Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2009. / Includes tables and questionnaires. Title from title screen (viewed May 14, 2009) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Technikon Natal, 2002. / The aim of this placebo-controlled\xB7 trial was to investigate the efficacy of action potential therapy (APT) versus placebo, and the relative effectiveness of abdominal versus paraspinal electrode placement, in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Convenience sampling was used to recruit sixty patients with IBS from the community. These patients were randomly divided into four groups (A, B, C and D). Each group consisted of 15 patients, aged between 20 and 69 years. Patients attended five consultations over three weeks. Treatment was given with either active or placebo APT during the first four consultations. The fifth consultation was for data collection only. Patients in group A and C both received active APT. In group A, the electrodes were placed over the abdomen, while in group C the electrodes were placed paraspinally. Patients in group Band 0 both received placebo APT using a placebo APT device. In group B, the electrodes were placed over the abdomen, while in group 0, the electrodes were placed paraspinally. The measures of efficacy were the IBS Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBS-QOl), the Shortform McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and the life line Stress Questionnaire (ll-SQ). Using these questionnaires, data was collected at the 1st. 3rd and s' consultations for each participant. The data was then analysed using the SPSS package. Assessment of intragroup and inter-group change was performed using Friedman's T-test and the Mann-Whitney U-Tests respectively. Analysis was performed at the 95% confidence level. Patients in all four groups showed a,n improvement in quality of life (measured by the IBSQOl), as well as in the perceived quantity of pain experienced (measured by the SF-MPQ), between initial and final consultations. As regards the patients' levels of stress (measured by the ll-SQ), there was no statistically significant improvement in any of the four groups between initial and final consultations. Inter-group comparison of the data showed a higher perceived quantity of pain in the active, paraspinally placed APT group (group C) at the first consultation when compared to both the / M

M.Tech.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-126).

M.Tech.

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Argentum nitricum 6CH and Lycopodium clavatum 6CH in the individualised treatment of patients suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome. These two homoeopathic remedies are well known for their effect on the gastrointestinal system, especially when the gastrointestinal symptoms are associated with emotional stress. 60 subjects participated in this single blind, placebo controlled study. Each subject underwent an initial evaluation in order to ascertain their symptoms prior to treatment. They were then given their appropriate remedy to be administered three times daily for one month. The subject's symptoms were monitored through questionnaires completed at two week intervals. The homoeopathic medication appeared to reduce the Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, with the Lycopodium clavatum group achieving slightly better results than the Argentum nitricum group. It is, however, recommended that further similar studies using a larger sample group for a longer duration be conducted in order to verify these findings.

M.A. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an individualized holistic psychotherapy and synergistic stress management programme for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and stress, both of which are common disorders in this present day and age. IBS is a functional bowel disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that leads to change in bowel habits with the additional features of abdominal pain and distension (Drossman, 1994b). This functional disorder has been associated with stress since time immemorial and it is only recently that research has begun to examine how and by what mechanisms IBS and stress are related. A review of the literature suggests a resurgent interest in IBS and stress. Tantalizing questions like ‘IBS – irritable bowel, irritable body, irritable brain or irritable mind?’ gives one an idea of the genesis from which the disorder has come, the complications in which it has been mired and the directions in which it is aspiring to go (Farthing, 1995). Using both the historical context and the present level of understanding in the research literature, one becomes aware of the shifting paradigm from the dualistic Cartesian-Newtonian biomedical perspective, to the biopsychosocial and integrative mind-body approaches which reflect the move to a holistic and non-linear quantum scientific worldview. The ecosystemic paradigm on which the present study is based, represents this shift whereby systemic changes in cyclical rhythmic patterns within the psychophysiology of clients reflect new ways of conceptualizing psychosomatic (mind-body) ill-health (Weiner, 1992). Within the behavioural and medical health fields, both psychologists and physicians as well as a number of other disciplines are moving towards more integrative solutions which include the mind-body-spirit dimensions of the individual. Drossman, Whitehead and Camilleri (1997) have begun to consider the individualized expression of the illness in the patient and to situate him among his wider systems, as well as incorporating a referral team approach to the treatment of IBS. Salt (1997) extends the use of the biopsychosocial model to include the spiritual dimension in his treatment of IBS patients. Broom (1997) weaves the various internal systems of the person into the story of the client’s illness that integrates the mind and body. The psychologically based holistic intervention of this study was developed in response to the calls for more integrative approaches to treatment which incorporate whole-person care. The specific aim of this study is to compare a group of IBS participants who receive the holistic individualized psychotherapy and synergistic stress management intervention with a group of IBS participants who do not receive the treatment. The sample consisted of two groups, an experimental (N = 20) group and a control (N = 20) group. The IBS Client Questionnaire also known as the Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index (FBDSI) (Drossman, Zhiming, Toner, Diamant, Creed, Thompson, Read, Babbs, Barreiro, Bank, Whitehead, Schuster & Guthrie 1995) was used to verify a diagnosis of IBS as well as a measure of the severity of symptoms. This index is based on the current international diagnostic criteria for IBS. The Occupational Stress Inventory was used as a measure of vocational stress and was developed to provide an integrated theoretical model linking sources of stress in the work environment, psychological strains experienced by individuals as a result of work stressors and the coping resources available to counterbalance the effect of stressors and alleviate strain. It consists of three scales, namely Occupational Roles, Personal Strain and Personal Resources scales respectively. Wilks’ Lambda was used for the between-groups comparisons between the intervention and non-intervention groups and Paired Samples t-test was used for the within-groups analysis. The comparisons were made in terms of improvement in symptoms, determined by the Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index (FBDSI) and lowering of occupational stress, determined by two of the scales of the Occupational Stress Inventory, namely the Occupational Roles and Personal Strain scales and an increase in coping responses determined by the Personal Resources scale. Both of these were administered as pre- and post-test measures before and three months after the intervention was completed. The results of the study indicate that the experimental group of IBS participants who received the intervention improved in symptom severity, their occupational stress was lowered and they began utilizing more coping resources than the group of IBS participants who did not receive the intervention. Thus it is concluded that an individualized holistic approach for the treatment of IBS is indicated and that individuals with refractory IBS can be helped to manage their illness and their lives. In particular, this psychologically based study confirms a very definite and specific place for psychologists in the treatment of clients with IBS and stress. An invitation was extended to the control group to use the facilities for therapeutic intervention offered by the RAU Psychogastroenterology project once the post-tests had been completed, thus addressing any ethical questions that could have arisen. This was an initial investigation using an ecologically based meta-theoretical framework as well as specific stress techniques for the holistic treatment of clients. A number of recommendations arose from this particular intervention and are included for future studies.

Background. Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder with an absence of demonstrable pathology, it is associated with significant impairment of quality of life and causes a heavy burden on the health care system. As conventional IBS treatments are far from satisfactory, people turn to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). One of the most acceptable CAM treatments is acupuncture, which has been considered to be effective in alleviating abdominal bloating, increasing rectal pain threshold, and improving the general well being of IBS patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of these therapeutic effects remain unknown. This study is an investigation of the therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture treatment of IBS. / Conclusion. Acupuncture attenuates visceral hyperalgesia by inhibiting 5-HT and c-Fos activity in the brain-gut axis. This observation may shed light on possible mechanisms by which acupuncture alleviates symptoms of IBS. / Study 1. A Neonatal Maternal Separation Stress Model (NMSS) was tested. Our results showed that this model was a reliable and stable model for IBS animal study and that visceral hyperalgesia was associated with increased serotonin (5-HT) and c-Fos activity of the brain-gut axis. / Study 2. Two methods were used to test visceral hyperalgesia in response to colorectal distension (CRD), namely Abdominal Withdrawal Response (AWR) and Electromyogram (EMG). There methods were compared for their effectiveness in measuring visceromotor response (VMR) in a NMSS rat model. Our results showed that EMG is the more reliable tool for evaluating VMR to CRD in NMSS rats. / Study 3. There were three parts to this study. First, we reviewed the TCM literature on the use of acupuncture in IBS and concluded that the two most commonly used acupoints for this condition are ST-36 and CV-12 and that, of the two, ST-36 may be the more appropriate acupoint for treatment. Second, we tested invasive and non-invasive sham acupuncture (placebo) and found that neither produces any therapeutic effect when compared to real electroacupuncture. Third, we used the NMSS rat as the animal model, ST-36 as the treatment acupoint, non-invasive sham acupuncture as the placebo, and EMG as the tool to evaluate VMR in response to CRD alter acupuncture intervention. Our results showed that acupuncture not only attenuated 5-HT and c-Fos activity but also reduced visceral hyperalgesia in the NMSS rat. / Ziea, Tat Chi. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3423. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-141). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.