Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition whose symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, constipation, or an otherwise unexplained change in bowel movements. There is no single known physical cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
When the term Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS was first coined in the 1950's, it was suggested that, because there was no detectable physical cause to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), it should be regarded as a psychological, or psychosomatic problem.
Studies at the time also suggested that the best treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), was up to a year and a half of psychotherapy.
What are the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Symptoms vary between individuals, but the following are common symptoms of IBS:
* Abdominal pain and discomfort
* Abdominal contractions, spasms or cramps
* Diarrhoea
* Constipation
* Bloating
* Nausea
* Excess wind
* Vomiting
* Indigestion
IBS sufferers may experience a combination of some of these symptoms, with one symptom in particular occurring more regularly or with greater severity. Symptoms vary from the mild, where they don't really affect someone's quality of life, to the serious, prompting the sufferer to seek medical help.
Because Irritable Bowel Syndrome is such a loose collection of symptoms, there is no one definitive 'cure' for IBS. However, there are a number of self-help treatments that can alleviate and improve symptoms, such as diet and therapies such as hypnosis.
IBS and diet
Changing your diet can help Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms, although just as symptoms vary among different people, so do reactions to different kinds of food. In very general terms, increasing the amount of soluble fibre in the diet through eating more fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods, and drinking plenty of water, can be extremely beneficial. Foods that could be potential irritants and trigger symptoms, and which you might want to avoid, include caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, wheat and citrus fruit. Foods to eat more of, and which could help symptoms, are:
* Soya milk
* Bio yogurt
* Probiotic yogurt drinks and capsules
* Peppermint tea
* Cod and chicken
* Asparagus, artichokes, carrots and bananas
How can hypnotherapy help with IBS?
IBS can often be stress triggered, ie stress is the stimuli which sets off the spasms, cramps or other reactions affecting the small or large bowel. Hypnotherapy could help in the following ways:
* Helping you to relax, easing the symptoms if they are triggered by stress
* Teaching you powerful creative visualisation techniques to imagine relief for your symptoms
* Programming in a new, positive reaction to stress triggers
Over a decade of scientific research has shown hypnotherapy to be an effective choice for alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Hypnotherapy routinely produces positive results in over 80% of the people who use it.
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