“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 IBS sufferers. Patients don’t have to exclude wheat, it is just the fibre that causes the trouble, so white bread is fine.”
Peter Whorwell
Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology, UHSM
Up to eight million people in Britain suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), with symptoms including diarrhoea, pain and bloating. The condition can seriously affect sufferers’ quality of life and finding treatment can be difficult, leading many doctors to feel they can do little to help.
On 21 April, Professor Peter Whorwell will be providing a free talk to members of the public about irritable bowels. His talk will cover symptoms, conventional treatments, as well as less conventional treatments and some of his more recent discoveries on how to self-manage IBS. Peter is a Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology at UHSM, and has been researching and treating disorders of the gut for over 30 years. He oversees research into the clinical, epidemiological and pathophysiological aspects of gastrointestinal disorders as well as caring for large numbers of these patients from all over the UK.
Prof Whorwell is renowned for pioneering the treatment of IBS with hypnotherapy – and his published research provides evidence of its effectiveness. In one study, he treated 250 IBS patients with 12 hypnotherapy sessions, and achieved a success-rate of around 70%. According to Professor Whorwell, IBS is ideal for treatment with hypnosis. He says: “We’ve found it to help all the symptoms, whereas some of the drugs available reduce only a few.”
In 2007, Prof Whorwell published research to show that eating probiotic yogurt can help reduce physical bloating and abdominal distension among people with IBS. The study showed that daily consumption of probiotic yogurt over a four-week period reduced distension by up to 78% as well as improved gastrointestinal transit time, and reduced the overall IBS severity, discomfort and abdominal pain.
Prof Whorwell’s advice for sufferers of irritable bowels may not always sound conventional. He says the findings of his research are particularly relevant in dissuading people from increasing their fibre intake to try and improve their bowel habits, as this can considerably exacerbate the symptoms of IBS.
The talk for the public is on 21 April 2010, 12 noon, and will take place in the Education Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital. For more information, please call 0161 291 2357.