Try Hypnosis and Counseling for IBS and Crohn's
Mind-body techniques show real promise when it comes to easing the pain of some digestive disorders
Gas. Bloating. Diarrhea. Cramps. The digestive system has many varied and unpleasant ways of asserting itself when the process isn't going smoothly—all well worth pondering as the holidays approach. But while everyone suffers the occasional Imodium moment, a surprisingly large number of people wrestle every day with more disabling disorders, from Crohn's disease to gastroesophageal reflux disease to irritable bowel syndrome, which by itself afflicts as many as 1 in 5 people. For many, severe pain and the unpredictable need for a bathroom can mean living life as prisoners in their own homes.
Medications offer relief for a number of gastrointestinal conditions. But some drugs have been withdrawn from the market or restricted—Zelnorm for IBS, for example, was pulled because it increased cardiac risks—and side effects can be a problem. So, researchers have recently taken an entirely new approach, focusing more on the head than on the plumbing. Studies have shown that mind-body techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnosis are effective at reducing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, which causes pain and altered bowel movements; people being treated for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which feature inflammation of the intestinal tract, respond to the same techniques. Although there have been no head-to-head comparisons, "the results of these studies do look a little more impressive than pharmacological studies," says Nicholas Talley, a gastroenterologist who's chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.
Stabbing pain. By helping people learn to change their thoughts about their conditions and relax the knot of anxiety tying up their gut, mind-body therapies have brought relief in mere weeks to people tormented for years by disabling bowel problems. "It's made a world of difference," says Teague Avey, 29, who was diagnosed with Crohn's five years ago after landing in a Chicago emergency room with pain so bad he felt like he was being stabbed in the gut. Following an eight-day hospital stay, Avey was put on an immunosuppressive drug to try to forestall a recurrence of the autoimmune disease, in which the tissues lining the digestive tract become painfully inflamed. But he had flare-ups every few months and missed work and canceled social plans when he felt an attack coming on. Then, he learned that researchers at Northwestern University were using hypnosis to treat symptoms in patients with various forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Over seven weeks last summer, Avey learned how to use visual images while under hypnosis to help him relax and ease the pain. He imagined his intestines as the walkways of a formal English garden, for example, and his easy stroll along them as how he'd like his system to work. At other times, he entered an imaginary cabin in the woods, where he felt safe and comfortable. Avey's symptoms have improved markedly since he completed the study.
No one knows precisely how hypnosis works on the body, says Laurie Keefer, the director of psychosocial research in gastroenterology at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. But it has been shown to alter pain perception and suppress the secretion of stress hormones. When people are in the extremely relaxed, focused state induced by hypnosis, they are open to therapeutic suggestions: in this case, that their digestive system will work smoothly, for example, or that their abdominal pain will grow weaker with time.
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Reader Comments
Gut-specific clinical hypnotherapy program
Gut-specific clinical hypnotherapy program
Many research studies have shown that clinical hypnotherapy is one of the most effective treatment methods for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Upon the advise of my own gastroenterologist, I researched the availability of this method and found the IBS Audio Program 100. This program was developed by medical clinical hypnotherapist Michael Mahoney of Guardian Medical Centre in Cheshire England and was developed after years of research and working with hundreds of IBS patients. The sessions were originally taped for those patients with such severe IBS that they were unable to travel for their therapy and were literally housebound.
Finding a reputable clinical hypnotherapist trained in gut-specific therapy may be difficult, and the IBS Audio Program 100 has been available to the public for over a decade and has a very good reputation on various support bulletin boards and through patient feedback over the past eight years.
The IBS Audio Program 100 provides gut-specific sessions that address all the variants of IBS – diarrhea, constipation, alternation, cramps, abdominal pain, gas, bloating and other symptoms. It also addresses the fear of urgency and worry of needing the bathroom , anxiety of travel, morning pain and urgency. Included in the program is a symptom rating chart for over 20 IBS and related symptoms and an information booklet, 6 interlinked sessions and a recording entitled the IBS Companion which explains with empathy the IBS condition to family members.
Michael Mahoney is a member of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology as well as many other professional organizations; he work has been included in many publications as well as books including First Year IBS, IBS for Dummies, IBS Chat and others. Clinical trials for the IBS Audio Program has shown it to be effective for the vast majority of patients who use the program with an overall average of 90% symptom improvement or better. Most patients greatly reduce or even eliminate their symptoms and the progress carries over to years beyond program completion.
The program is very cost effective and costs less than one session of “live” therapy and requires about ½ hour each day over the course of 100 days. There are no side effects and the program can be completed alongside any other treatments suggested by your physician. The IBS Audio Program 100 is helpful for both teens and adults. For younger IBS sufferers, the IBS Audio Program 60 for Children is available.
The programs can be obtained as CDs or as MP3 downloads and come with instructional booklets and active live support if needed.
For more information you can call 877-898-2539.
And visit -
http://www.healthyaudio.com/content/irritable_bowel_syndrome
For feedback of patients who were helped by the program please visit:
http://www.healthyaudio.com/content/testimonials
Visit www.childspain.com for the IBS Audio Program 60 for Children
ibs and peperment oil
i have suffered from ibs since the late 70'soff and on. i took a bottle of peptobismo a week and after being on several medications to try and slow my symptoms. i found that they only delayed my bowel movements so i simply suffered with diarrhea every night between 3am and 5am so that i could function the next day with minimal symptoms.i found an article by an internist on the INTERNET that said peppermint oil was as effective as medications. so i tried it.it worked! after about 7 weeks of daily intake of peppermint oil (2 to 3 drops in my coco) morning and night i am starting to have regularly formed bowel movements. i have a lot of experience with medications and know that everyone is unique in what medications work for them so if this does not work keep trying. also you can decrease the amount of oil you take as you become more regular so as not to over regulate your symptoms. i hope this helps some of you
Infammatory Bowel Disease
Interesting article that covered many different Tummy Troubles, specifically the IBD section. I was troubled by the comment by Thermos Dassopoulos at George Washington University stating that if you have ulcerative colitis you can have surgery to cure this problem, BUT you will have to wear a pouch - internally or externally.
In 1983 I had surgery for ulcerative colitis (total colectomy with illio-anal pouch)and used a temporary (2 months) external pouch. Since then I have lived a very normal life from Egypt to LA with nothing external. The use of the word BUT in Thermos Dassopoulos statement, reminded me of how little most people still know, 25 years later, about the options for this disease. My surgery was at LLUMC in Loma Linda, CA. find a good hospital and evaluate your options.
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