How Effective Is Hypnosis On Indigestion?

It’s one of the most common ailments in today’s modern society and yet one of the least effectively treated.  Indigestion (or dyspepsia) victims suffer from a bloated stomach, nausea and painful stomach aches on a regular basis.

Diet changes, Anti-acid tablets or juices are often all that is recommended and don’t always do the job.  However, hypnosis has proved effective in many cases.

Dr Whorwell and his team at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital have used hypnosis on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) sufferers for many years and find it can be effective for general indigestion too and the benefits seem to last.

The hospital conducted a study of 126 patients who suffered from indigestion that didn’t seem to have a cause and offered them a choice of three treatments: hypnotherapy, anti-acid or counseling.  The results were astounding.  73% of the hypnosis group said their symptoms improved and at a 40 week follow up they had needed no drug treatment.  Compare that to the 43% for anti-acid treatment and 34% for counseling, 80-90% of which needed drug treatment in the 40 weeks leading up to their follow up check.

Dr Martin Sarner, secretary of the Digestive Disorders Foundation, says that the mind can affect the stomach in many ways.  Studies have shown an increase in brain activity in one particular area of the brain for IBS sufferers, adding further weight to the argument that the mind is linked to gut functionality.

Unfortunately, although the NHS now has a hypnotherapy register, getting hypnosis on the NHS is still difficult and infrequent as it is costly, time-consuming and there is still little research being done.  However, after being checked for obvious causes such as a stomach ulcer, sufferers can ask your GP to refer them to a hypnotherapist.