treating ibs with natural healing therapies

treating-ibs-with-natural-therapies

summary

This month is International IBS Awareness Month and I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you my work treating clients who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS.

In this interview I discuss the complex symptoms and causes of IBS, the mind-body connection, and how I use my talking therapies, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, meditation and other relaxation techniques to help clients with IBS.

essential teaching notes

Alexandra Lees:

April marks International IBS Awareness Month. IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is something that is now talked about much more widely in the general press and health media than it used to be, and certainly we regularly have clients who suffer from IBS coming to us for treatment at Peak House Practice.

Would you say that some people are more prone to suffering from IBS than others?

David James Lees: Well, surveys have shown that around 22% of the UK population suffer with IBS. It’s a condition that can affect anyone at any time – some people may suffer from IBS as a one off, short-lived, single event, and others may suffer from it as an ongoing, chronic condition that keeps reoccurring for many years.

I think one of the most important things to understand about IBS is that theirs isn’t a TYPICAL sufferer. From my experience a clients with IBS could be as young as 12 or 13 years old or well into their 70s.

Women are 2 – 3 times more likely to suffer from IBS than men and many ladies get IBS type symptoms particularly around the time of their period.

—

AL: So what are the typical symptoms of IBS?

DJL: Again this can vary a lot, but I would say that typical symptoms include an uncomfortable bloating or pain in the abdomen; this can be a gripping or sharp pain. Some clients also describe sensations of butterflies or churning in their stomach. These types of symptoms are often coupled with diarrhoea or constipation or a combination of both.

If the symptoms are severe or are coupled with other things like dramatic weight loss, I would always recommend a client visit their GP first so that they can do the necessary tests and rule out other illnesses such as infections or anything more serious.

—

AL: What, in your experience, are the causes of IBS?

DJL: In ancient China there is a saying that: ‘the illness may be the same but the people suffering from it are different’. One of the challenges with IBS as a health condition is that the underlying cause will vary from person to person. This is also why it’s so very important to not generalise about the condition and the method of treatment, but to instead spend time working with each individual sufferer.

Alongside an understanding of lifestyle factors, such as a client’s and diet, sleep and exercise regime, I believe a more wide-ranging physical and emotional health diagnosis is also necessary.

The combination of my talking therapy work with my traditional Chinese medicine practice allows me to get this more detailed overview and begin to build a comprehensive picture of a client’s unique IBS ‘triggers’ and the ROOT cause of their symptoms.

Diet can certainly play a role. People can often be sensitive to certain types of food, for example those that contain wheat or gluten, and so adapting their diet by cutting out or reducing any ‘trigger’ food types, perhaps drinking more non-caffeinated fluids and even eating slower at meal times can help a lot.

Many clients who come to me with IBS have already researched, understood and applied this kind of diet and eating advice but are still suffering.

AL: Why is this David?

DJL: Well, in my experience I would say that emotional challenges, tension and stress in a client’s life can be a significant trigger for IBS symptoms in around 80% – 90% of my clients.

Any emotional imbalances and upsets will affect the digestive system and bowels making them more sensitive and less tolerant to food and so the symptoms arise.

—

AL: I guess this underlines the important connection between mind and body?

DJL: Yes, this connection, which is integral to the traditional Chinese medicine approach to health, is critical to understanding and managing our wellbeing. Thankfully this principle is now becoming more understood in our modern Western Society.

Sadly for many clients their IBS symptoms can be part of a vicious cycle of emotional and physical ill health. The uncomfortable or painful physical symptoms of IBS can affect the quality of their life and in turn make them feel stressed or down.

Studies have estimated that 3 out of 4 people with IBS will have at least one bout of depression because of the impact of IBS on their life. This then leads to further IBS type symptoms. It’s my job to work with the client to break this cycle of ill health.

—

AL: So how exactly would you do this?

DJL: When a new client comes to me we’ll discuss general lifestyle factors and their diet, and explore the type and frequency and pattern of their particular symptoms and I’ll also complete a Chinese medicine diagnosis visually and by taking their pulses.

For me it’s very important to spend some time talking with a client to track back in time to the first onset of their symptoms – this helps me uncover what was happening in their life which may be related to and the root cause of the IBS.

Often the symptoms can first arise around the time of a significant emotional upheaval or event in their life such as: a period of work related stress or redundancy, ill health, death in the family, or a relationship breakdown or difficulties.

Every client diagnosis is individual and this would inform the unique blend of therapies I used to treat them.

Normally a treatment package would include acupuncture to help rebalance any physical health imbalances I diagnosed and help the immediate or presenting IBS symptoms by providing pain relief and easing a client’s digestion.

Acupuncture can also be great for general relaxation and for reducing any stress and anxiety that the client may also be suffering from. In a smaller number of cases I would consider the use of Chinese herbs to also help ease digestive problems if appropriate.

Alongside any treatments for the presenting symptoms to provide short term relief, I would also aim to tackle and ‘rebalance’ underlying root cause of the problem so prevent the IBS symptoms from reoccurring in the medium to long-term.

This is where working at harmonising and rebalancing a client’s lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and emotional health really matter.

If dietary factors are involved, simply by asking the client to selectively eliminating certain types of food from their diet can produce an improvement in the condition within as little as a week.

For those clients with emotion-related IBS, where the onset of the symptoms coincided with or may have been triggered by an upsetting or stressful event or period in their life, I would work with them to help them understand and learn how to better manage any uncomfortable or challenging emotions and feelings they may encounter so that they could regain control of their thinking and their health.

I’d also work with these clients to teach them simple relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, tai chi, or Qigong, which can all be great as form of ‘health maintenance’ to stop their emotion related IBS symptoms from reoccurring.

Ultimately it’s about working with a client to find the best ways to bring them back into harmony and balance, because I view any illness, in whatever form, as an imbalance. I believe that total wellness is our birth-right and this can be gently restoring by harmonising the person’s physical and emotional health.

want more support

 

Discover how David can help you rebalance your health and wellbeing with his one-to-one sessions.

You can also:

If you have any questions or would like more information on our work please contact us – we’re always happy to help.

like this post?

 

Please share it! This helps to pass on the positive Qi of our work to others who may benefit…