise called qi, in the abdomen to relieve pain and lower bacterial infection
  • Reduce inflammation to eliminate pain
  • Release qi from the colon to eliminate bloating

Of course, acupuncture is very effective in treating diverticulitis. Nonetheless, it would help if you supported the treatment with lifestyle adjustments. You can prevent the condition from recurring by ensuring regular bowel movements and refraining from straining or constipation. To achieve bowel movements, you must eat foods high in fiber, which pulls more water into the stool. When this happens, the stool becomes bulky and soft, making it easy to move through the colon. The foods you should eat that are rich in fiber are:

  • Whole grain diets like pasta, brown rice, bread, and barley
  • Brown rice
  • Cooked dried
  • Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, beans, and carrots

With these diets, you not only prevent constipation but also lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and the risk of intestinal diseases.

Eating foods rich in fiber is not the only way to prevent diverticulosis. It would help if you drank a lot of water regularly because fiber absorbs more water. You are encouraged to drink water daily to stay hydrated.

Even if you increase your intake of high-fiber foods and fluids, some diets can cause gastrointestinal dysfunction, resulting in excessive heat or dampness, which inhibits energy and blood flow in internal organs. All foods have components that cause cold or heat, elevating the risk of diverticulitis. Therefore, you should talk to your acupuncturist about the best foods you can eat to achieve balance.

Besides, your acupuncturist will encourage you to avoid a sedentary lifestyle by exercising often. Exercise helps food move through the digestive tract, so if you exercise for at least thirty minutes per day, you will have better digestion and a lower risk of diverticulitis.

Find an Experienced Acupuncturist Near Torrance

Diverticulitis is prevalent in California, and the risk of developing the disease increases as you grow older. The symptoms of the disease, like abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, nausea, and constipation, can be dangerous. We can treat these symptoms at Trinity Acupuncture using acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Our acupuncturists focus on your digestive system and lifestyle to help lower the disease risk. Call us today at 310-371-1777 to schedule a meeting in Torrance, CA.