Ah- ha - I was waiting for that question. After I read your post I turned to my wife and say I bet the next question she asks is about hypnosis and IBS
Hypnosis works for a lot of disorders not just IBS. Generally speaking you are learn to reframe the way you think about things you are feeling and sensing. Partially you are using your mind as a biofeed back mechanism. In other words it is a process of self-regulation. For example, hypnosis for arthritis or painful medical procedure such a tooth extraction you can learn to 'turn down the pain' just like changing the volume control on a radio. Arthritis isn't a disease of the mind. Clinical trials on burn patients show hypnosis can decrease pain and speed healing. Hypnosis isn't a cure - it is a powerful symptom management aid.
There is no question there is a mind-body connection in IBS as well as most medical conditions. Your mind is a powerful tool that you can use to manage extremely stressful and uncomfortable situations. However, the cause of IBS is not in your mind. The cause(s) appears to be physical organic disorders in the way the second brain in the gut processes information in the GI tract and communicates that information to the brain in your head. About 30% or IBS patients experienced the start of the disorder after having a GI infection. In about 50-60% of these individuals the IBS symptoms disappear within 5 years. Unfortunately for the rest they have IBS for the rest of their lives. In this case the viral infection is considered to the causal agent.
I don't doubt that Catarific notice great improvement when she change to the food combining diet. This doesn't mean that the diet itself is based on proper notions. It likely means that she removed major GI stimulants in from her current diet when she switched to the food combining diet. This effect likely would have occurred had she used proven IBS management dietary approaches such as the EFI or FODMAP diet. It would be more useful to identify the triggers and remove them from her normal diet.
I don't recall Catarific saying the EFI diet did not work for her. At least I did see it in any of her 12 posts. However, I did notice she drank apple juice which even Heather suggests that is not a good idea because of its high excess fructose content. This alone can cause D even in normal individuals. Maybe she will enlighten us more.
You are absolutely right. Stress shows up on the inside of ones body and it can seriously exacerbate IBS symptoms as well as the symptoms from many other medical disorders. The human mind is powerful. It affects every part of our body. However, it does not cause disorders like IBS but it definitely can affect the way you feel its affects. However, stress does not cause IBS but it sure can make the symptoms more problematic.
Have you tried gut directed hypnosis?
-------------------- STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
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Re: Great Taste No Pain Diet
