Participants took part in a nine-week training program that encompassed the use of the relaxation response. At the end of the study, participants with IBS reported a reduction in symptoms.

“Our results suggest exciting possibilities for further developing and implementing this treatment in a wider group of patients with gastrointestinal illness,” said Braden Kuo of the gastrointestinal unit in the MGH Department of Medicine, co-lead author of the report, in an article published in the Harvard Gazette.

According to the Harvard Gazette, “the relaxation response — a physiologic state of deep rest induced by practices such as meditation, yoga, and prayer — was first described more than 40 years ago by Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute and a co-author of the current paper.”

In the study, subjects were assessed at the beginning, middle and end of the program as well as three weeks after completion. According to the Harvard Gazette, “Both in patients with IBS and those with IBD (irritable bowel disorder), participation in the mind/body program appeared to have significantly improved disease-related symptoms, anxiety, and overall quality of life, not only at the end of the study period, but also three weeks later.”

So try meditation to invoke a similar response. It just might help.

2.    Acupuncture

Though research is limited, acupuncture may benefit IBS. Small studies show that acupuncture improves health in general and reduces bloating. So just how does this work?

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, “Acupuncturists treat people with IBS based on an individualized assessment of the excesses and deficiencies of qi located in various meridians.”