Personal relationships can have a major impact (on IBS). Symptoms are worse if there is conflict in the family, better if relationships are supportive.
The brain has the ability to inhibit sensations from the gut. “I.B.S. patients tend to be hyper vigilant — too aware of what is going on in their gut.” says Dr. Gerson, a leading expert. Through techniques like hypnotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, it is possible to change how the brain perceives what is happening in the body.
In hypnotherapy, I.B.S. patients learn to visualize their colon as functioning more normally. Patients can learn to change symptom-provoking beliefs, like thinking that their colon will always be abnormal or that a given circumstance will provoke symptoms.
In a British study of 204 patients in which more than two-thirds of them were initially helped by hypnotherapy, 81 percent of those maintained the improvement up to six years after the treatment. Learning to practice stress-reduction and relaxation techniques is as helpful as learning which foods to avoid.
Click here for the full article from the NYTimes
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