• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.162-168
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• 2000

Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS) is the most common disease in the western male, and it is founded in $70{\sim}80%$ patient who has Gastrointestinal trouble. It is characterized by the formation of disorders of Gastrointestinal tract, for example, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain& discomfort, stool urgency, and so on. The etiology of IBS is uncertain, but the majority of patients has emotional problems. The aims of this study are to investigate and summarize the current trends of treatment for IBS so as to suggest the effective and available way to treat this disease. In Oriental Medicine, the IBS is recognized as Stagnation of the Iiver-qi(肝氣鬱結), Incoordination between the liver and the stomach(肝胃不和). So the point of treatment of IBS is Invigorating the spleen and relieving the depression of Iiver-qi(疏肝健脾), Regulating the function of the liver and the flow of qi(調肝理氣), Regulating the stomach and lowering the adverse flow(和胃降逆), and the treatment can be approached in several ways through herb drugs, acupuncture. Some of the herb drugs have substances which promote gastric and small intestinal emptying. Acupuncture and moxibustion therapies stimulate the meridian points of LR(足厥陰肝經), ST(足陽明胃經), LI(手陽明腸經), SI(手太陽小腸經) and is reported to be effective for releafing syndromes. Anal therapy, attachment of herb drug to umbilicus are annunced as the effective treatments. So, this study of the approach and application of these treatments on IBS would be necessary.