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It is essential to combine one of
these therapies with your new diet.
Reducing stress makes the diets much more effective, and
keeps you very happy.
Now five divisions of the autonomic nervous
system control the small intestine. These are four
brain controllers and the enteric nervous system. This
means that your IBS symptoms show maxima as the
autonomic nervous system rises in activity level and
minima as it falls in activity level…
- Barrier symptoms (bloating, cramping), are worst on eating breakfast and then
relax overnight.
- Diarrhoea symptoms. These mostly
occur on arising with 'the morning rush'. Afternoons
and nights they occur only in cases of severe IBS.
The reason for this is that the level
of activity in the autonomic nervous system is dependent
on the level of adrenal hormones. When we get up in the
morning our body releases adrenal hormones to start up
our automatic systems quickly. During the day, when we
come under stress, additional adrenal hormones can be
released. At night when we go to sleep, adrenal hormones
fall to a baseline level.
A high level of adrenal hormones means
that the brain works
harder and uses more force when creating the IBS barrier
(bloating). The enteric nervous system works harder and
uses more force to move food soup (cramping, borborygmi,
diarrhoea), and the valve at the end of the
small intestine is easy to open (diarrhoea).
A low level of adrenal hormones means
that the brain uses minimum force, any barrier is much
weaker, and the valve at the end of the
small intestine is firmly closed.
Now most of us ignore the workings of
our autonomic nervous system. It is after all, an
automated system, designed to need no conscious control.
BUT we can exercise some control over it! We
can reduce the level of adrenal hormones in our bodies
by training ourselves to relax and release less of them. This
minimises
our IBS symptoms.
Relaxation (or stress
relief) therapies come in many forms...
- Hypnotherapy
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
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- Chi Gong
- Psychotherapy
- Many others…
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The one I use is
from Yoga…
Yoga Relaxation (Yoga Nidra)…
Many Yoga schools will teach a version
of this technique and they may also
be able to provide a tape or CD that you can use at
home. Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation given live or on
tape/CD. Your nearest Satyananda Yoga School http://www.satyananda.net/
has tapes/CDs
available and offers live instruction. Yoga Nidra goes
like this…
Choose a quiet, safe, warm place where
you will not be interrupted. You need a firm surface
such as a rug on the floor on which to practise. Lie
down on your back with your hands by your sides palms up
and open. Your spine should be straight, your feet
shoulder width apart and relaxed sideways. You may place
a pillow under your head and one under the knees if
necessary. If you need a rug to keep warm, use one.
Once you are comfortable, start your
Yoga Nidra tape/CD and follow the instructions. You will
be given a series of awareness, breathing and
visualization techniques that are designed to relax you.
Each session generally lasts 30 to 45 minutes. If you
find yourself going to sleep then hold one or both forearms erect
during the practice or even sit up against the wall. You
will need to practise Yoga Nidra daily to begin with.
The best time to do it is late afternoon, but it can be
done anytime. After a month or two you will have
mastered the technique, be able to reduce your
practice to 2-3 times a week, and will have reduced your
adrenal hormone levels & IBS symptoms. After some
years of practise, all stress will be gone and you will
not have to do Yoga Nidra anymore.
To obtain a Yoga Relaxation CD go
here... http://www.ashramyoga.com/
...purchase the CD1 Beginners Yoga Nidra
with Swami Bhaktimurti.
This CD can be posted anywhere in the world.
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