Frequently asked questions

IBS: What is it?

It is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal system. It includes chronic diarrhoea, stomach pain, cramps, gas, chronic constipation, non cardiac chest pain, nonulcer dyspepsia, many other symptoms for which there is no organic or biochemical cause.

I think I have IBS

You cannot self diagnose IBS only a medical professional can diagnose it. If you have not already done so, see your medical professional, some test may be conducted to rule out other conditions, and then you will know for sure, and then you can focus on recovery.

What are the symptoms of IBS?

Most frequently presented symptoms are diarrhoea, lower stomach pain, constipation, alternating bowel habit, mucus, ‘urgency to go’, incontinence, incomplete evacuation often resulting in several visits to the bathroom, sometimes minutes after the earlier visit. Wind, bloating, some people present with nausea, swallowing difficulties, heartburn or acid indigestion, chest pain.

IBS is not however life threatening, but it can and often does, impact the individuals quality of life (QOL). For example more time off work is taken, social events may be cancelled or declined, travel opportunities, even locally are avoided. So while not life threatening, it is a serious enough to impact QOL. There is however no evidence to show that IBS leads to more sinister conditions such as cancer, Crohn’s  disease or colitis

How does it start?

The answer is we don’t know. It is suspected that it may begin with major life stressors like death of a loved one, emotionally charged events like divorce, or even things like collage studies and exams. Individuals who have undergone surgery have reported IBS symptoms, some people who picked up a gastrointestinal bug on holiday, or following food poisoning also sometimes present with the onset of IBS. Other suspected causes are a long course of antibiotics, or a long course of steroids. The reality is we simply do not yet know its origins.

Am I alone with this?

Absolutely not! IBS can be a lonely condition, it can also be frightening. Severe pain often leads people to believe ‘something has been missed’. In the UK some 13- 20% of the population suffer with IBS. In the USA it is estimated between 25 and 55 million individuals are affected by IBS. It is reported that this equates to 2.5 to 3.5 million visits to doctor.  As in the UK, almost half of those presenting symptoms to gastroenterology departments or physicians are diagnosed with IBS.

Also, IBS affects both men and women. It also affects children. It is no respecter of age, race background; however some races do have lower prevalence. IBS is not just a western presentation; it is presented around the world on every continent. 

Is it for life?

IBS is an individual condition, there is no such thing as a typical IBS patient, if there were it would be easier to treat. Some people go into remission when a longer term stressor has passed. It sometimes flares up again for no apparent reason.  One of the more frustrating things about IBS, is because the medical profession cannot find a reason for its cause, and it is diagnosed largely by exclusion of other conditions we cannot say we can cure it, because as far as can be seen there is nothing wrong, organically at least! 

However the real frustrating thing is, there is something wrong, the motility of the digestive tract is not functioning correctly (remember it is classed as a functional disorder) so there is something wrong! And even more frustrating, this belief that there is no cure, also impacts the already heightened emotional symptoms which IBS brings to the individual.

So IBS is not just physical?

The physical symptoms of IBS bring their own emotional problems. People with IBS often find that in addition to their IBS physical symptoms there are emotional aspects of the condition. In my IBS Audio Program 100 I spend an entire CD track explaining the impact of IBS on the individual, and as a therapist I know that the emotional aspects of the IBS condition are addressed.

So in addition to IBS, it is not uncommon to find that confidence and self esteem are reduced, memory, recall and attention span are not as quick or sharp as expected, sleeping patterns can be affected, reproductive system can be affected, physical relationships may not be enjoyed or even avoided, going out may lead the IBS sufferer wanting to come home sooner than normal, if visitors arrive they may be encouraged to leave sooner than expected, there may be time of weepiness, there may also be times of inappropriate anger, isolation may be desired, exercise and socialising may be reduced or avoided altogether. These and other emotional aspects can impact the IBS patient in addition to already dealing with the physical symptoms.  Michaels discipline is in hypnotherapy, he has developed his IBS program to manage the emotional as well as the physical aspects of the IBS conditions and in his IBS Hypnotherapy workshops he teaches attendee hypnotherapists the same method. So the IBS condition may be diagnosed physically, but is it just physical? A resounding No! Recognising the emotional aspects of IBS is just as important to recovery as recognising the physical aspects of IBS.

How long  does it last?

Again, this is an individual thing. It may come and go depending on lifestyle, stressors. It also of course depends on what the individual does to help themselves, and also their emotional perspective of the IBS condition.

The severity of the symptoms can vary in an individual from mild to severe and anything in between. In my experience, once confidence is lost in medications and their effectiveness, the emotional aspects of IBS mentioned above are strengthened considerably, and this in turn often has an effect on the physical presentation, such as increased occurrence of symptoms and symptom severity. 

It cannot be over stated the importance to self management and self help. Remember you are the controller of your thoughts, and each thought creates a physical response. Negative and self sabotaging thoughts create negative physical responses and expectations. Positive thoughts and beliefs produce positive responses.

Treatment options

There are a wide range of treatment options. Initially the majority of people will follow medical advice and introduce life style changes and pharmacological treatments (prescribed drugs)

However be prepared for trial and error, remember you are an individual, so you are different from everyone else, in your make up, history, skills, morals ethics and of course your treatment outcomes.   Click here for a list of therapies.

Please note we are working with various organisations to bring accurate reliable information to you. Presently the majority of our therapists are hypnotherapists, however hypnotherapy does have a 25 year scientific, medical track record of aiding IBS patients.