An astonishing number of people are now diagnosed as having Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and many more realise they suffer from IBS through self-diagnosis. It is the most common condition seen by gastroenterologists and some estimates suggest that as many as one in five adults in the UK have IBS at any one time.

What are the symptoms of IBS?

IBS is a mixture of abdominal symptoms for which there is no apparent cause. Symptoms include constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and abdominal pain.
Other symptoms include headaches; passing urine more often; fatigue and tiredness; sleep disturbance; loss of appetite; nausea; feeling depressed; and (in women) left-sided abdominal pain during sex. More severe symptoms can include indigestion-type pain that wakes you up at night; abdominal bloating and bleeding from the back passage.

How does IBS impact on people’s lives?

The IBS sufferer will typically be recommended to drink lots of water; eat a high-fibre diet; avoid spicy or rich foods; avoid coffee and milk; eat smaller meals and limit alcohol intake. Very often, this limiting regime does little more than keep the symptoms at a manageable level; at the same time resulting in a limited social life and little pleasurable acitivity.

What causes IBS?

Doctors readily admit they don’t know what causes IBS. About half of people with IBS date the start of their symptoms to a major life event such as change of house or job, or bereavement, which suggests there may be a psychological trigger for IBS.
Up to 20 per cent of people will date the start of their symptoms to an acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach that causes vomiting and diarrhoea).
In the remainder of cases, the trigger factor remains unidentified.

What are the tests that diagnose IBS?

There is no single blood test, X-ray or scan that will diagnose IBS. Except when the symptoms are severe or the patient is beyond middle age, very often the GP will make the diagnosis based on examination and reported symptoms.
Blood tests may be taken to exclude other conditions, and other tests may include gastroscopy (examination of the oesophagus, stomach and small intestine with an endoscope; ultrasound; barium studies and colonoscopy (examination of the large intestine with an endoscope. These tests can be

Is there any medication that can cure IBS?

Your GP or gasterentologist may offer you medication, including antispasmodics; antidiarrhoeals; bulk laxatives and tricyclic antidepressants, as a way of reducing the symptoms. There is no known cure for the condition.

What else can be done?

As it is now recognised that IBS is an anxiety and stress-related condition, hypnotherapy is fast becoming the favoured route to not only alleviate the symptoms but also – in many cases – to achieve a complete cessation of the condition.

How Hypnotherapy can help you overcome IBS

By working to find and neutralise the underlying causes of your anxiety and stress, hypnotherapy helps the sufferer to become more calm, relaxed and confident and to feel they can take back control of their lives.

After just a few sessions, there is usually a marked improvement in the condition, and clients report improved sleep; a more normal and enjoyable regime including the ability to eat and drink ‘normally’ and far greater confidence in all areas of their business and social life . By the end of the period of therapy (usually around 6 sessions), clients are often surprised that they find it difficult to remember how debilitating their symptoms previously were!

Hypnotherapy offers you the opportunity to take back control of your mind – and your body.
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Author’s Details
Niki Cassar DCH DHP MAPHP(ACC)
Hypnotherapist & Past Life Regressionist – Perthshire, Scotland
Website: www.nikicassar.com Email: mindfully@nikicassar.com
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