Journal of Gastrointestinal & Digestive System
Open Access

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic disorders of unknown etiology which are characterized by episodes of exacerbations and remissions. There is evidence that perceived distress contributes to IBD symptom flares, anxiety and depression are frequently found in patients with the active disease. Because there is no cure, treatment has to focus on prevention of complications, induction/maintenance of remission and improvement of quality of life. Gut-directed hypnotherapy has been used successfully in functional gastrointestinal disorders. Experimental studies and case reports have been published for IBD; Gut-directed hypnotherapy increases the health related quality of life and reduces symptoms. Additionally, a randomized controlled study on hypnosis in patients with ulcerative colitis has shown that gut-directed hypnotherapy seems to have an immuno-modulating effect and is able to augment clinical remission in patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis. A precise overview will be given about all published studies and reviews on hypnotherapy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

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