www.visionmed.org Hypnotherapy in IBS in children, a breakthrough, presented by VisionMed and IOCOB. Integrative medicine Integrated
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is "highly effective" for children with long-standing abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers have found.
"We advocate that hypnotherapy become the treatment of choice in children with persisting complaints of either functional abdominal pain or IBS in whom first-line therapies such as education and dietary advice have failed," Dr Arine M. Vlieger of St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, and colleagues conclude in a report in the journal Gastroenterology in late 2007.
How the research was done
They randomly assigned 53 children, aged eight to 18 years, with persistent abdominal pain or IBS to hypnotherapy, six sessions over three months, or standard medical care plus six sessions of supportive therapy (the control group).
In hypnotherapy sessions, children were taught about the mind-body connection and the mind's ability to regulate bodily functions.
They learned general relaxation techniques, how to visualise a normal functioning gut and were also given "ego-strengthening" suggestions to increase self-confidence and well being.
Every child also received a CD with a standardised hypnosis session and was encouraged to listen to it every day and practice self-hypnosis.
Children in the control group received standard education, dietary advice, and pain medication and discussed possible triggers to stomach pain with a support person.
Hypnotherapy more successful
The researchers found that hypnotherapy was "highly superior" to standard care, yielding a significantly greater reduction in pain scores recorded in weekly stomach pain diaries.
At the one year follow up point, pain intensity scores had deceased from 13.5 to 1.3 in the hypnotherapy group and from 14.1 to 8.0 in the control group.
Moreover, 85 percent of children in the hypnotherapy group were considered successfully treated versus only 25 percent of children in the control group.
The team suggests further studies be conducted to see whether hypnotherapy might also be a treatment option for children with other gastrointestinal disorders.
Hypnosis has been by approved by the American Medical Association as a valid medical treatment since 1958, though the concept of using a state of hypnosis to alleviate both physical and mental ills has recurred throughout the history of medicine from ancient times. By reaching the subconscious level of the mind, hypnotherapy can be used to alter the way a person consciously perceives health problems, and also promote new manners of response to them. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis have been repeatedly proven to be highly effective means of alleviating all of the various symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS, or "spastic colon"), including pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, and gas.[
rritable Bowel Syndrome in fact is almost uniquely suited to treatment by hypnosis or self-hypnosis, for several reasons. First, as just noted, stress-related attacks can be significantly reduced. Second, one of the most impressive aspects from hypnotherapy, and of tremendous benefit to IBS sufferers, is its well-documented ability to relieve virtually all types and degrees of pain.[5] Finally, because IBS is not a disease at all but a syndrome, if you can relieve and prevent the symptoms, you have effectively cured yourself of the disorder. The underlying dysfunction may still be present but if you suffer no noticeable effects from it, you will be living an IBS-free life. This outcome is a definite possibility from hypnotherapy treatments.
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