There are a number of reasons. IBS is just one of the causes. Other sufferers may lack digestive enzymes, so the stomach doesn't empty fast enough. "You might notice that you're always bloated after eating one type of food, and this suggests that you aren't producing enough of the appropriate enzyme for that food," according to Dr Sarah Brewer in the Daily Telegraph. If you are not used to a particular food, you may well not have developed sufficient enzymes for that food. Soon however your body will be habituated and the bloating would stop. Dr Brewer considers that overeating is a main cause of bloating. That aside, lack of bile, which helps digest fats, can also be a problem. High levels of the hormone progesterone slow down the action of the bowel, which why premenstrual and pregnant women can suffer terrible constipation and bloating.

Some of us have tried probiotics. But according to Glenn Gibson, a professor of food microbiology at Reading University, nearly half the probiotic yoghurts, powders and capsules sold in their millions every year simply do not have the minimum of 10 million bacteria per dose necessary to have any impact on our digestive systems.

Hypnotherapy was recommended by NICE in 2008 for chronic cases of irritable bowel syndrome. Click here for NICE guidelines
Dr Peter Whorwell of Manchester University Medical School is the leading expert in the treatment of IBS with hypnotherapy. Click here for more. Dr Wendy Gonalkorale is a researcher working with Dr Whorwell. Read about her research here.

Although no-one really knows the cause of irritable bowel syndrome, the methods developed by Dr Whorwell have been shown to improve the symptoms with over 70% success. Dr Whorwell explains that IBS is ideal for treatment with hypnosis. "During hypnotherapy, sufferers learn how to influence and gain control of their gut function, and then seem able to change the way the brain modulates their gut activity. We have found it to help all the symptoms, whereas some of the drugs available reduce only a few".  As you will know, IBS is called a functional disorder because it is the function of the gut which is impaired rather than the tissue itself. Often in trying to work out the cause of IBS , invasive investigations are carried out which can cause permanent structural damage. Hypnosis is a non-invasive treatment, and it has a successful track record. Here is a useful IBS factsheet

The brain areas of interest in IBS also light up for stress.

Researchers have discovered that with IBS, the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) responds to distension of the rectum (this is the bit they were researching, but it is suggestive that it might also apply to other parts of the gut). The ACC  is also the area which responds to anxiety, stressful life events and failures to cope properly. These research findings support observations that there are connections between psychological distress and IBS, along with a greater sensitivity to pain.

This is one of the reasons perhaps that hypnosis works so well. Hypnosis is a powerful treatment for all forms of anxiety. I shall write more shortly about work done on the brain-gut link.

If you want to bone up on the enteric nervous system, the system controlling all the goings on in your gut, then this is the place.

The nervous system in your gut is almost as complex as your brain. Amazingly the gut can (if necessary) work on its own, without any connections to your brain. Because is so similar in terms of structure, we are sometimes offered anti-depressants to deal with the symptoms of IBS. That also may be why hypnotherapy is so useful.

Hypnosis works by guiding you in a structured way to imagine your gut well and healthy. How does that work then? In hypnosis, one of the key techniques used is the ideomotor response. Brain imaging shows that when we think about doing something,  the brain lights up in the same way as when we actually move that part of the body. If you now imagine saying to yourself “Red lorry yellow lorry” you will notice that your tongue is working ever so slightly, not saying the words out loud, but the muscles working nonetheless. That is the ideomotor response. Thinking is doing.

So in hypnosis, you focus your thoughts on your gut. Now, that requires a bit more practice than using your tongue. You don’t have quite as clear a link between your gut and your brain as with your tongue and brain. But with practice, with a skilled hypnotist, this link is made. Then you think about your gut being well, and in 70% of cases (according to Dr Peter Whorwell of Manchester University) your gut gets better. It takes about 12 sessions, and thereafter, you have made the brain-gut link and can keep yourself well.

IBS is called a functional disease, because it is a problem of the working of the gut, rather than being caused by the biology of the gut (which is known as organic disease). Of course, as time passes, the gut does become damaged, so there is these days some controversy about the distinction between a functional and an organic disease.

IBS is a syndrome because there are a wide range of symptoms (or a cluster of symptoms) including back pain and chest pain, as well as the more understandable bloating, constipation etc. And not everyone has all the possible symptoms.

This makes diagnosis quite tricky. It involves excluding any organic disease, and then checking to see if the characteristic symptoms are presenting. If diagnosis is not properly conducted, you can end up with painful, unnecessary and possibly damaging internal examinations.

These are the symptoms normally considered to be symptomatic of IBS. They are called the Rome II criteria.

At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, in the

preceding 12 months of abdominal discomfort or pain that

has two of three features:

Relieved with defecation

and/or

Onset associated with a change in frequency of stool

and/or

Onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool

Supportive symptoms:

Fewer than three bowel movements per week

More than three bowel movements per day

Hard or lumpy stools

Loose (mushy) stools

Straining during a bowel movement

Urgency

Feeling of incomplete bowel movement

Passing mucus during a bowel movement

Abdominal fullness, bloating or swelling

Gut directed therapy has been developed by Peter Whorwell at Manchester University.

In hypnosis, you are very sensitive to subtle suggestion. Try this: say red lorry, yellow lorry to yourself  a couple of times, silently. What was going on in your mouth? Just thinking something causes a tendency to action. So when you think about your poor painful gut as being cool and smooth and comfortable while in hypnosis, you are learning to make the mind-gut link and with a bit of practice, you will find that you can calm your gut.

It may surprise you to know that there is lots of academic research showing that hypnotherapy is very successful with IBS, and as a result, NICE, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends it.

People who have been diagnosed with irritable bowel have been shown to be intolerant to 3 to 5 food types. Grain and dairy products are the most implicated.

These products form the staple diet of a number of my clients. They don't cook, come home late, and eat sandwiches, yoghurts, cornflakes etc. These are quick meal replacements. The trouble is that you can end up with a diet that is formed predominantly from these kinds of food. And this can lead to intolerance. Too much of a good thing.

Eating a wide range of foods helps avoid this problem. Fruit is the easiest to add to your diet, as you can eat fruit on the go. Veg tends to need cooking.

The most recent addition to my kitchen is a juicer. I now buy a load of fruit and veg, along with ginger and limes, and wham them in the juicer. Some come out with strange tastes and wierd colours, but it's just one glass a day. The most amazing discovery is just how delicious beetroot is. Dark fruits and veg are particularly good for you, as they are filled with antioxidants which protect your body's cells from damage.  If you are not getting enough fruit and veg, start now! And if you don't have time to cook, try a jui