Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is a functional bowel disorder in which abdominal pain is associated with defaecation or a change in bowel habit, with features of disordered defaecation and distention (bloating).

Between 20-25% of the population reports symptoms consistent with IBS.

A clinical study was released in 2002 "Hypnotherapy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Large Scale Audit of a Clinical Service with Examination of Factors Influencing Responsiveness" by the following people - W. Consalkorale Ph.D., L.Houghton Ph.D., P. Whorewell M.D. F.R.C.P.

Department of Medicine, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester.

In the study 250 IBS sufferers were chosen that had not responded to other therapies like: fibre or laxatives, antidiarrhoeal drugs, antidepressants and calcium channel blockers. The patients underwent 12 sessions of hypnotherapy over a 3 month period and were required to practise techniques in between sessions. At the beginning and at the end of the course of treatment, patients completed questionnaires to score bowel and extracolonic symtoms, quality of life, anxiety and depression.

Results: Marked improvement was seen in all symtom measures, quality of life and anxiety and depression. Hypnotherapy has been shown to be extremely effective with up to 80% of patients showing improvement in symptoms and overall wellbeing.

Having been trained on how to treat this by two medical Doctors myself, I use the same protocol and methods of recording and treating of IBS of that in the study.