Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Little is known about acupuncture's efficacy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This trial uses a manualized acupuncture treatment format that closely follows clinical practice and allows flexibility in designing individualized treatments. In addition, a second parallel qualitative study will follow a subgroup of patients throughout the trial to explore the relationships between patients' interpretations and understandings (what anthropologists call "meaning") of irritable bowel and their response to treatment. Cortisol levels (an important stress hormone) will also be assessed.

This will be a 3-arm trial: Active acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, and wait list.