Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common condition of the digestive system and can cause bouts of stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.
It’s thought that 10%-20% of people experience IBS at some point, symptoms usually appear for the first time between the ages of 20 and 30. It’s much more common in women than in men.
Although IBS presents no serious danger to your health, it can be an embarrassing and difficult condition to deal with. It’s hard to relax when you can’t trust your body to behave.
The precise cause of IBS is unclear, but it may be triggered by stress, problems with your immune system or a problem with how the muscles of your gut squeeze food through your bowel. Symptoms vary from person to person and are not usually continuous, but tend to come and go in bouts, often during times of stress or after eating certain foods. Most people experience either diarrhoea or constipation of both, and sometimes notice mucus in their stools. It’s also common to find that painful cramps ease after you’ve been to the toilet to open your bowels.
The fear that you may have to run for the toilet or could be hit by abdominal spasms at any minute can add extra stress to any situation, so it can impact your work and social life.
Many IBS sufferers find their confidence takes a knock too. Bowel troubles aren’t the easiest of subjects to bring up in casual conversation – they’re just not something most people feel comfortable talking about.
How can Hypnotherapy help?
If you think you could have IBS, make an appointment to see your GP. Your doctor will want to make sure that it is IBS that you have and not another more serious illness, such as a food allergy, an infection or an overactive thyroid gland.
If there is an underlying medical cause then your doctor can treat this, however hypnotherapy is known to help control symptoms, particularly if stress or anxiety is a contributory factor. It can also help to build back up your confidence and a sense of control in social situations – sometimes people are so focused on the problems that might happen, they make themselves anxious and then cause the symptoms to appear!
Study showing hypnotherapy working for IBS
Studies have shown hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for IBS – see this article from the BBC
Still have questions? Get in touch.
How can we help?
If you think you could have IBS, make an appointment to see your GP. Your doctor will want to make sure that it is IBS that you have and not another more serious illness, such as a food allergy, an infection or an overactive thyroid gland.
If there is an underlying medical cause then your doctor can treat this, however hypnotherapy is known to help control symptoms, particularly if stress or anxiety is a contributory factor. Have a look at this BBC article showing hypnotherapy to be an effective treatment for IBS.
Therapy
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1:1 Therapy session of approximately 60-90 mins
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