11/12/2019 / By Melissa Smith
Many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often rely on doctor-prescribed drugs like laxatives, which often cause other harmful side effects. Among other natural and safe ways to manage IBS, researchers also suggest talking therapy.
Researchers at the University of Southampton in the U.K., together with colleagues at King’s College London, found that talking therapy can improve IBS symptoms better than drugs. They reached this conclusion after looking at more than 500 participants with IBS who received talking therapy over the phone or online, or the usual drug treatment.
For their study, the researchers divided 558 participants into three groups. The first group received standard treatment with an information sheet on diet and lifestyle; the second group received additional eight hours of counseling on the phone; and the third group received standard treatment, plus eight sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) online, and two-and-a-half hours of telephone support. CBT included advice on eating healthily, avoiding negative thoughts, and stress and sleep management.
The researchers saw that those who received counseling over the phone and online experienced significant improvements in their symptoms. Those who received CBT over the phone experienced the greatest improvements in symptoms. Two-thirds of those who received talking therapy online also saw improvements, while less than half benefited from taking the usual drug treatment.
Talking therapy aims to improve the quality of lives of people with IBS by targeting unhelpful beliefs and coping behaviors. Face-to-face talking therapy is often recommended as a treatment for IBS, but doctors rarely have the option to offer it, and waiting lists for face-to-face therapy are usually long.
“It is constrained resources within the NHS [National Health Service] that mean this hasn’t been a priority for funding,” explained Dr. Hazel Everitt, the lead author of the study.
The team published their findings in the journal Gut. Currently, the team is working on demonstrating that the services are cost-effective and can potentially help the NHS and the economy save more money if these remotely delivered services are rolled out.
IBS is a chronic problem with no cure and affects women more than men. Almost one in five people suffer from IBS, which causes serious discomfort, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating. They also have to deal with the embarrassment of having to rush to the toilet. Stress and anxiety are thought to make it worse by causing changes to the gut which may play a role in the occurrence of flare-ups. (Related: Treat and minimize IBS symptoms with these natural remedies.)
A review published in the British Journal of Pharmacology offers some hope for individuals who don’t necessarily experience bad side effects from standard IBS treatments, but also don’t benefit at all from them. The following alternative therapies have been shown to effectively and safely improve IBS symptoms:
Learn more about the benefits of talking therapy and other natural remedies for IBS at Remedies.news.
Sources include:
Tagged Under: alternative medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy, digestion, digestive health, disease treatments, fiber, IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, natural cures, natural healing, natural medicine, pain relief, remedies, talking therapy
Digestion.News is a fact-based public education website published by Digestion News Features, LLC.
All content copyright © 2018 by Digestion News Features, LLC.
Contact Us with Tips or Corrections
All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.