Media

HKU Centre on Behavioral Health to release study findings on Hypnotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

26 Jan 2016

It is common that Hong Kong people might have experiences of disordered defecation with unknown reason, such as diarrhea and constipation. It is also easy to observe that abdominal discomforts often come along with stress. Emotion disturbance and stress might affect our intestinal functions. The alarm system of our body has been already turned on and expressed as features of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Dr. Siu-man Ng, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), points out that the cause of IBS is not entirely clear. It might be related to intestinal abnormality including congenital visceral hypersensitivity, or long-term stress. It is estimated that the point prevalence of IBS among adults in Hong Kong is about 7%. IBS tends to run a chronic course, and so far there is no satisfactory treatment for it.

In view of the situation mentioned above, the HKU Centre on Behavioral Health conducted a pioneer study on hypnotherapy for IBS in 2012-2013. It aimed at exploring an alternative therapy for people suffering from IBS. There were a total of 15 patients with IBS recruited in the study. Research findings reveal significant relief on IBS symptoms of the patients. The Centre plans to recruit more subjects to further investigate the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as an alternative treatment for IBS.

A press conference will be held to announce the research findings. The details are as below:

Date : January 28, 2016 (Thursday)
Time : 2:00 pm
Venue : Centre on Behavioral Health, the University of Hong Kong
               2/F., Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Speakers:

1.      Dr. Siu-man NG, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong : What is IBS and findings of the pilot study
2.      Ms. Pauline Yuen-ping, WAN, Honorary Lecturer, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong : Hypnotherapy for IBs
3.      A patient’s sharing

For enquiries about the press conference, please contact Miss Amy Choi, Senior Executive Assistant at 2831 5163 or by email:  amychoi@hku.hk .

For enquires about the study, please contact Pauline WAN, the Honorary Lecturer at 2317 1383 or by email: ypwan@hku.hk.