It’s thought that Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects between 10 and 15% of the UK population with symptoms ranging from mild to extreme. In the most severe cases, symptoms cause so much discomfort and pain that normal life, such as work and socialising, can become impossible.
Because everyone experiences IBS differently conventional medicine has found it a difficult problem to treat. However, over the last 15 years or so, studies have shown that hypnotherapy can be extremely effective in reducing the symptoms of IBS. In one such study based on 200 patients, researchers from Withington Hospital, Manchester, found hypnotherapy helped 71% of patients – and its effect lasted up to five years after treatment. In another study patients were given a one hour sessions of hypnotherapy for up to 12 weeks and were asked to describe their symptoms, quality of life and levels of anxiety and depression before and after treatment – and for up to six years after completing the course. The trial showed that hypnotherapy not only reduced the severity of the symptoms of IBS but that its effect lasted for many years.
Because hypnotherapy seems to be an effective long term treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, many patients are now turning to it either as a complimentary treatment or more frequently as the primary treatment where conventional medicine has failed to work.
Another benefit of hypnotherapy is that the treatment itself can greatly reduce levels of anxiety and depression. Also patients find they need to take less drugs as the pain and discomfort are reduced and also the number of visits to the doctor are significantly reduced.
Like other conditions where the cause is not really understood, diagnosis is a matter of finding out what the problem isn’t. As stated earlier, IBS affects everyone differently and so individual responses to conventional treatments and drugs have often been very “hit and miss”. Drugs are often ineffective or only work for a short period of time.
So much work has been done on hypnotherapy and IBS with such good results that in February 2008 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which gives guidance to the NHS on effective treatments, published guidance for GP’s and consultants saying there was good evidence that hypnotherapy was an effective treatment for IBS and that it could be recommended for chronic IBS. To see the NICE documents click here.
If you’re finding that conventional medicine isn’t working, or you’d like to be able to reduce the amount drugs you have to take, why not have a word with your doctor as many GP’s will now refer patients with IBS to a hypnotherapist.
For more information or to book an appointment call 01636 642878 or click here for my contact form.
