Free massage for IBS in Bristol
'I am a Holistic Massage trainee currently studying with Bristol College of Massage and Bodywork. Till the end of April I am carrying a research how holistic massage can effect and benefit the people with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Please get in touch so as to arrange free of charge massage session in Bristol Clifton area. Call on 07979403396 or e-mail. lina.serenaite@gmail.com . Lina'
Free Hypnotherapy in the West Midlands
I have set up a Primary Care pilot hypnotherapy service which follows the NICE guidelines for IBS. This is free to patients who have GPs in the Tipton and Rowley Regis and Sandwell regions in the West Midlands.
Helen Bremner
Community Clinical Nurse Hypnotherapist (BCCN)
Sandwell Primary Care Trust
Suite 12, Vision Point Offices
07792 946 841
An apple a day ......
Hi,I just wanted to put the word out there.I have had IBS for 10 years now,but I believe I have found a way to control it.
The most effective treatment I have found is simply 1 green apple a day. It stops stools compacting and they float rather than sink. So an apple is the essential.
The second discovery was an act of desperation. I had been using those Anusol suppositories but ran out on a weekend when everything was closed. Many here would be aware of the extreme discomfort and burning sensation you can get.
Its like having acid burning you in the annus. So I know that carbon absorbs all toxins and tried one using a bit of lanolin and glove. Wow, whatever toxin it is soon gets absorbed and the pain and inflammation go away over night!
Please pass this on,I hate to think of the unnecessary suffering that people are enduring?
Thanks, Damien
RETURN TO WORK GRANTS.
I seek information on grants available to a small company to facilitate the return to work of an employee with anxiety/stress and severe IBS who has been on long term sick leave for over 2 years. I am looking to providing mentoring/counselling and conveyance to and from the office as well as an extra toilet.
There are two suggestions I can offer:
1 Access to Work <www.direct.gov.uk/disability>. This is a government
organisation which provides grants to assist people with disabilities.
There is a wide range of funding available depending on a person's needs.
Medical reports may be requested. The Company proposing to employ the
person is sometimes asked for a contribution towards the costs if any
improvements are considered of value to the employer as well. The aim is
to assist someone back to work and can involve re-arrangement of the
office to be near a toilet, taxis to and from work, personal care, office
equipment and so on.
2 Disability Living Allowance [same website as above]. This involves a
lengthy form to complete but can offer an allowance with care and/or
mobility. A chat with the Citizen's Advice Bureau might be worth while if
considering this route to talk about benefits.
It would probably be worth your client contacting Access to Work in the
first instance.
I hope this information is helpful to you and your client.
Yours sincerely
Gillian Kemp
Trustee, The Gut Trust
An invitation to join the Board of Trustees
We are looking for help in progressing the exciting new vision of the GUT TRUST and need the active participation of enthusiastic Trustees to contribute towards the work of this very special organisation.
For an application form and further details, please contact Kirsty on info@theguttrust.org
Life with IBS
Despite the financial worries of the last year, there is no evidence that IBS has increased in prevalence. This was the conclusion of a survey of Gut Trust members and Family Doctors in the late summer of this year by Peckforton Pharmaceuticals.
Stress is increasingly recognised as a significant cause of IBS. 100% of GPs and 90% of patients considered stress brought on attacks of IBS and made the condition much worse. GPs tended to emphasise the importance of stress and the brain gut axis when asked about the cause of IBS.
But IBS also adds to the stress in a person’s life, significantly undermining social activities and quality of life. When asked to describe their symptoms, patients with IBS used emotional adjectives like embarrassing, uncertain, painful, frustrating, anxious, stressful and uncomfortable and complained that of how difficult it was to lead a normal social life. It’s a vicious cycle. As detailed in our self management programme, IBS is not only the gut reaction to what happens, but it also adds to the stress and is experienced in emotional terms, much like anxiety or depression. Despite this, only 1% of those surveyed said that their IBS made them feel suicidal.
Personal relationships were rated as by far and away the greatest stress with financial worries and unemployment were secondary stressors though these often coexist alongside and contribute to relationship stress. The credit crunch did not feature prominently. One reason for this might be that members of The Gut Trust tend to be older and more financially stable than patients with IBS seen by the GP.
The average age of Trust members who responded to this survey was 60 and they had had their IBS for an average of 21 years. This emphasises that IBS that can tend to be a life-long illness. It may start in the late teens or twenties, but it can come and go in response to the trials and tribulations of life. It was thought that IBS tended to calm down as a person gets older, but that seems not to be the case, perhaps because life for the middle aged and elderly can often get more rather then less stressful nowadays. The message; IBS is often a life long condition, but it can be managed.
Most Gut Trust members are women. 82% of women and only 19% men responded to the survey. Those still in employment (a third of the patients surveyed) tend to take an average of 7.5 days off sick because of their gut, though many said they would have taken more time off if circumstances had permitted.
96% of Gut Trust members consult their GP about their symptoms and 77% have been referred to a hospital specialist. Abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, urgency, flatulence and tiredness are the commonest symptoms. Most are given dietary advice and prescribed medications, with a lower percentage taking OTC medication. About a quarter of GPs advise cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy, but very few patients follow this advice, perhaps because off the difficulty in getting appointments. Hardly any GPs in this survey recommend probiotics. Patients rated the all treatment options mildly or moderately effective, marginally higher for cognitive behavioural therapy, hypnotherapy and exercise advice. This would tend to support the more individual and holistic management, implicit by the Gut Trust’s self management programme. IBS is an individual illness. One person’s IBS, the range of symptoms, what brings them on, the impact on their lives is very different from another’s. IBS can only be understood by understanding the individual and management needs to be customised to the patient’s unique conditions and needs.
Finally, it was disappointing but hardly surprising to learn that rebranding the IBS Network as The Gut Trust did not increase it’s exposure. Only 4% of GPs questioned knew of The Gut Trust, though 10 times as many had heard of The IBS Network. But the reputation of The Gut Trust is growing, the range of services we offer has been improved, new members are joining every day and patients appreciate the services The Gut Trust offers.
‘ They help you realise you are not alone.’ ‘If there was a cure for flatulence, I’d be grateful.’
Wouldn’t we all!
We’ll do our best!
Fruit and Oats better for IBS than Bran..
More evidence that soluble fibre is better for IBS than insoluble fibre.The NICE (www.nice.org.uk) Guidelines on IBS, published last year recommended soluble fibre, but not insoluble fibre for treatment of IBS. A recent randomised controlled trial carried out in primary care in Holland, showed that supplementing the diet with 10g psyllium powder provided better symptom relief than 10g wheat bran or 10g rice flour, which were equivalent. More patients in the bran group dropped in the first month of treatment because of worsening symptoms. Bijkerk CJ, BMJ 2009 339 b3154.
In a letter to the BMJ this year, Professor Peter Whorwell from Wythenshaw Hospital commented ‘ In 1994 we suggested that, at least in secondary care, cereal fibre was more likely to do harm than good in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Now, as a gastroenterologist probably seeing more cases of severe irritable bowel than most of my colleagues, I find that the total exclusion of all cereal fibre, such as bran and brown bread, from the diet is one of the most rewarding treatment strategies I can offer.’
Soluble fiber is found in varying quantities in all plant foods, including pulses (peas, beans, lentils), oats, rye, barley, bananas, the pulp of apples and plums, prune juice, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and psyllium (ispaghula) husk, which is used as a bulk laxative.
Sources of insoluble fiber include whole grain foods, wheat and corn bran, nuts and seeds, potato skins, the skins of apples, tomatoes, pears and plums, cauliflower, courgettes and green beans.
Want to take part in an international survey?
Would you like to take part in an International Survey of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?The European Gastroenterology Federation has commissioned a working party who are undertaking an international survey of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. This is a web based survey designed to help us learn more about the irritable bowel syndrome. We are particularly interested to know how IBS which begins with an infection (Postinfectious IBS) differs from other sorts of IBS and whether this occurs at different rates in different countries of the world. If you feel that you are able to help, please go to the following url www.postinfectious-ibs.eu to complete the simple online questionnaire. We estimate this will take 30 minutes at the most. Please note that all sufferers with IBS are welcome to take part whether their symptoms began with an infection or not.
Many thanks for your help
Robin Spiller
Professor of Gastroenterology
University of Nottingham
© 2008 The Gut Trust is a business name of the IBS Network, Reg. Charity No. 1057563, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3142642