Positive Health Online

Abstract

HOUGHTON and colleagues, Department of Medicine, University Hospital of South Manchester UK quantified the effects of severe irritable bowel syndrome upon the quality of life and economic functioning and assessed the impact of hypnotherapy upon these features.

Background

Methodology

A quality of life questionnaire which contained questions relating to symptoms, employment and health seeking behaviour was administered to 25 patients (aged 2555 years, 4 male) who were treated with hypnotherapy and to 25 control patients (aged 2158 years, 2 male) with irritable bowel syndrome of comparable severity. Scores were derived from visual analogue scales to assess patients symptoms and quality of life.

Results

Compared with the control patients, the hypnotherapy-treated patients reported less severe abdominal pain, bloating, bowel habit, nausea, flatulence, urinary symptoms, lethargy, backache and dyspareunia. Also favourably influenced by hypnotherapy were aspects of quality of life, including psychic well being, mood, locus of control, physical well being and work attitude. Compared to the controls, those patients in employment treated with hypnotherapy were less likely to take time off work and visit their general practitioner. Three out of four hypnotherapy patients who had been out of work prior to treatment resumed employment compared with none out of the six in the control group.

Conclusion

Hypnotherapy profoundly improved the patients quality of life and reduced absenteeism from work, in addition to relieving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, it would appear that hypnotherapy, despite being relatively expensive to provide, could be a beneficial long-term investment.

References

Houghton LA et al. Symptomatology, quality of life and economic features of irritable bowel syndrome the effect of hypnotherapy. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 10(1): 91-5. Feb 1996.

Comment

I thoroughly recommend the outstanding book IBS: A complete guide to relief from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Christine P Dancey and Susan Backhouse, Robinson, 1997, describing the many painful and frustrating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, as well as the many treatment approaches, including hypnotherapy. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 5 adults in the UK currently suffer from some form of IBS, thus it behooves us to explore successful therapeutic treatment approaches.