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What is Irritable
Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
I am
grateful to
the South Manchester Functional Bowel Service (www.ibscare.org)
for providing the following information:
Irritable
Bowel
Syndrome (IBS) is a term used to describe functional disorders of the
gut in
which tests for bowel cancer and inflammatory conditions such as
ulcerative
colitis or Crohn’s disease have proved negative. There is no structural
damage
to the gut, and there is
no test, scan or X-ray that confirms the
presence of
IBS or demonstrates the problem. Perception of IBS is very
poor; as it
appears
to have no physical cause and medical (drug) therapy is largely
ineffective, it
is often dismissed as “psychological” – a nuisance rather than a
serious
condition. It is surprisingly common, affecting as many as 10-15% of
the
population.
Colonic symptoms
- Pain anywhere in the abdomen
- Abdominal distension- bloating (girth can increase by up to 12 cm in a day)
- Disordered bowel habit
- diarrhoea
- constipation
- alternating diarrhoea and constipation
- Pain often severe (sometimes described as being as bad or worse than child birth)
- In the diarrhoeal form of IBS, urgency, many patients suffer incontinence episodes
- Negative impact on confidence and self esteem
- Exaggerated gastro-colonic reflex, every time the sufferer eats they feel urgent need to rush to the toilet to open bowels
- Become afraid to eat
- House bound – feels like having permanent gastroenteritis
- Constipation
patients may not open bowels for 1 or even 2 weeks at a time
Non-colonic
symptoms
- Nausea
- Thigh pain
- Backache
- Lethargy
- Urinary symptoms
- Gynaecological symptoms
- Also the cause of absenteeism from work
- Poor quality of
life
Can Hypnotherapy
help?
Since IBS
is a
condition
with no known physical
cause, perhaps it is not surprising that it
responds well
to hypnotherapy. Usually a course of between one and four sessions of
suggestion therapy is sufficient to begin to notice a real improvement
in
symptoms.
Most
people are
well aware of the sensitivity of the gastro-intestinal tract to
pressure, worry
and anxiety. Symptoms ranging from nervous “butterflies” to the
loosening of
the bowels in times of extreme stress have been experienced by nearly
everyone
at some time in their life. Hypnotherapy harnesses the same powerful
subconscious mind, but in a positive way, to reduce or eliminate such
symptoms.
- Cereal fibre free diet, no brown bread, no brown rice, no brown pasta
- Can eat white bread, rice and pasta.
- Vegetables which cause most problems are broccoli, cabbage cauliflower and sprouts , the leafy greens.
- Beans, lentils and pulses, nuts and seeds also can be problem
- Fruits that are worst offenders pears, apples and citrus fruits
- Avoid chocolate
- Avoid coffee and/or tea
- Avoid high fat foods including dairy foods
- Avoid alcohol
