[AZmom1]

Many of you have asked for some statistics on IBS and hypnotherapy. From: M. Vidakovic-Vukic, "Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Methods and Results in Amsterdam." Scand J Gastroenterol 1999 (Suppl 230) "In 1984, Whorwell et al. carried out a controlled trial which demonstrated the effectiveness of hypnotherapy (HT) in the treatment of severe refractory IBS. In his later study, Whorwell reported on 250 patients being treated with an overall response rate of 80%. The remaining 20%, non-responders, consisted of patients >50 years old and/or those with psychopathology. Patients <50 years old responded to therapy in 93% of cases. The IBS patients treated by HT remained in remission for up to 18 months after treatment.In 1990, Prior et al. reported that patients with hypersensitive rectums experienced significantly less sensitivity after HT. In 1992, Whorwell et al. demonstrated that the induction of hypnosis led to a profound reduction of colonic motility; this change was accompanied by decreases in both pulse and respiration rate.In 1996, Houghton et al. showed that, in addition to relieving the symptoms of IBS, HT improves patient' quality of life and reduces absence from work. This indicated that, despite its relatively high cost, HT could be a good long-term investment. (p. 50)[The cost was for 10-12 private sessions.-AZ]From: Carol Y. Francis and Lesley A. Houghton, "Use of Hypnotherapy in Gastrointestinal Disorders" European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 1996 Vol 8 No. 6"How does hypnotherapy work?To date little is known about how hypnosis works. One possibility is that the improvement seen following hypnosis may just be a placebo effect. However, this is not the case, as studies have shown that IBS patients treated with hypnotherapy remain in remission for up to 18 months after treatment-a period far in excess of that observed with the placebo effect." (p.527)"Hypnotherapy must have a psychotherapeutic component as it can reduce anxiety levels and improve coping ability. In addition, we have recently shown that hypnotherapy significantly improves quality of life in patients with IBS, with psychic and physical wellbeing, mood and locus of control all greatly improving." (p. 527)"We have shown that colonic motility can be modified by hypnosis and is suppressed by hypnotic relaxation." (p. 527)"Other studies have demonstrated that hypnotherapy can affect gastric motility and orocaecal transit, and ameliorate some of the non-colonic features of IBS, such as nausea, flatulence, lethargy and backache. All of these observations may help to explain the beneficial effect of this technique in the treatment of this disorder."(p. 528)From: Nicholas W. Read MD, MA, FRCP "Harnessing the Patient's powers of recovery: the role of the psychotherapies in the irritable bowel syndrome" Bailliere's Clinical Gastroenterology Vol 13, No. 3, pp. 473-487, 1999"In his paper published in 1984, Whorwell treated 30 patients eith symptoms of IBS that had been refractory to medical treatment by either seven half-hour sessions of bowel-directed hypnotherapy or a placebo plus seven sessions of supportive psychotherapy, which included a discussion of symptoms and an exploration of any contributory emotional problems and life events. At 3 months, improvements in bowel habit, abdominal distension and general well-being were much greater in the group that received hypnotherapy. Three years later Whorwell reported long-term follow-up data of 50 patients. "Classic cases" of IBS with abdominal pain, abdominal distension and abnormal bowel habit showed excellent response rates: 95% continued to demonstrate improvement in symptoms at 18 months." (p.477)AZ

 

[JeanG]

Hi AZ:Thanks for posting these! You know I'm a fan.

JeanG

 

[eric]

Thanks AZ, more info is always a good thing.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/ www.ibsaudioprogram.com

 

[cookies4marilyn]

Thanks, AZ

------------------Marilyn

 

[Guest]

This sounds great, but has anyone tried it personally? I would like to give it a shot, but wonder what others experienced.cindyleah

 

[AZmom1]

Cindyleah,Yes, actually I, Eric, Jean and Marilyn have all used hypnotherapy with excellent results.Many others on our BB have are using hpnotherapy tapes currently. It is a safe, med-free, way to gain control of IBS symptoms.AZ

 

[Brandi Guidry]

AZ,Thanks for posting these really interesting facts. I'm still a hypnotherapy fan, although I'm not having any sucess with the IBS Audio 100 Program-Mike's. I'm still seeing my private hypnotherapist on occasion and am very pleased with what has been happening. I believe that my therapist is getting better with me and is learning my "attitude" and is better able to work with me!Brandi

 

[JeanG]

Hi Cindy:As AZ said, I am one of the people who have successfully used the hypnotherapy tapes, and thoroughly enjoy them.You could do a search for threads that talk about them, or start a new one asking who has used Mike001's tapes and what they feel about them.JeanG

 

[eric]

Brandi, I am glad your private hypnotheraist is getting results with you. It is a good way to go if you find an experienced hypnotherapist for IBS. But, in order to have success with Mike's program you have to listen to it and finnish it. At the moment your not and are investagating another route with your alternative doc as well which could influence your thoughts. I just think its the wrong impression to say their not working if you stopped listening. If you had finnished and found no improvement that would be a different story. I am however glad your still working with your therapist.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/ www.ibsaudioprogram.com