By Victoria Allen for the Daily Mail
Published: 00:01 BST, 11 April 2019 | Updated: 00:06 BST, 11 April 2019
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A 'talking cure' may work better for people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome than medication, research shows.
The study of more than 500 patients found counselling over the phone or online significantly reduced painful symptoms.
Up to one in five people suffer from IBS, which mainly causes abdominal pain, bloating and the embarrassment of having to rush to the toilet.
But experts say less than half benefit from drugs such as laxatives or fibre supplements, which doctors are recommended to prescribe in the first instance.
Irritable bowel syndrome causes serious discomfort as well as diarrhoea and constipation and up to one in five suffer from the condition (stock image)
Researchers led by the University of Southampton looked at IBS sufferers on the standard treatment of medication, comparing them with those also given cognitive behavioural therapy
