The IBS/stress connection

Its says the IBS stress connection, then talks about foods?That is a major error Jennifer pointed out.another oneDigestive Health & Wellness: Unraveling gut reactions to stressSpecial to MSNBC--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Most people don�t need to be told that stress affects them deep inside. Our stomachs cramp up at the thought of speaking in public. We feel queasy when we hear bad news. Some of us fight diarrhea after a bad fright, or feel the slow fire of heartburn at the mention of former spouses and attorney�s fees.The fact is we�re built to have gut reactions, and stress has an impact on everybody�s gastrointestinal tract. This may be especially true, however, for people who have gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Studies of the intricate signals sent from the brain to the gut�and from the gut to the brain�are helping to explain why these common yet complex disorders seem to worsen when people are under ongoing stress.At the Center for Neurovisceral Sciences and Women's Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, co-director Bruce Naliboff, Ph.D., and his colleagues are looking at whether people who have IBS, GERD and other GI disorders have more sensations and symptoms when they are under stress. So far, he says, the answer seems to be yes, especially if the stress is major and has an effect over weeks or months, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a major job change.Evidence for this comes both from monitoring stress and symptoms in patients over time and observing the body�s responses to mild stress induced by researchers. For example, in two separate studies, researchers subjected both IBS and GERD patients to a mild irritant: listening to music through headphones that played country in one ear and rock �n� roll in the other. GERD and IBS are not the same. GERD involves stomach acid backing up into the throat and is marked by frequent heartburn, while IBS interferes with the normal functions of the intestine and is characterized by cramping, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. But participants in both studies reported feeling more discomfort while the music played.�These are disorders that often involve increased sensitivity of the GI system to a variety of factors, including life stress,� says Naliboff. �Stress is not the only thing that creates symptoms�But it seems to be important.�advertisement More than a century ago, scientists began to understand that the network of more than 100 million nerves surrounding the esophagus, stomach and intestines works independently, says Dr. Michael D. Gershon, chair of the department of anatomy and cell biology at Columbia University�s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Gershon and others describe this independent nervous system in the gut as a �second� or �mini� brain. Sharing many of the same nerve endings and chemical messengers as the brain in the head, the second brain is capable of getting messages from above, but it�s just as capable of sending its own messages back up the line.�To be sure, it�s not the kind of brain for doing the jobs that the brain in the head does�religion, poetry, philosophy, politics,� says Gershon, whose book �The Second Brain� explores the life of the mind in the intestine. �It�s the nasty, dirty, messy, disgusting business of digestion that�s left to the brain in the gut.�When people are under stress, the brain in the head can make the gut go into high gear, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain and other unpleasant symptoms. What�s less well understood, Gershon says, is that the gut has �at least an equal ability to perturb the brain.� Stress, it seems, can go both ways.In addition, the brain in the gut has many of the same chemical messengers used by the brain in the head, including serotonin. In fact, about 95 percent of the body�s serotonin is in the gut, where many different receptors for the chemical also reside. New drugs to treat irritable bowel syndrome may work by either blocking or mimicking the effect of serotonin on these receptors.So far, two have been approved for limited use in women with severe cases of IBS. For some, they may quell diarrhea by blocking serotonin. For others, they may relieve constipation by mimicking the chemical�s effects.While the research on stress is interesting and its impact on potential treatments is encouraging, people dealing with GI disorders day to day often have more pressing concerns.�People who call us aren�t saying, �Oh, I�m really stressed,�� says Nancy J. Norton, president of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, a research and educational organization. �They�re calling because they�re experiencing chronic diarrhea or chronic abdominal pain or constipation.�The main message for those people, she says, is that a combination of behavioral changes and medical treatment can often help them manage their symptoms.�Someday there may be a cure, but I think that we are a ways away from that,� Norton says. �I think it�s extremely important for people to know that, to a large degree, their symptoms can be managed�You can learn to do a combination of things than can help get you through the day.� http://www.gerd.msn.com/stressV2.asp

Its says the IBS stress connection, then talks about foods?That is a major error Jennifer pointed out.another oneDigestive Health & Wellness: Unraveling gut reactions to stressSpecial to MSNBC--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Most people don�t need to be told that stress affects them deep inside. Our stomachs cramp up at the thought of speaking in public. We feel queasy when we hear bad news. Some of us fight diarrhea after a bad fright, or feel the slow fire of heartburn at the mention of former spouses and attorney�s fees.The fact is we�re built to have gut reactions, and stress has an impact on everybody�s gastrointestinal tract. This may be especially true, however, for people who have gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Studies of the intricate signals sent from the brain to the gut�and from the gut to the brain�are helping to explain why these common yet complex disorders seem to worsen when people are under ongoing stress.At the Center for Neurovisceral Sciences and Women's Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, co-director Bruce Naliboff, Ph.D., and his colleagues are looking at whether people who have IBS, GERD and other GI disorders have more sensations and symptoms when they are under stress. So far, he says, the answer seems to be yes, especially if the stress is major and has an effect over weeks or months, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a major job change.Evidence for this comes both from monitoring stress and symptoms in patients over time and observing the body�s responses to mild stress induced by researchers. For example, in two separate studies, researchers subjected both IBS and GERD patients to a mild irritant: listening to music through headphones that played country in one ear and rock �n� roll in the other. GERD and IBS are not the same. GERD involves stomach acid backing up into the throat and is marked by frequent heartburn, while IBS interferes with the normal functions of the intestine and is characterized by cramping, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. But participants in both studies reported feeling more discomfort while the music played.�These are disorders that often involve increased sensitivity of the GI system to a variety of factors, including life stress,� says Naliboff. �Stress is not the only thing that creates symptoms�But it seems to be important.�advertisement More than a century ago, scientists began to understand that the network of more than 100 million nerves surrounding the esophagus, stomach and intestines works independently, says Dr. Michael D. Gershon, chair of the department of anatomy and cell biology at Columbia University�s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Gershon and others describe this independent nervous system in the gut as a �second� or �mini� brain. Sharing many of the same nerve endings and chemical messengers as the brain in the head, the second brain is capable of getting messages from above, but it�s just as capable of sending its own messages back up the line.�To be sure, it�s not the kind of brain for doing the jobs that the brain in the head does�religion, poetry, philosophy, politics,� says Gershon, whose book �The Second Brain� explores the life of the mind in the intestine. �It�s the nasty, dirty, messy, disgusting business of digestion that�s left to the brain in the gut.�When people are under stress, the brain in the head can make the gut go into high gear, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain and other unpleasant symptoms. What�s less well understood, Gershon says, is that the gut has �at least an equal ability to perturb the brain.� Stress, it seems, can go both ways.In addition, the brain in the gut has many of the same chemical messengers used by the brain in the head, including serotonin. In fact, about 95 percent of the body�s serotonin is in the gut, where many different receptors for the chemical also reside. New drugs to treat irritable bowel syndrome may work by either blocking or mimicking the effect of serotonin on these receptors.So far, two have been approved for limited use in women with severe cases of IBS. For some, they may quell diarrhea by blocking serotonin. For others, they may relieve constipation by mimicking the chemical�s effects.While the research on stress is interesting and its impact on potential treatments is encouraging, people dealing with GI disorders day to day often have more pressing concerns.�People who call us aren�t saying, �Oh, I�m really stressed,�� says Nancy J. Norton, president of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, a research and educational organization. �They�re calling because they�re experiencing chronic diarrhea or chronic abdominal pain or constipation.�The main message for those people, she says, is that a combination of behavioral changes and medical treatment can often help them manage their symptoms.�Someday there may be a cure, but I think that we are a ways away from that,� Norton says. �I think it�s extremely important for people to know that, to a large degree, their symptoms can be managed�You can learn to do a combination of things than can help get you through the day.� http://www.gerd.msn.com/stressV2.asp

Anyone who has suffered IBS for a long time, 30 years in my case, has no doubts that stress is a major cause of IBS attacks. Stress is not, however, the reason why people get IBS in the first place. It is largely a western phenomena and is probably related to our overuse of antibiotics. Many people who suffer from IBS can trace onset of the first IBS attack to a time just after an illness which required an extended course of antibiotics.Being a long time sufferer I am of the opinion that retraining the bowel is the most valuable therapy that an IBS sufferer can use. In another post I told of the fact that a disproportionate number of my attacks were on weekends. This could be caused by the breaking of the routine that I had built up over the working week.Get up early and at the same time seven days a week. Have a drink of water. Never lay-in because the bowel needs to be woken up at the same time every day. Have the same breakfast at the same time every morning and don't turn on the news in the morning because the news is all bad and that's no way to start the day.

Anyone who has suffered IBS for a long time, 30 years in my case, has no doubts that stress is a major cause of IBS attacks. Stress is not, however, the reason why people get IBS in the first place. It is largely a western phenomena and is probably related to our overuse of antibiotics. Many people who suffer from IBS can trace onset of the first IBS attack to a time just after an illness which required an extended course of antibiotics.Being a long time sufferer I am of the opinion that retraining the bowel is the most valuable therapy that an IBS sufferer can use. In another post I told of the fact that a disproportionate number of my attacks were on weekends. This could be caused by the breaking of the routine that I had built up over the working week.Get up early and at the same time seven days a week. Have a drink of water. Never lay-in because the bowel needs to be woken up at the same time every day. Have the same breakfast at the same time every morning and don't turn on the news in the morning because the news is all bad and that's no way to start the day.

A bunch of things Packer I will try to help you out on.Also you know there is a HT and CBT forum yes?How did you hear about your therapist and does he do gut focus HT? That's really important and just checking.First on HT, which is very real. First how it works. I am going to give you a lot of info, so go slow. "Hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon. We go in and out of hypnosis constantly, while watching an interesting program on television, reading a book, driving a car, or day dreaming, just to name a few. People who appear to be low in hypnotizability often can improve their response to suggestions with practice. If an individual is unable to use all of their hypnotic ability during a testing session, it might appear that they are a poor subject, but with improved rapport, many are able to improve hypnotic ability. Most clinical uses of hypnosis have been designed for the average individual, and a deep state of trance is not usually needed for most clinical treatment. ""HOW AND WHY HYPNOSIS WORKSThomas Yarnell, Ph.D.Licensed Clinical PsychologistHypnosis SpecialistLicensed Clinical PsychologistHypnosis SpecialistModern hypnosis has been used for hundreds of years to build self-confidence, change habits, lose weight with weight loss programs, stop smoking, improve memory, end behavior problems in children and eliminate anxiety, fear and phobias.The question is, WHAT IS HYPNOSIS? Hypnosis is a state of mind characterized by relaxed brain waves and a state of hyper-suggestibility. Hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions have played a major role in healing for thousands of years. According to the World Health Organization, 90% of the general population can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is a perfectly normal state that just about everyone has experienced. What we call "highway hypnosis" is a natural hypnotic state. You drive somewhere and don't remember driving or even remember seeing the usual landmarks. You are on automatic pilot. The natural hypnotic state also exists when you become so involved in a book, TV show or some other activity that everything else is blocked out. Someone can talk to you and you don't even see or hear them. Whenever you concentrate that strongly, you automatically slip into the natural hypnotic state.The hypnotic state, by itself, is only useful for the relaxation it produces. The real importance of hypnosis to the healing and emotional change process is that while you are in the hypnotic state, your mind is open and receptive to suggestions. Positive and healing suggestions are able to sink deeply into your mind much more quickly and strongly than when you are in a normal, awake state of mind. I say positive suggestions because all research has demonstrated that while in the hypnotic state, you cannot be made to do anything against your moral values. All of our habitual and behavior controlling thoughts reside in what is called our subconscious mind. It's called that because it is deeper than our conscious mind. It's below our level of consciousness. We are unaware of the thoughts and feelings that reside there. Did you ever forget you had a dental appointment or some other appointment that you really didn't want to keep? Your subconscious mind is where that thought or memory that you had to go to the dentist at 2 PM went when you forgot you had the appointment. Once it was too late to go, your conscious mind relaxed and the memory came back.Imagine that there is a trap door between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. Normally, the trap door is closed until your brain waves slow down to a relaxed, alpha brain wave level. This happens when you are asleep. The door opens for short periods of time and ideas, images and thoughts come out of your subconscious mind. We call what comes out in your sleep, "dreams". When you are in a state of hypnosis, the door also opens so helpful suggestions can be directed into your subconscious mind or forgotten memories can be retrieved.The hypnotic induction that hypnotists use is simply a way to focus your attention and concentration so you will go into that natural, normal hypnotic state. Once in the state of hypnosis, the trap door opens and suggestions to help you can be given. The list of ways hypnosis has been used to help children, adolescents and adults is practically endless but does include: weight loss, stopping smoking, building self-confidence and self-esteem, improving academic performance at every age level, improving test taking ability from children through high school, college, medical and law school as well as the National Teacher Certification Exam, pain management, eliminating anxiety, fear and phobias, stress management, insomnia and other sleep problems and helping to heal physical problems.2. To really work well, suggestions must be reinforced by repetition. Most of the habits, feelings and emotions we want to change are deeply implanted in our subconscious mind and will not just "go away" with one set of suggestions. Most of the time, the hypnotic suggestions need to be repeated on a regular basis until you notice a change. This is one reason that most specialists in hypnosis give clients cassette tapes of their sessions so they can listen to them every day. It's also the reason why hypnosis tapes you buy can work so well. You get to listen to them every day or often enough that the suggestions become permanently a part of you. There is no way to predict how long it will take to see change. It will depend partly on your motivation and commitment.The Three Keys to the successful use of hypnosis for self improvement and personal growth are self motivation, repetition and believable suggestions.1. The motivation to change must come from within you. If you are trying to change because someone else wants you to "lose weight" or "stop smoking", the chances are greately reduced that the hypnosis will work. For example, I've worked with many people for weight loss or to quit smoking who came to me because their physician or spouse wanted them to change. These people do not respond as well to the hypnosis as those who really want to change. Those who came because they wanted to quit smoking or lose weight responded quickly and easily. Before you start to use hypnosis for your self improvement, you should get it clear in your own mind why you want to change. This clear intention to change will help the hypnotic suggestions to take hold and manifest themselves in your everyday life.3. The third key to the successful use of hypnosis for personal change is believable suggestions. If you are to accept a suggestion, your mind must first accept it as a real possibility. Telling a chocoholic that chocolate will be disgusting to them and will make them sick is too big a stretch for the imagination. If a suggestion like this even took hold, it would only last a short time because it would be so unbelievable to a real chocolate lover. In cases like this, one of the successful weight loss suggestions I use is that the next time the individual eats chocolate, it will not taste quite as good as the time before. This is far more acceptable and believable to most people. Then, with enough repetition over a period of time, chocolate loses much of it's positive taste and control over that person.One final note is that HYPNOSIS IS NOT DANGEROUS. There are almost no risks when used by trained professionals. You cannot be made to do anything that is against your moral values. An amateur or stage hypnotist might give you suggestions that might embarrass you, might not work or that might make you feel uncomfortable or self-conscious at the time. To avoid this, stick with professionally trained hypnosis specialists. The one risk I know about involves falling asleep. If you are tired or if you become too relaxed, you may move from the state of hypnosis to the normal sleep state. This is fine if you were going to go to sleep right after the trance but if you have other plans after listening to a hypnosis tape, you may want to set an alarm clock just in case you fall asleep. I've even had students fall asleep because they became too relaxed. In relation to this, never listen to a hypnosis tape while driving. It is very dangerous for you and everyone else on the road. Don't even listen to it if you are a passanger as the relaxation suggestions could make the driver fall asleep.Over the years, self improvement and personal growth using hypnosis has helped millions of people change their lives permanently because it is a safe and powerful tool for changing your thoughts, feelings and habits.Copyright C 2001 by Thomas D. Yarnell, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist. All rights reserved.This material may be copied for educational purposes as long as full credit is given to Dr. Yarnell. ""Definition of the Process of Hypnosis and Trance StatesHypnosis is a process during which an individual, usually with the aid of another, allows themselves to become more suggestible. One can experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. Hypnosis is generally established by an induction procedure. Although there are different hypnotic inductions, they are based on imaginative involvement with focused attention and concentration. People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe their experience as an altered state of consciousness. Others describe hypnosis as a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. Regardless of how and to what degree they respond, most people describe the experience as very pleasant. A person's ability to experience hypnotic suggestions can be inhibited by fears and concerns arising from some common misconceptions. Everyone has a conception of hypnosis. It probably comes from depictions of hypnosis in books, movies or on television. Those who have been hypnotized do not lose control over their behavior. They remain aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia (the inability to recall past events, in this context the inability to recall what has occurred during the hypnotic session), has been specifically suggested, they usually remember what transpired during hypnosis, the only exception to this is what is called a somnambulist. A somnambulist is an individual who has the ability to go very deeply into hypnosis. A somnambulist will have total amnesia. Hypnosis makes it easier for people to experience suggestions, but it does not force them to have these experiences. Although scientists have different theories about the nature of hypnosis, all seem to agree that hypnotized people report changes in the way they feel, think, and behave, and these changes are in response to suggestions. People vary in their of responsiveness to hypnotic suggestions, what is called their hypnotizability or hypnotic susceptibility, but most people can be hypnotized to some degree. Hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon. We go in and out of hypnosis constantly, while watching an interesting program on television, reading a book, driving a car, or day dreaming, just to name a few. People who appear to be low in hypnotizability often can improve their response to suggestions with practice. If an individual is unable to use all of their hypnotic ability during a testing session, it might appear that they are a poor subject, but with improved rapport, many are able to improve hypnotic ability. Most clinical uses of hypnosis have been designed for the average individual, and a deep state of trance is not usually needed for most clinical treatment. American Psychotherapy & Medical Hypnosis AssociationAPMHA Consumer Information January 2000 "I would also like to point out some things on the anxiety front and IBS, its very complex, but really wortth learning as it will help a lot.But the HT first, there is more, but read those first.Right now your in the what is it mode, will it work for me and already have previous expectations from TV, which will probably turn out to be different then actually doing the HT. You'll see.