Stress-relieving therapies may help people cut through the crap.
An article published by two UF professors shows alternative treatments to functional bowel disorders. Although research is not conclusive, mind-body treatments such as yoga, hypnotherapy, cognitive therapy and biofeedback were shown to relieve symptoms of functional bowel disorders such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating and constipation.
Oliver Grundmann, a clinical assistant professor in the UF College of Pharmacy, and Saunjoo Yoon, associate professor in the College of Nursing, reviewed 19 research studies about complementary or alternative medicine published between June 2002 and June 2012 for evidence of the benefits of different therapies, according to a news release.
Although there was not enough evidence to fully support mind-body treatments, hypnotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy showed a relief in symptoms, along with standard treatments such as pharmaceuticals, Grundmann said.
Irene Estores, medical director for UF Health’s Integrative Medicine Program, said she was familiar with the research.
“If I were to choose a mind-body therapy for functional disorders, I would probably choose hypnotherapy,” Estores said. “Based on my understanding of the current literature, I do have a personal interest in hypnosis.”
Grundmann said in addition to the standard pharmacy drugs that are being used to treat symptoms, some of the alternative therapies improve quality of life for many people.
“For example, hypnotherapy has shown a long-lasting effect even beyond the initial treatment,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 10/21/2013 under the headline "Therapies may let patients loosen up"
