We find out how yoga may help to ease the symptoms of IBS and other digestive problems.
Yoga may be rooted in ancient Hinduism but, for many, it is less about spirituality and more about health. The NHS states on its website that evidence shows yoga can benefit people with high blood pressure, heart disease, aches and pains including lower back pain, depression and stress. Charlotte Watts, a registered nutritional therapist, senior yoga teacher and author of Yoga for Digestive Health, would also add digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to the list.
A common gut problem that can cause stomach pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea, IBS affects thousands of people in the UK. Although some studies have indicated that yoga could relieve its symptoms,1,2 it’s not known exactly why. However, stress — often a trigger for IBS — is likely to be key.
Watts says various studies have shown that yoga reduces stress and inflammatory markers such as cytokines, which are associated with stress.
“This is particularly good news for those with the IBS, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,” she says. “Those who practise yoga and meditation know this to be true, but the evidence is building to also show that such practices of ‘embodied awareness’ — like t’ai chi and qi gong — help reduce the trauma symptoms also related to digestive issues.”
Watts credits yoga with helping her own recovery from “crippling IBS” which she suffered with from childhood. And now, even with her training and experience in nutritional therapy, she does not believe that her recovery from IBS would have been as successful without yoga.
Movement
Lack of movement, bad posture and stress, Watts says, can all impact the smooth functioning of the gut.
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