Irritable Bowel Syndrome
 and the 
MindBodySpirit Connection
(Second Edition)

William B. Salt II, M.D. and Neil F. Neimark, M.D.

"This book can change your life."
Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

             Testimonials            

 The passport to a better life. "This is by far the best book on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection that I have read in many years. We have all heard the phrase, 'This book can change your life.' Well, this book really can. It shows you how to use your symptoms as the passport to a better life--physically, emotionally and spiritually." Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. Author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind and Inner Peace for Busy People

A treasury of information. "A treasury of information to guide your process of healing."  Bernie Siegel, M.D. Author of Love, Medicine and Miracles and Prescriptions for Living

Must reading for everyone with IBS. "Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the MindBodySpirit Connection is must reading for everyone who encounters this common condition--parents, their loved ones, and the health care providers who treat them. Drs. Salt and Neimark have written the definitive healing guide for the millions who suffer from functional bowel problems."  Christiane Northrup, M.D. Author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

Clear and concise. "Drs. Salt and Neimark have done a remarkable job in communicating in a clear and concise manner, an understanding of IBS. Through the use of photos and illustrations, and amply referenced, up to date information, the reader can truly begin to acquire the skills to be able to successfully manage this challenging disorder. I will recommend this book to my patients."  Douglas A. Drossman, M.D. Co-Director, UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

An invaluable, hope-giving practical guide. Collaboratively written by digestive disorder specialists Dr. William Salt and Dr. Neil Neimark, and now available in a fully revised and updated new edition, Irritable Bowel Syndrome And The MindBodySpirit Connection is an invaluable, hope-giving, practical, non-specialist general reader friendly guide offering seven specific steps to improving one's quality of life and health when living with a functional bowel disorder, Crohn's Disease or colitis. Individual chapters focus on using the power of emotional and psychological attitude as well as more traditionally important habits of proper diet, exercise, water drinking etc. A thoughtful and attentive book and an excellent supplement to a doctor's care, Irritable Bowel Syndrome And The MindBodySpirit Connection, with its practical and whole mind and body approach to maintaining good health, is important even to those who are fortunate enough to have compliantly regular bowels. A very highly recommended addition to personal and community library personal healthy and medical reference collections.  Midwest Book Review (see more about me) from Oregon, WI USA

This book is essential.  With the help of medical doctor Neimark, Salt has updated and improved his excellent book on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (LJ 10/15/97). This second edition preserves Salt's clear writing and lively illustrations while completely revising the format. Instead of eight steps on learning to live with IBS, now there are seven steps, which put greater emphasis on choices and action. A nice addition is a chapter on journaling as a mind/spirit health tool, and helpful symbols scattered throughout indicate that more detailed information on a subject is available on the publisher's web site. This book is essential, even for libraries that own the first edition.  From Library Journal  

The best available. This is the most comprehensive yet systematic, accessible, and intelligent book I've read on IBS (I had read 7-8 others before finding this one). You can waste much time and money on all sorts of herbal and medicinal products as well as alternative therapies with absolutely no gain--in fact, in many cases you may decide you feel worse. Salt and Neimark provide a complete analysis of the mind/body/spirit connection, taking you from the causes of your problem to the resolution of it that only knowledge and action can provide. Their approach employs all of the latest research in mainstream medicine as well as some bold and positive understandings that are unlikely to appear in the conventional literature.  A reader from Kenosha, WI

About the Authors

William B. Salt II, M.D., coauthor of Fibromyalgia and the MindBodySpirit Connection, is a Clinical Associate Professor in Medicine at The Ohio State University. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. 

Neil F. Neimark, M.D., author of The Handbook of Journaling: Tools for the Healing of Mind, Body, & Spirit, is a family practitioner and professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine. He lives in Irvine, California. 

From Dr. Neimark

Website_PhotoJPG2.jpg (33002 bytes)Fast Facts on IBS: One in five people suffers from the frustrating symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). There is no simple answer--no pill, potion, or quick fix--that will cure IBS. But help is available. By understanding what causes IBS and by integrating mind, body, and spirit into the treatment plan, readers can achieve health and wellness. They can move from pain to peace, from helplessness to hopefulness, and from frustration to freedom. Tap into the body's powerful ability to heal: the interrelationships between mind, body, and spirit are the forces that shape many health issues, especially for those suffering painful symptoms for which medical science does not find a discernible cause. IBS problems are painful and embarrassing, yet medical tests often find nothing abnormal. Spirals of increasing pain and frustration can result. Empowering those who suffer from functional gastrointestinal pain, symptoms, and syndromes to heal themselves, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the MindBodySpirit Connection--an all-new edition of the bestselling classic--offers wise counsel, medical insights, and a chance for people to lead lives of greater health and vitality. There is hope for those who suffer distressing symptoms. Using this guide, readers can learn comprehensive, step-by-step management techniques and connect with a mind-body-spirit protocol that works. 

Assorted Excerpts

You always had it.

You always had the power.

–Glinda, the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz

We Have Your Prescription!

By the time you pick up this book, you have probably spent an untold number of days and nights with recurrent abdominal pain and cramping, unexplained bloating, constipation, diarrhea or all of the above. You may have had multiple visits to your family doctor, gastrointestinal specialist, psychologist or even alternative healer, all with little or no lasting relief. You may have undergone dozens of blood tests, x-rays, endoscopies, CAT scans and biopsies, all showing that there is nothing wrong. If this sounds like you, do not despair, hope is just around the corner.

IBS is a major public health topic and receives much media attention in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Many people recognize the acronym IBS and terms like spastic colon, spastic colitis, mucus colitis and nervous stomach. You will be hearing more and more about this common and troublesome condition, as well as about other functional GI disorders. If you suffer from the symptoms of IBS, the most important thing for you to know is that there is hope.

There Is Hope

Though there is still no cure for IBS, dramatic healing is possible due to new understandings in mindbodyspirit medicine. This new multidisciplinary field of study draws upon the expertise of immunologists, physiologists, research scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, clergypersons, neurobiologists, behavioral medicine specialists and more. Advances in mindbodyspirit medicine have given us new understandings of old problems, making powerful treatment options available for you. Though there is no magic pill available, relief from—and resolution of—many of your symptoms is now within your reach.

We (Bill & Neil) are truly honored to guide you on your journey through the pages of this book. It is our sincere hope that what you are about to read and learn will help you move from pain to peace, from frustration to freedom and from helplessness to hopefulness. The advice and recommendations given in this book have helped countless patients come to peace with their IBS and live a life filled with greater health, vitality and happiness.

What Are Functional GI Disorders?

Functional GI disorders are defined as "variable combinations of chronic or recurrent GI symptoms not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities." This means that even after performing blood tests, taking x-rays, and examining the digestive tract with endoscopy, doctors cannot find a cause for your symptoms.

IBS is the most common functional GI disorder. The symptoms come from the large colon and include abdominal pain and bloating, as well as disturbances in defecation (the process of having a bowel movement). These symptoms are diarrhea, constipation, and/or alternating constipation and diarrhea. The stool form (bowel movement) is often altered, being lumpy and hard or loose and watery. Other symptoms include straining at having a bowel movement, urgent need to find a bathroom, or a feeling of not having emptied the rectum. Passage of mucus in the stool is also common. The symptoms can be continuous or intermittent.

You Are Not Alone

Functional GI disorders are very common and affect approximately 35 million people in the United States. They account for 10% of visits to primary care doctors and at least 50% of visits to gastroenterologists. IBS affects nearly one out of five people in the United States including children, teenagers, young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly. The average age of onset of IBS is between 20 and 29 years of age. Each year, 2.6 million people seek treatment for symptoms related to functional gastrointestinal disorders, and visits to physicians total 3.5 million.

IBS is a worldwide problem and is prevalent throughout China, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia. These disorders cost cost billions of dollars each year in visits to doctors, diagnostic testing, and treatments. Furthermore, because IBS is the second leading cause of industrial absenteeism, missed work days is costly to companies and employers, as well as to those who suffer with this disorder.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The Consequences

Here are the consequences for many who suffer with IBS:

IBS and other funtional GI disorders cause symptoms and discomfort ranging from mild and inconvenient to severe and incapacitating. Current evidence shows that many people with IBS lead restircted lives in multiple areas: diet, social activities, energy level and sense of well-being. Unfortunately, traditional medical science has not been able to offer much relief to patients.

The "Irritable Body" and Somatization

Just as the GI tract is unusually sensitive and irritable in patients with IBS, so too, many patients with functional GI disorders seem to have a sensitive or "irritable body." This may lead you to experience many of the constellation of bodily symptoms shown in Table 3. As in IBS, most of the time, these "irritable body" symptoms cannot be explained by physical examination, blood tests, x-rays, endoscopic examinations or biopsy results. When this happens, we refer to these disorders as "functional," "psychosomatic," or "somatization" symptoms. Most often, disturbances in the mindbodyspirit connection account for much of the trouble.

Table 3

Bodily Symptoms: The "Irritable Body"

Fatigue and low energy Insomnia and difficulty sleeping
Headache TMJ pain (pain in the jaw)
Dizziness Feeling faint
Difficulty thinking and concentrating Shortness of breath
Chest pain Abdominal pain
Back pain Pelvic pain
Painful menstrual periods Decreased sex drive
Bladder problems  

Are These Symptoms and Syndromes "All in Your Head?"

Unfortunately, terms like "functional," "psychosomatic," and "somatization" are often misconstrued to mean that the symptoms are "all in your head," phoney or imagined. The truth is that the symptoms are very real. In fact, virtually everyone experiences one or more functional symptoms from time to time. However, some people have symptoms that are frequent, constant and severe, which cause them to consult with doctors. The suffering is enormous.


What is going on here? What is the common denominator? The answer is that the problem is not "all in your head" but it is related to the connection between the mind, body and spirit.

The Mindbodyspirit Connection

You will learn that the mind, body and spirit are one. It no longer makes sense to classify problems as either stress/emotional related (mind) or physical (body). Furthermore, you will discover why it is essential that the mindbody connection include spirit. Scientific evidence continues to confirm the mysterious power of spirit and how affirming beliefs—particularly belief in a higher power and a higher purpose—can contribute significantly to your health.

You will study the neurochemical basis of the mindbodyspirit connection and learn how these new understandings can help you achieve better physical health, vitality and a sense of well-being. You will come to appreciate that the connection between mind, body and spirit can help you tap into the innate healing potential of your body and the powerful healing forces of your mind and spirit.

Most importantly, you will begin to understand that optimal physical health is only possible in the larger context of your emotional, mental and spiritual health. This is the mindbodyspirit connection, and with it, you will begin to discover new ways to achieve relief, growth and healing from your Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

IBS versus Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

The term colitis refers to colon inflammation and should not be used to refer to IBS, because in IBS the colon is not actually inflamed. However, inflammation is found in several important disorders called inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which affects the rectum and colon, and Crohn’s disease, which can involve both the colon and the small intestine. Nearly one million Americans suffer from IBD. Although the treatments for IBS and IBD differ, many people with IBD also have IBS and can benefit from the treatment advice in this book.

Why a Book about These Problems?

There have been many new developments in the diagnosis and treatment of IBS and other functional GI disorders. Furthermore, new approaches involving the mindbodyspirit connection have opened up new opportunities for healing the symptom distress caused by IBS. As a board-certified gastroenterologist and a board-certified family practitioner, with more than 35 combined years of experience caring for people with IBS and other functional GI disorders, we will provide you with the information you need.

New restrictions in "managed care" are making it harder for your doctor to spend time with you. In fact, most doctor visits are now limited to 12 minutes or less! Also, it is becoming more difficult to gain access to medical specialists because managed care expects your primary care physician (family doctor) to handle most problems.

Due to these changes in medicine, you, the patient, must assume more responsibility in the management of your health care. You will need accurate and reliable information. This book will help.

You can learn to be healthy. Accurate information is the first step and is often more important than medication. With this book, you can explore your IBS symptoms and treatment options in the privacy of your home and on your own time. Armed with the proper information and the most up-to-date knowledge of mindbodyspirit medicine, you will be better able to partner with your doctor to augment the healing process.

You Can Heal!

Your mind, body, and spirit are connected and inseparable. You will learn that you are stronger than you think and that you have more control over your body than you ever realized. The goal of this book is to help you recognize that IBS is a mindbodyspirit syndrome. Once you understand the connection, you will learn about the various tools you can utilize to tap into the truly miraculous ability of your body to heal. Not only can you heal from IBS, but you can turn the negative of your illness into the positive of health and wellness. You can use your diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome to realize your ability to heal through the mindbodyspirit connection and become healthier than ever before.

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