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Gut-directed hypnosis is one of the most effective ways to help relieve all IBS symptoms! Results can last more than 5 years.
Now On Sale for the Holidays!
In this Issue...
Food & Recipes
Special Letters
Rx News & Research
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Heather's IBS Newsletter ~ For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
November 25, 2008
Annual Holiday Sale ~ the IBS Self-Hypnosis Program and IBS Stress Kit!
Plus, what finally made Susan nearly symptom-free after 36 years of IBS!
Hello to everyone -
As a special holiday event, we have the IBS Audio Program 100 on sale for $79.95 (a $10 savings from the normal price of $89.95).
Plus, our fantastic IBS Stress Kit, which includes the IBS Audio Program, is on sale for 20% off the suggested retail price (a savings of over $25)!
What's most remarkable to me is that researchers are beginning to label gut-directed hypnotherapy "a cure" for IBS, and they are calling for its widespread use among patients. In fact, we've lined up an amazing overview of the clinical studies that show just how successfully hypnosis treats IBS.
We also have a wonderful interview with leading hypnotherapist Michael Mahoney. Michael is one of the top IBS specialists in the United Kingdom, and the creator of the IBS Audio Program 100, and he has an incredibly interesting story to tell. I think everyone will be taken not just with the impressive details of his practice and development of the world's leading IBS self-hypnotherapy program, but also with his genuine kindness and empathy towards people with IBS.
In the end, what I find most impressive is that hypnotherapy works in ways that are both dramatic and far-reaching: it helps all IBS symptoms, it works for children and adults, it helps mild and extremely severe cases, and it works for those who are newly diagnosed or have been struggling for years. Frankly, it just plain works - find out for yourself!
Best Wishes,
Heather Van Vorous
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~ Heather's Tummy Tamers Peppermint Oil Capsules ~
Peppermint Oil Caps Called "Drug of Choice for IBS"
Our Peppermint Oil Caps have the added benefits of fennel and ginger oils, and they help prevent abdominal pain, gas, and bloating!
Fennel Sage Stuffing This is one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes, with savory herbs and a wonderful texture from the English muffins. Stuffing is a terrific soluble fiber foundation for your meal (as long as it's low fat). Add in some of my candied sweet potatoes and turkey white meat (avoid the skin) and you'll have a delicious - and digestion-friendly - holiday feast!
Makes 8-10 servings
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped sweet white onion
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried, sage
1 tablespoon fresh chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried, rosemary
7 cups sourdough English muffin pieces, cut into 1/2" cubes and toasted
1 tablespoon Acacia Tummy Fiber
1/2 cup vegetable or fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup strongly brewed, cooled Fennel Tummy Tea
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large non-stick skillet cook the celery and onion in the canola oil over medium heat until softened. Add sage and rosemary, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, add toasted bread, and stir gently but thoroughly until well combined.
Spoon stuffing into a 3-quart casserole dish. Add the Acacia Tummy Fiber to a small bowl and stir in the broth and the fennel tea till dissolved, then drizzle liquid over the stuffing and gently stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more.
For a special Thanksgiving dessert, serve the amazing 5 Minute Pumpkin Pie from Heather Cooks!!
Are you just learning how to eat for IBS? A little intimidated at the thought of special IBS recipes? Not quite sure just what makes these recipes special in the first place? Don't worry! Come see the IBS Diet pages, and find the answers to all your questions.
~ Heather's Tummy Fiber ~
For the Dietary Management of Abdominal Pain, Diarrhea, &, Constipation
Certified Organic Acacia ~ Pure Soluble Fiber
The prebiotic fiber that relieves both diarrhea and constipation!
** Very Economical ** Only 4 cents per gram of fiber!
After 36 Years of IBS, Kathy is Nearly Symptom-Free
Dear Heather,
I have suffered from IBS for about 36 years. I have been to many doctors, including the Mayo Clinic and herbalists. None were able to really help for the long term. My aunt directed me to your website. For the past two years I have been nearly symptom-free.
I attribute this to two things - using the principles you set out in Eating for IBS and the IBS Audio Program 100 hypnosis program. Your cookbook and tips have helped immensely with understanding what the triggers are and dealing with them before they get out of control.
While I was skeptical about the benefits of the hypnosis CDs, I used them just as prescribed for 100 days and have been nearly symptom-free since. Thank you so much for helping me and others with IBS. You should know that I have been able to travel to Ireland (4 times) and various destinations in the United States over the past two years without a single accident.
Kathy W.
Thank you, Kathy! I'm absolutely thrilled to hear this! ~ Heather
Did you miss the recent letter from Rachael, whose IBS doctor learned from her?
~ Eating for IBS ~
Comprehensive IBS Diet Information & Safe Foods vs. Trigger Foods
Addresses multiple IBS symptoms * Teaches substitution, never deprivation
Finalist for the Julia Child cookbook award!
 Overview of Published Research on Hypnosis for IBS
Significant articles and reviews on hypnotherapy for IBS are condensed in this overview. The clinical trials are drawn from Gut, Lancet, Gastroenterology, and other internationally respected medical journals. The study results are consistent and their conclusions are overwhelmingly positive. For in-depth information about self-hypnosis for IBS, see the IBS Audio Program.
Gastroenterologists Call for Wide Use of Hypnotherapy in IBS
Leading gastroenterologists are calling for hypnotherapy to be used more widely in treating irritable bowel syndrome. Researchers at King's College London note that in one study at Withington Hospital, 12 weeks of hypnotherapy helped 71 per cent of patients ease their IBS symptoms for five years after the treatment.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Audio Program Celebrates 10 Years of Success
Called by some "the best kept secret in gastroenterology", the IBS Audio Program 100 developed by Michael Mahoney, Clinical Hypnotherapist at Guardian Medical Centre in Cheshire, England, is now used by IBS sufferers in 41 countries. The IBS Audio Program was developed specifically to manage both the physical and the emotional aspects of IBS. Hypnotherapy has now been listed as a treatment option for IBS in the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
Hypnotherapy Called a Cure for Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
2007 Digestive Disease Week Conference, Presentation title: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Psychosocial and Psychotherapy. Abstract 914. Gut-directed hypnotherapy has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of adult patients with IBS. This study evaluated the treatment approach in a pediatric population.
53 children between the ages of 8 and 18 years who had been diagnosed with IBS or Functional Abdominal Pain were randomized to standard therapy or to 6 hypnotherapy sessions of 30 minutes over a 3-month period. The endpoints of the study were pain intensity, pain frequency, nausea, headache and appetite. The investigators defined a cure as a greater than 80% improvement in pain.
After 1 year, the cure rate reached 85% for hypnotherapy-treated subjects and 25% for those receiving conventional therapy. The authors concluded, "Gut-directed hypnotherapy is highly superior to conventional therapy in the treatment of children with longstanding FAP or IBS."
Effect of gut-directed hypnotherapy upon quality of life in IBS patients. J Clin Nurs. 2006 Jun;15(6):678-84.
This study quantified health-related quality of life in a group of 75 irritable bowel syndrome patients and measured changes following a treatment program of nurse-led gut-directed hypnotherapy. It is well recognized that health-related quality of life can be severely impaired in patients suffering from the irritable bowel syndrome. Current conventional treatment for irritable bowel syndrome is often unsatisfactory. This study followed 75 patients and determined that gut-directed hypnotherapy has a very positive impact on health-related quality of life with improvements in psychological well-being and physical symptoms. It appears most effective in patients with abdominal pain and distension.
A 27-Sep-2005 press release featured Peter Whorwell, Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology in the University's Medical School and Director of the South Manchester Functional Bowel Service, who has been researching the use of gut-directed hypnosis for over 20 years. Most recently, two hundred and fifty patients who have suffered from IBS for over two years were given twelve one-hour sessions, during which they were given an explanation of how the gut works and what causes their symptoms. "IBS is ideal for treatment with hypnosis, as there is no structural damage to the body," explained Professor Whorwell. "During the hypnotherapy, sufferers learn how to influence and gain control of their gut function, and then seem to be able to change the way the brain modulates their gut activity."
Former patient Sonia Pinnock said, "I suffered from IBS and was on medication for nearly 20 years, but could get little relief from my symptoms. Since visiting the clinic for 12 hypnotherapy sessions last year however they've disappeared completely - the difference it's made to my quality of life is indescribable."
Another happy patient Christine Walsh continued, "After my hysterectomy I suffered from IBS for about five years, and it totally ruined my quality of life. I couldn't plan holidays or leisure activities and at work I was often doubled-up in pain. But since having weekly hypnotherapy sessions for three months I've now been free from IBS for five and a half years - the treatment has totally changed my life."
Hypnotherapy Benefits Last at Least Five Years. Gut. 2003 Nov;52(11):1623-9.
204 patients prospectively completed questionnaires scoring symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and depression before, immediately after, and up to six years following hypnotherapy. All subjects also subjectively assessed the effects of hypnotherapy retrospectively. 71% of patients initially responded to therapy. Of these, 81% maintained their improvement over time while the majority of the remaining 19% claimed that deterioration of symptoms had only been slight. With respect to symptom scores, all items at follow up were significantly improved on pre-hypnotherapy levels.
Looking for more IBS research and news? Check the IBS Research Library!
The Best Gut-Directed Self-Hypnosis Program for All IBS Symptoms
Now On Sale!
 
Gives an average 85% reduction of pain and bowel dysfunction symptoms.
Listen to IBS Audio Program 100 samples!
 Special Interview with Michael Mahoney
"How does hypnosis help IBS, and how did you come to create a self-hypnosis program especially for IBS patients?"
When Heather and Will graciously invited me to write about my work and background for their newsletter, I was not only flattered, I wondered what readers would want to learn about me. I suspected they would wonder how on earth anyone would come about treating such a condition as Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the first place. Well, to be honest, I was asked to look into treating patients with the condition by the gastroenterologists in my medical centre here in Cheshire, England, who had given up all hope of helping them. These doctors called their IBS patients their "heart-sinks" because every treatment that could be done was done, but to little or no avail. So they came to me.
I had to learn about IBS from scratch, and did so, not only through my professional studies but by interviewing patient after patient and learning about their fears, anxieties, horrible episodes of "emergency" diarrhea, panic attacks for the loo, and public accidents of untold embarrassment. I learned about the heartache and frustration of a patient population that had little or no recourse for relief.
As a clinical hypnotherapist, I knew that other medical conditions could be treated through this modality, with results running the range of alleviation of a given condition to full recovery. But IBS was a new one, and I was determined to help these patients because their suffering was indeed affecting their quality of life.
First, let me digress a bit. Some readers, perhaps unaware of the many studies over the past 20 years using clinical hypnotherapy as medical treatment, may have visions of watches swinging and people clucking like chickens. Clinical hypnotherapy uses the person's own internal resources to bring about symptom reduction and a path towards healing. As humans, we are in and out of this state throughout the day, as it is merely a common state of concentration similar to being very focused - for example, driving home on "auto-pilot" as we sometimes do. Even while hypnotized, the patient, not the therapist, remains in full control. Hypnotherapy induces a state of relaxation while the patient is awake, and allows helpful suggestions such as those aimed at controlling health problems to be directed into the subconscious mind. It is a natural, normal state, and I have been privileged to help people with many problems through this treatment method for nearly 20 years.
In 1991, I began working with referred IBS patients at no charge, since I was learning about them and their needs. I spent nearly two years researching IBS. I developed specific IBS hypnotherapy processes for the treatment, incorporating ongoing feedback from the patients while providing my own funding for research and development. When word got out that IBS patients were actually receiving successful treatment, I had people travel great distances to obtain therapy from me; some of them were coming 100 miles or more. Many IBS patients were too sick to easily travel, however, and had a great fear of not being near the bathroom, or they were afraid of having a bowel accident on the way; for them, coming to see me posed a problem. Today, when people ask what kept me working on my IBS program, even when faced with strapped finances and professional peer review, I could only think of those first patients and their desperation. That will be remembered for the rest of my life.
Sadly, many (if not most) of the IBS sufferers I saw had to deal with doctors who did not recognize or fully appreciate the emotional impact of IBS - for IBS is far from a purely physical condition. Many readers will be all too familiar with the emotional toll IBS can take, including anxiety, weepiness, some depression, resignation, and disheartenment. I well understood the frustration, fear, and pain that the IBS patient suffers. I also know first-hand the anger that can come from being dismissed by physicians who don't feel that IBS is a "real" condition that causes real suffering, and who simply refuse to listen to those who offer new avenues of help.
Patients often reported that dismissal of their concerns served only to make both their emotional and physical symptoms even worse. IBS needs an empathetic approach. Just dealing with the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not enough; the individual has to learn to rebuild internal energy. After years of pain, and being told by various medical professionals that there is nothing that can be done, many sufferers feel emotionally drained.
In the IBS Audio Program introduction I explain about our 'emotional pot of energy' and our 'emotional reserves' and how these have to be attended to, in addition to the physical aspects of the condition. Without the emotional will and strength to seek and persevere in finding a solution, recovery is often difficult. This 'emotional energy' has to be recognized, replenished and managed. To move into recovery we have to work at feeling better, learn new ways of coping, and become familiar with the new positive feelings and thoughts. It is then that we are taking part in our healing.
I've also found many IBS patients have to deal not only with dismissive doctors, but with family members and those in their lives who more or less disregard their problem. They'll be accused of "faking" it, or told to just "quit obsessing about it", or given some similar off-hand cutting remark. I felt that this was another area to be addressed, so I created a recording called the "IBS Companion" that speaks of the humiliations, fears, medical evaluation embarrassments and ordeals that an IBS patient must go through, and how the family can help the patient, rather than add to their distressing situation. One of my patients, upon listening to this recording, told me that she cried, as it was the first time she felt validated as a real human being by someone who understood her condition and its impact on her world. IBS had cost her a good deal of her life, and the recording was the first time she felt real empathy.
By mid 1997, I incorporated all the new processes, information, and delivery methods I had learned for IBS hypnotherapy onto audio tapes, so patients who were housebound or far away would no longer have to travel. These recorded sessions are today known as the IBS Audio Program 100™ and are recorded onto CDs.
My work using clinical hypnotherapy for IBS has now been entered into the Guild of Health Writers Awards / Foundation of Integrated Medicine, and is considered one of "80 excellent examples of integrated medicine in the United Kingdom." As a member of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology (PCSG), I was invited to speak about my work in London, at the annual scientific meeting of the society, to gastro-interested medical professionals from all over the UK. I'm also a member of the International Functional Brain-Gut Research Group, and founder of the UK Register of IBS Therapists.
In March of 2003, I had the honor of being given first place in the UK's Top Hypnotherapist listing, in the 'Top Brass' section of the Business pages of the Independent. This was not only a thrill, but brought me to the realization that my work had gained recognition because it dealt with an enormous patient population that was sorely overlooked and desperately needed help. This was not so much a validation for my work as it was a validation to the sufferers like yourselves.
Many thanks to those of you who have successfully used the IBS Audio Program 100™, have shared your kind words with others, and offered your personal testimonials. And may I extend many thanks to all of you and to Heather and Will for letting me share a bit about my program and my work. I wish you all a healthy, happy holiday - many blessings and joy!
~ Michael Mahoney
Did you miss the recent "Ask Heather" and how to cheat on the IBS diet?
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