Complementary therapies

A number of complementary therapies for irritable bowel syndrone have been suggested including:

• acupuncture,
• reflexology (a type of massage therapy), and
• the herbal remedy aloe vera (a plant that is native to north Africa).

However, there is no evidence that these complementary therapies are effective at treating irritable bowel syndrome. You should also be aware that aloe vera has been linked to a number of possible adverse effects, such as dehydration, and a reduction in blood sugar levels.

Psychological interventions

If your symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are still causing you problems after 12 months of treatment, you may be referred for a type of therapy known as a psychological intervention. There are several types of interventions available, but they all work by teaching you psychological techniques that can help you to control your condition more effectively.

Psychodynamic interpersonal therapy (PIT)

Psychodynamic interpersonal therapy (PIT) is a type of psychotherapy that has had some success in helping people with irritable bowel syndrome. PIT is based on the principle that your unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes can have an important influence on the way that you think, act, and feel.

During PIT, your therapist will help you to explore your past in order to determine how it might have affected you unconsciously, and they will help you to confront unwelcome, or unhelpful beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour in an attempt to change them.

Hypnotherapy

Psychological interventions for irritable bowel syndrome include hypnotherapy. In this type of therapy, hypnosis is used to change your unconscious mind’s attitude towards any symptoms that you may have. You may also be taught self-hypnosis techniques.

Hypnotherapy has been shown to be effective in helping some people reduce their symptoms of pain and discomfort.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

Another psychological intervention for irritable bowel syndrome is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CBT is based on the principle that the way that we feel is partly dependent on the way that we think about things.

Studies into the effectiveness of CBT have shown that people who train themselves to react differently to their condition by using relaxation techniques, and maintaining a positive attitude, report a decrease in pain levels. CBT may also help you to cope better with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Related Articles:

1. Digest­ive dis­order: Irrit­able bowel syn­drome
2. Dia­gnos­ing Irrit­able bowel syn­drome — IBS
3. Med­ic­a­tion for irrit­able bowel syn­drome
4. Liv­ing with Irrit­able bowel syn­drome
5. Real life exper­i­ence of irrit­able bowel syn­drome
6. Glu­ten intol­er­ance — Coeliac dis­ease
7. Inflam­ma­tion of the gall­blad­der — Acute cholecyst­itis
8. Ileostomy
9. What is a digest­ive dis­order?
10. Appen­di­citis – the causes and symp­toms

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