美国国家公共电台 NPR--A surprising treatment is helping people with gastrointestinal or stomach issues

A surprising treatment is helping¹ people with gastrointestinal or stomach issues

Transcript²

In the health industry, there is growing focus on providing effective therapies using on-demand care. That includes a hypnosis app to help manage the symptoms of irritable³ bowel⁴ syndrome⁵.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

At a time when mental health is in the spotlight⁶ - it's World Mental Health Day today - there's increased focus on how to bring effective therapies to people using digital on-demand care. This includes a hypnosis app to treat the stress and anxiety linked to common stomach problems which affect millions of Americans. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE⁷: If you've struggled with gastrointestinal or stomach issues and you can't find relief, Ron Burley (ph) feels your pain. He's 75 years old, a retired⁸ advertising⁹ executive who lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. He says for many years, every time he got stressed out or nervous, he felt it in one place - his gut¹⁰.

RON BURLEY: Before an airline flight or a trip or a presentation - I mean, you'd always worry, is there a bathroom near? Will I have to excuse myself? And it was a vicious cycle, almost.

AUBREY: The more he worried, the more pain he had.

BURLEY: Cramps¹¹, diarrhea.

AUBREY: He went to see a couple of doctors who ran tests and told him they could not find anything wrong.

BURLEY: They said, well, it's probably just a temporary thing. And then they give me a pill.

AUBREY: The medicine slowed down his system temporarily. But he felt vulnerable, uncomfortable. Bouts¹² of symptoms kept coming. This went on for years until he found a clinical psychologist at the University of Michigan, Megan Riehl. She does a kind of therapy called gut-directed hypnotherapy.

MEGAN RIEHL: Our brain and our gut are communicating all the time. And if you're somebody that has a digestive problem, oftentimes - I always think about it like it's - the communication is turned up way too high.

AUBREY: So if you eat something that upsets your stomach or you're thinking about something that provokes anxiety, the nerves throughout the digestive system are sending signals to the brain. When the communication gets out of whack¹³, every sensation we feel can be amplified¹⁴.

RIEHL: Hypnosis is a strategy to help address the hypervigilance and hypersensitivity that happens in patients that have IBS, for example, irritable bowel syndrome. And it really gets at the heart of that miscommunication and helping to kind of calm that conversation down.

AUBREY: In turning down the noise, the hypnosis helps to alleviate¹⁵ GI symptoms. That's what Ron Burley found. He says when people hear about hypnosis, they think it sounds kind of wacky.

BURLEY: It's evoked¹⁶ a lot of laughs, especially when you mention hypnotism. A lot of eyes roll. What is this, voodoo psychology¹⁷ they're using on you?

AUBREY: But in reality, there's no pendulum¹⁸ swinging before your eyes. It's nothing like what you might see in the movies. Burley found in his hypnotherapy sessions, it's actually a set of relaxation¹⁹ techniques combined with suggestions and guided imagery that can help reset²⁰ the communication between the gut and the brain.

BURLEY: Typically start with deep breathing.

AUBREY: What follows is a type of body scan.

BURLEY: And you visualize²¹, say, your chest relaxing or your stomach relaxing, your intestines²² relaxing. And you're not into a deep sleep. I would call it just a deep relaxation. It's almost like sitting in a hot tub.

AUBREY: What comes next is a set of suggestions delivered by the psychologist. Ron Burley was fortunate to be in person with Megan Riehl. But there are not enough GI psychologists to meet the demand. So one stand-in has become a digital app. It's called Nerva. I've logged in to hear how it works.

(SOUNDBITE OF NERVA APP)

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Powerful changes are happening inside your body. Imagine the sensations of abdominal²³ pain are becoming a thing of the past.

AUBREY: You're told to imagine that you've been welcomed into an apothecary²⁴, where smells of herbs and concoctions²⁵ fill the air. A pharmacist has made an imaginary special medicine. It's in a glass vial just for you. You're told it will create comfort.

(SOUNDBITE OF NERVA APP)

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Know that this medicine is not only coating your insides but is also sending messages to your brain, calming down this line of communication between your mind and your gut.

AUBREY: In the moment of deep relaxation, Ron Burley said the suggestions start to feel real. He could feel changes in his body.

BURLEY: I think because you are so relaxed, your mind is empty, and it's more open to suggestions.

AUBREY: And psychologist Megan Riehl points to published research showing that most patients do benefit from hypnotherapy.

RIEHL: I have seen it make a tremendous difference.

AUBREY: One small study found that about 70% of patients had significant improvement in symptoms.

RIEHL: They also feel that, you know, even if they have symptoms, they have strategies to manage it.

AUBREY: Ron Burley told me that he wished he'd found this strategy decades ago because his quality of life has improved so much.

BURLEY: When you're not worried about where the next restroom is, it gives you the opportunity to focus on what's important in life. I hate to sound like a born-again, but it has changed my life. It's made it a lot better.

AUBREY: He now has a daily meditation²⁶ practice as part of his morning stretch routine, and he says he's learned to be more still and to let go of unimportant things.

BURLEY: I think, initially²⁷, I was unaware²⁸ that there was the mind-gut connection, and I now know that they're hard-wired together. What you think has a big influence on how your stomach feels.

AUBREY: And how you feel overall - he says whenever he does get symptoms, he knows exactly what it takes to reset.

Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

4 bowel   

n.肠(尤指人肠)；内部，深处

参考例句：

• Irritable bowel syndrome seems to affect more women than men.女性比男性更易患肠易激综合征。
• Have you had a bowel movement today?你今天有排便吗？

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

9 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

10 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

11 cramps   

n. 抽筋, 腹部绞痛, 铁箍 adj. 狭窄的, 难解的 v. 使...抽筋, 以铁箍扣紧, 束缚

参考例句：

• If he cramps again let the line cut him off. 要是它再抽筋，就让这钓索把它勒断吧。
• "I have no cramps." he said. “我没抽筋，"他说。

12 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 whack   

v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。

14 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

15 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

16 evoked   

[医]诱发的

参考例句：

• The music evoked memories of her youth. 这乐曲勾起了她对青年时代的回忆。
• Her face, though sad, still evoked a feeling of serenity. 她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。

17 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

18 pendulum   

n.摆，钟摆

参考例句：

• The pendulum swung slowly to and fro.钟摆在慢慢地来回摆动。
• He accidentally found that the desk clock did not swing its pendulum.他无意中发现座钟不摇摆了。

19 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

20 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

21 visualize   

vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想

参考例句：

• I remember meeting the man before but I can't visualize him.我记得以前见过那个人，但他的样子我想不起来了。
• She couldn't visualize flying through space.她无法想像在太空中飞行的景象。

22 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

23 abdominal   

adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌

参考例句：

• The abdominal aorta is normally smaller than the thoracic aorta.腹主动脉一般比胸主动脉小。
• Abdominal tissues sometimes adhere after an operation.手术之后腹部有时会出现粘连。

24 apothecary   

n.药剂师

参考例句：

• I am an apothecary of that hospital.我是那家医院的一名药剂师。
• He was the usual cut and dry apothecary,of no particular age and color.他是那种再普通不过的行医者，说不出多大年纪，相貌也没什么值得一提的。

25 concoctions   

n.编造，捏造，混合物( concoction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We bearrived scientists and tested concoctions of milk, orange juice, and mouthwash. 咱们是科技家，尝试牛奶、橙汁和漱口水的混合物。 来自互联网
• We became scientists and tested concoctions of milk, orange juice, and mouthwash. 我们是科学家，尝试牛奶、橙汁和漱口水的混合物。 来自互联网

26 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

27 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

28 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。