IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Did you know? the government bodies – N.I.C.E (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) and the B.M.A recommend hypnotherapy to alleviate IBS symptoms. Even some NHS departments are now set up just for Hypnosis for IBS. This goes to show that hypnotherapy is useful enough for treating IBS for the NHS to pay for its use as such. This is not the case all over the country though- not yet.

What is IBS?

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is an umbrella term used to describe a digestive disorder with many different symptoms. It used to be more commonly known as ‘nervous stomach’ or ‘spastic colon‘. It is quite common and can affect men and women equally. Pain,poor bowel movements (can be constipation or diarrhoea) cramps and bloating (distention) are just some of the symptoms that you may experience with IBS. You may experience several of these symptoms and the discomfort and pain associated with it can not only cause you major inconvenience it can affect the day to day running of your life. Your doctor may tell you that there is no cure for IBS but do not worry. There have been many clinical trials regarding hypnosis for IBS and they have consistently shown that hypnosis can be effectively used to treat this condition, so that it can be much easier to live with and cause far less problems.

What causes IBS?

There may be many contributing factors to IBS, one of which may be a severe gut infection. There may also be the chance of some distortion of the signals sent to the brain from the gut area. I have noticed with my clients that most often, one of the key elements of IBS (whether you realise it or not) is stress. Stress can be a major factor in the underlying symptoms of IBS, having many different effects on the body but particularly in gut disorders. We have all experienced the butterflies in our tummy feeling which can be felt at times of worry, or even times when we are happy. This is because the gut is full of nerve endings and lack of bloood flow to this area can help us feel that sensation at times. Hypnosis is very effective at controlling stress levels, and hypnotherapy has been proven to alleviate these types of problems enormously. One of the elements of using hypnosis for IBS is to ensure that blood flows freely around the whole gut arera. If you can imagine an engine not receiving petrol enough to burn fuel properly then you can see that if the gut does not have enough blood flowing around all the tiny capilliaries, then it cant function properly.

IBS treatment

Does hypnosis work? Yes! Studies have consistently shown that there is between a 70- 80 % improvement on symptoms when hypnosis is used. There is a general reduction of symptoms, for which most people find the effects are permanent. There is no known cure for IBS yet. If your GP has prescribed certain medications to help you too might think that these medications just do not do enough, if anything. I can help you get your IBS under your control and you can start to enjoy your life again without the fear that you dare not go places in case you get an attack of IBS. Isnt life too short to be facing this fear every day? You do not have to suffer, you can get this problem under control so that you can have your life back. (1)(2)

Hypnotherapy is your best bet if you suffer from this condition. There are no operations that can be used to treat the condition, more and more people are turning to hypnotherapy to help them beat this condition. Most of my clients report that with the alleviation of most of their symptoms they can again do the things that they used to enjoy doing.

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References:
(1)Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel Syndrome:  the empirical evidence of therapeutic effects’. William E. Whitehead.  The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (January 2006), Vol.54(1), p.p.7-20.
(2)Treatment with hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor component of the gastro colonic response in irritable bowel syndrome’. Magnus Simrén.  Psychosomatic Medicine (Mar-Apr 2004), Vol. 66(2), p.p.233-238.