Your Gut Is Listening
to Your Nervous System
Bloating, IBS, reflux, and irregular digestion often improve only after the nervous system feels safe.
Our care focuses on restoring that safety — so digestion can normalize without forcing the body. Individualized treatment, 30 years of experience in Edina.
Individualized care. No two treatment plans are the same.
IBS & Irritable Bowel
Cramping, urgency, alternating constipation and diarrhea linked to gut-brain dysregulation.
Bloating & Distension
Persistent bloating that doesn't resolve with diet changes alone.
Acid Reflux & GERD
Recurring reflux where the underlying pattern hasn't responded to medication.
Irregular Digestion
Unpredictable gut function that disrupts daily life and is difficult to trace to a single cause.
Stress-Related Gut Symptoms
Digestive flares that consistently worsen during stress or anxiety.
"The gut and the brain are in constant communication. When that conversation is disrupted — by stress, trauma, or chronic tension — digestion suffers. Restoring regulation is how we restore function."— Steven Sonmore, L.Ac. · 30 Years Clinical Experience · Edina, MN
Why Your Gut
Won't Settle
The gut has its own nervous system — sometimes called the "second brain." When your central nervous system is in a state of alert, your digestive system mirrors that. Calming one often begins to calm the other.
The Gut-Brain Axis
Your gut and brain communicate constantly via the vagus nerve. Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation directly affect digestive motility, secretion, and sensitivity.
Why Symptoms Persist
Many digestive conditions persist because treatment addresses the gut directly without addressing the nervous system pattern driving the symptoms. Acupuncture works at both levels.
A Different Approach
Rather than suppressing symptoms, care here focuses on restoring the underlying regulatory balance — so the body can maintain digestion on its own, without ongoing intervention.
Digestive Conditions That
Respond to Acupuncture
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IBS is one of the most consistently studied areas of acupuncture research, with strong evidence for reducing both gut sensitivity and stress-driven flares.
Bloating & Gas
Persistent bloating, particularly when it worsens under stress or doesn't respond to dietary changes alone, often has a nervous system component.
Acid Reflux & GERD
For patients whose reflux is chronic and only partially controlled by medication, addressing the underlying pattern can reduce frequency and intensity.
Irregular Motility
Unpredictable bowel patterns — including constipation, urgency, or alternating cycles — can reflect dysregulation that responds well to systemic treatment.
Stress-Triggered Flares
When digestive symptoms consistently worsen during stressful periods, the nervous system is a primary driver — and a primary target for treatment.
Nausea & Appetite Issues
Chronic nausea, loss of appetite, or post-meal discomfort not explained by structural causes often has a regulatory component that acupuncture can address.
A System-Level
Approach to Digestion
Digestive conditions are rarely about the gut alone. Steven's approach looks at the full pattern — what drives the symptom, not just the symptom itself.
Detailed Pattern Assessment
First visit begins with a thorough history — not just symptoms, but when they occur, what makes them better or worse, and how they connect to stress, sleep, and mood.
Nervous System Regulation
Treatment focuses on calming the nervous system and restoring parasympathetic function — the "rest and digest" state your body needs to process food normally.
Gut Function Support
Specific acupuncture points influence gut motility, secretion, and sensitivity — working with the body's own regulatory systems rather than overriding them.
Adaptive, Individualized Care
Treatment adapts as your body responds. No two plans are identical — care evolves based on how your system shifts over time.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
When appropriate, Steven may recommend Chinese herbal formulas to support digestive function between sessions — a complement to acupuncture that addresses the same underlying patterns through a different medium.
Nutritional Guidance
Chinese medicine has a sophisticated framework for understanding how foods interact with individual constitutional patterns. Dietary recommendations are tailored to your specific presentation, not generic guidelines.
Why This Takes Time
Chronic digestive conditions develop over months or years. Lasting improvement typically requires consistent treatment over several weeks — not a quick fix, but a genuine shift in how the system functions.
What Patients Say
"I had been dealing with IBS and chronic bloating for years. Nothing I tried made a lasting difference. After working with Steven for about six weeks I noticed my digestion had become genuinely predictable for the first time in years. The stress connection he identified was something no one had ever mentioned to me."
"I came in for digestive issues that had been dismissed as 'just stress' by multiple doctors. Steven treated the stress and the gut together. The improvement has been significant and has held for over a year. I wish I had found him sooner."
Steven Sonmore, L.Ac.
Licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, Steven specializes in complex and recurring conditions — particularly those where the nervous system and digestive system are entangled.
- Nervous System Regulation — a core focus of Steven's practice, addressing the physiological state that determines whether digestion can function normally.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine — on-site herbal dispensary for patients who benefit from supplemental herbal support between acupuncture sessions.
- Individualized Pattern Diagnosis — 30 years of clinical experience identifying the specific constitutional patterns that drive each patient's presentation.
Before You Call
Acupuncture influences the autonomic nervous system — shifting the body toward parasympathetic dominance, the "rest and digest" state. It also directly stimulates points that affect gut motility, reduce visceral sensitivity, and support the gut-brain axis. The combination addresses both the symptom and the underlying regulatory pattern.
Chronic digestive conditions typically require a course of treatment — usually 6–12 sessions over several weeks — to produce lasting change. Many patients notice meaningful improvement within the first 3–4 sessions, but sustainable results come with consistent treatment. Steven will give you an honest assessment at your first visit.
We provide a superbill with our state license number and your diagnosis code, which you can submit to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement — coverage varies by plan. Patients can also use Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to pay for acupuncture.
This is common. Results depend heavily on the practitioner's approach and experience with your specific condition. Steven's treatment of digestive conditions integrates nervous system regulation with direct gut-focused points — a more comprehensive approach than general acupuncture. A previous unsatisfying experience doesn't predict your outcome here.
Yes. Acupuncture works alongside conventional medical treatment and does not interfere with medications. Many patients continue their current prescriptions and find that acupuncture reduces the frequency or intensity of symptoms, sometimes allowing them to work with their doctor on adjusting dosage over time.
Your Gut Can
Find Its Balance Again.
Digestive conditions that have persisted through diet changes, medication, and stress reduction alone often have a nervous system component that hasn't been addressed. That's where we start.
Complete Oriental Medical Care · 7400 Metro Blvd #280, Edina MN 55439
Serving Edina, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Eden Prairie & the Twin Cities