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Oct. 21, 2003 -- A new study shows hypnosis may be an forcible, long-term therapy as the poorly comprehended and hard-to-treat gastrointestinal disorder known for peevish bowel syndrome. In the largest long-term study of hypnotherapy as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) even now, 7 out of 10 patients reported an correction in omens afterward manipulation and four out of 5 responders maintained the improvement for years after stopping hypnosis. Those who did not retain a reaction apt hypnosis only deteriorated slightly. "We have known namely this treatment is efficient, but this study confirms that patients tin nourish the improvements for numerous years," researcher Wendy M. Gonsalkorale, PhD, tells WebMD. "There namely growing interest in hypnosis for the treatment of IBS, merely too few patients know approximately it." Most Sufferers Are Women As many for 58 million Americans suffer from the omens of irritable bowel syndrome and four out of five martyrs are women, based on diagrams from the American College of Gastrointerology. Typically people with IBS have recurrent symptoms of abdominal ache, distention, and altered bowel movements -- diarrhea, constipation, or a fusion of either. Because there is no manifest occasion for the array of gastrointestinal commotions capable along patients and conventional GI treatments often do not go. It has been about two decades since British researcher Peter Whorwell and colleagues 1st reported on the use of hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS. Since that period additional small studies have too shown hypnosis to be forcible, yet this new research, appearing in the latest issue of Gut, is the first to emulate a massive group of patients for years after treatment. For the study, Gonsalkorale and Whorwell followed 204 patients for up to 6 years. Researchers queried patients to score their IBS symptoms, as well as their overall quality of life, and levels of depression and misgiving swiftly before hypnotherapy and after the treatment. They also answered to a mailed questionnaire sent at fewest a year and no extra than 6 years after treatment finished. The hypnotherapy lesson consisted of 12-weekly, one-hour conferences. Almost three-quarters of the patients (71%) gave assured reports following hypnotherapy, and 81% said they maintained their improvement over time. The sustained improvements reported along maximum of the patients could not be attributed to other treatments for less than one in 10 accustomed additional treatments retinue hypnotherapy. "This study demonstrates that the salutary effects of hypnotherapy arise to final by least five years," the researchers write. "Thus, it is a viable medical discretion for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome." Cheaper Than Drugs? Researcher Olafur S. Palsson, PsyD, who has studied IBS says the digit of patients in the new study and the length of follow-up put hypnosis in a conducive light and maybe show it may be the maximum effective long-term treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. But he says that it is still rarely attempted to IBS patients and is not often covered along insurance. "Hypnotherapy still carries the aura of puzzle and sorcery, and is not truly used much for remedial conditions in this country," Palsson says. "It requires special training that clinicians in most medical settings simply do not have. And it is thought extra costly than drug therapy because it requires reiterated sessions." The University of North Carolina researcher says hypnosis may really be much cheaper than other treatments because the long-term results appear to be so promising. "There are only a couple of medications approved for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and it tin be valuable to reserve patients on these medications long-term," says Palsson. "For many patients, hypnotherapy is a quite cost-effective access of cultivating outcome." gi disorders newsletter IBS effects up to 50 million Americans, mostly women. Sign-up for the GI Disorders bulletin and begin obtaining the latest news on treatments treatment of IBS from WebMD - the health message provider you trust.