If you’ve ever had butterflies in your stomach or an attack of nerves that sent you racing for the bathroom, you already know that the intestinal tract has a mind of its own. The millions who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, perhaps know it best.

IBS, with its symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhoea or constipation or an alternating cycle of the two, can seriously impair the ability to work and enjoy leisure activities. Up to 15 per cent people are affected with this, though only half seek medical help.

The gut and brain are intimately connected, with more nerve cells in the intestines than in the central nervous system. The gut has been called the body’s second brain, containing 95 per cent of the body’s neurotransmitter serotonin and direct nerve connections to the brain.

So it is no surprise that this common disorder of intestinal function has a strong mind-body connection. This does not mean IBS is a psychosomatic condition caused by emotions, but rather that emotional upsets can aggravate symptoms in someone with a hyper-reactive bowel.

It also means that learning to minimise stress and emotional disturbances can reduce the symptoms of IBS, perhaps more effectively than medication, as recent research indicates. Yet much educational material about this condition underplays the mind-body connection and the vital role that emotional retraining can play in controlling it.

This is perhaps an overreaction to the past, when most patients with IBS were told there was nothing physically wrong with them -- it was all in their heads. After all, they had no obvious organic cause like a tumour, infection or ulcer.

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