Cultural Context: Alternative Treatments
There is no easy treatment for IBS, and no cure, the most common medical treatments are:
- Bulk laxatives
- Stool softeners
- Antimotility drugs
- Antispasmodics
- Antimuscarinics
- Antidepressants
Some individuals benefit more from alternative therapies such as behavioural therapy or
biofeedback, stress management, and hypnosis.
Considering there is no cure, there is no surprise that patients opt for alternative treatments to
relieve symptoms - these are named CAM treatments (complementary and alternative medicine).
- Peppermint oil
- Probiotics
- Soluble fibre
- Tong xie yao fang
- Hypnotherapy
- CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy)
(Shen and Nahas, 2009)
Maxwell, P., Mendall, M. and Kumar, D., 1997. Irritable bowel syndrome. The Lancet, [online] 350(9092), pp.1691-1695. Available at: <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673697052768> [Accessed 31 December 2020].
Shen, Y. and Nahas, R., 2009. Complementary and alternative medicine for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, [online] 55(2), pp.143–148. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642499/> [Accessed 1 January 2021].