# Hypnosis in irritable bowel syndrome



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYIFifteen patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome unresponsive to conventional treatment improved with "gut-directed" hypnotherapy and maintained improvement for a mean duration of 18 months during which they were followed with one hypnotherapy session every 3 months. Two relapsed on one occasion, requiring an extra session. In a larger cohort of 50 patients, overall success rate was 84 percent. Those >50 years of age tended to be non-responders.Whorwell PJ et al. Hypnotherapy in severe irritable bowel syndrome: further experience. Gut 1987 Apr; 28(4):423-25Comment: Hypnotherapy is also a successful approach to managing functional gastrointestinal problems, as demonstrated in this and the following studies. Many of these studies have been conducted on standard treatment failures, making success with the subjects even more impressive. Like biofeedback, the worst outcome is that it might not succeed. Significant negative effects are very rare. Practitioners who have studied and now use hypnosis in their medical practices find it an extremely successful addition to their therapeutic armamentarium."http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...252/ai_n6112824Irritable bowel syndrome and hypnosisCompared to 25 IBS patients treated routinely (age 28-55, 23 women), 25 IBS patients (25-55, 21 women) treated with hypnosis reported on an analogue scale less severe abdominal pain (p<0.0001), bloating (p<0.02), disruptive bowel habit (p<0.0001), nausea (p<0.05), flatulence (p<0.05), urinary symptoms (p<0.01), lethargy (p<0.01), backache (p=0.05) and dyspareunia (p=0.05). Quality of life (psychic well being [p<0.0001], mood [p<0.001], locus of control [p<0.05], physical well being [p<0.001] and work attitude [p<0.001]) were also favorably influenced by hypnotherapy. For employed subjects, more of the controls were likely to take time off work (79% v. 32%) (p=0.02) and visit their general practitioner (58% v. 21%) (p=0.056) vs. those treated with hypnotherapy. Three of 4 hypnotherapy patients out of work prior to treatment resumed employment vs. 0 of 6 controls.Houghton LA et al. Symptomatology, Quality of Life and Economic Features of Irritable Bowel Syndrome--The Effect of Hypnotherapy. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1996 Feb; 10(1):91-95.Comment: In addition to relieving the symptoms of IBS, hypnotherapy profoundly improved quality of life and reduced absenteeism from work. Despite relatively high initial cost, hypnotherapy could well be a good long-term investment, since ongoing numbers of office visits are reduced and refills of pharmaceuticals which often do not work well in this condition are reduced or eliminated. There is great variability in the length of time and number of hypnosis sessions required to begin to obtain significant improvement. Additionally, patients benefit from a greater sense of control and accomplishment when they progress with behavioral approaches rather than being dependent on medication.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...252/ai_n6112826


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Thanks for posting - For a synopsis starting with most recent, of these and all the studies done to date for hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS, all in one spot, take a peek at this link: http://ibsgroup.org/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f...261/m/613103422


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