IBS
Prevention
Mental
Prevention
If you are suffering from digestive upset, following points may
help you to overcome IBS. Finding ways to deal with stress can
be extremely helpful in preventing or alleviating symptoms
• Counseling: In some
cases, a health care professional such as a psychologist or
psychiatrist can help you learn to reduce stress by looking at
how you respond to events in your life and then working with you
to modify or change that response
• Biofeedback This
stress-reduction technique helps you reduce muscle tension and
slow your heart rate with the feedback help of a machine. You're
then taught how to produce these changes yourself. The goal is
to help you enter a relaxed state so that you can cope more
easily with stress. Biofeedback is usually taught in hospitals
and medical centers.
• Regular exercise, yoga, massage or
meditation: These can all be effective ways to
relieve stress. You can take classes in yoga and meditation or
practice at home using books or tapes.
• Progressive relaxation exercises:
These help you relax muscles in your body, one by one. Start by
tightening the muscles in your feet, then concentrate on slowly
letting all of the tension go. Next, tighten and relax your
calves. Continue until the muscles in your body, including those
in your eyes and scalp, are completely relaxed.
• Deep breathing. Most adults
breathe from their chests: But you become calmer
when you breathe from your diaphragm, the muscle that separates
your chest from your abdomen. When you inhale, allow your belly
to expand with air; when you exhale, your belly naturally
contracts. Deep breathing can also help relax your abdominal
muscles, which may lead to more-normal bowel activity.
• Hypnosis: Hypnosis
may reduce abdominal pain and bloating. A trained professional
teaches you how to enter a relaxed state and then guides you as
you imagine your intestinal muscles becoming smooth and calm.
• Other techniques:
Set aside at least 20 minutes a day for any activity you find
relaxing — listening to music, reading, playing computer games
or just soaking in a warm bath.
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