Stress Reactivity in Traditional Chinese Medicine–Based Subgroups of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Authors

Megan C. Chang, San Jose State UniversityFollow
David Shapiro, University of California at Los Angeles
Aditi Joshi, University of California at Los Angeles
Leila Shahabi, University of California at Los Angeles
Steven Tan, University of California at Los Angeles
Suzanne Smith, University of California at Los Angeles
Ka Kit Hui, University of California at Los Angeles
Kirsten Tillisch, University of California at Los Angeles
Emeran A. Mayer, University of California at Los Angeles
Bruce D. Naliboff, University of California at Los Angeles

Publication Date

4-16-2014

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Volume

20

Issue

4

DOI

10.1089/acm.2013.0197

First Page

276

Last Page

283

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine differences in autonomic responses to stress, pain perception, and the role of negative affect in these responses in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classifications.

Design: Fifty-nine female patients with IBS age 18–65 years diagnosed by TCM practitioners as showing primarily an excess (n=32) or an overlap (n=27) pattern (mixed excess and deficiency) were assessed for symptom differences, heart rate, and skin conductance responses to a psychosocial stressor and pain perception.

Settings/Locations: University of California in Los Angeles, California.

Results: Compared with the excess group, the overlap group showed significantly greater overall gastrointestinal symptom severity, abdominal pain, and negative affect. The excess group with higher levels of negative affect showed greater reactivity to stress, whereas the overlap group showed an opposite response pattern. The overlap group showed increased cold sensitivity.

Conclusions: IBS patients with the overlap pattern have greater disease severity and comorbidity than those with excess alone. Those with excess showed a pattern of increased stress response with greater negative affect, whereas the overlap group with greater deficiency showed lower physiologic arousal with greater negative affect, consistent with depletion resulting from allostatic load.

Comments

This article is also freely available on PubMed Central.

Department

Occupational Therapy

Recommended Citation

Megan C. Chang, David Shapiro, Aditi Joshi, Leila Shahabi, Steven Tan, Suzanne Smith, Ka Kit Hui, Kirsten Tillisch, Emeran A. Mayer, and Bruce D. Naliboff. "Stress Reactivity in Traditional Chinese Medicine–Based Subgroups of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome" The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2014): 276-283. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2013.0197