What a load of IBS: new research shows tummy troubles could be in the mind
Shane Hodge, a former connoiseur of cheese and chocolate milkshakes, has been living with debilitating IBS symptoms for seven years since being hospitalised for food poisoning.
He agrees with the new research from the University of Melbourne, and said stress, paranoia and anxiety make his IBS worse.
"You're stressed and embarrassed about 'what if you poo your pants'? ... my life was a misery," the 66-year-old said.
"Your head is linked to your tummy and backside, and causing great disruption in the force ...once you've had a few bad episodes of that fear, it really stuffs up your life."
Read more from The Senior:
IBS is a chronic and often debilitating condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and unpredictable bowel movements.
Mr Hodge said he became "like a GPS" in knowing where all the closest public toilets were around town as panic would often consume him.
He's now using a daily probiotic from Qiara which he said "calmed" his gut symptoms and anxiety, though he still needs to keep the cheese to an absolute minimum.
A recent 6-month study from University of Melbourne found only 75 per cent of study participants were able to reduce or manage IBS symptoms through a low FODMAP diet (which restricts trigger foods like onions, garlic, apples, milk and wheat).
But the study also found psychological traits like "gut-specific anxiety, personal control and perceptions of illness" might also play a role in symptoms, said Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski.
She explained in IBS, communication between the gut and the brain can become "oversensitive to normal signals", which can cause symptoms of IBS.
"Stress can make it worse. Understanding this helps guide treatments that can calm these signals and improve symptoms," Professor Biesiekierski said.
The research team is now launching a world-first international clinical trial to see if a type of brain-training - exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - makes a difference.
"CBT helps people with IBS retrain how their brain responds to gut symptoms and feared foods, reducing anxiety and avoidance through gradual exposure," said Professor Biesiekierski.
"Unlike the low FODMAP diet, which works by avoiding trigger foods, CBT can help patients reduce fear and avoidance by gradually reintroducing those same foods."
The trial will be a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Karolinska Institute.
Around 200 participants will take part in 12 weeks of treatment entirely online from their own homes.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects around one in five people, according to the government's Health Direct website, but scientists now believe the mind has a lot to do with it.
Shane Hodge, a former connoiseur of cheese and chocolate milkshakes, has been living with debilitating IBS symptoms for seven years since being hospitalised for food poisoning.
He agrees with the new research from the University of Melbourne, and said stress, paranoia and anxiety make his IBS worse.
"You're stressed and embarrassed about 'what if you poo your pants'? ... my life was a misery," the 66-year-old said.
"Your head is linked to your tummy and backside, and causing great disruption in the force ...once you've had a few bad episodes of that fear, it really stuffs up your life."
Read more from The Senior:
IBS is a chronic and often debilitating condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and unpredictable bowel movements.
Mr Hodge said he became "like a GPS" in knowing where all the closest public toilets were around town as panic would often consume him.
He's now using a daily probiotic from Qiara which he said "calmed" his gut symptoms and anxiety, though he still needs to keep the cheese to an absolute minimum.
A recent 6-month study from University of Melbourne found only 75 per cent of study participants were able to reduce or manage IBS symptoms through a low FODMAP diet (which restricts trigger foods like onions, garlic, apples, milk and wheat).
But the study also found psychological traits like "gut-specific anxiety, personal control and perceptions of illness" might also play a role in symptoms, said Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski.
She explained in IBS, communication between the gut and the brain can become "oversensitive to normal signals", which can cause symptoms of IBS.
"Stress can make it worse. Understanding this helps guide treatments that can calm these signals and improve symptoms," Professor Biesiekierski said.
The research team is now launching a world-first international clinical trial to see if a type of brain-training - exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - makes a difference.
"CBT helps people with IBS retrain how their brain responds to gut symptoms and feared foods, reducing anxiety and avoidance through gradual exposure," said Professor Biesiekierski.
"Unlike the low FODMAP diet, which works by avoiding trigger foods, CBT can help patients reduce fear and avoidance by gradually reintroducing those same foods."
The trial will be a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Karolinska Institute.
Around 200 participants will take part in 12 weeks of treatment entirely online from their own homes.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects around one in five people, according to the government's Health Direct website, but scientists now believe the mind has a lot to do with it.
Shane Hodge, a former connoiseur of cheese and chocolate milkshakes, has been living with debilitating IBS symptoms for seven years since being hospitalised for food poisoning.
He agrees with the new research from the University of Melbourne, and said stress, paranoia and anxiety make his IBS worse.
"You're stressed and embarrassed about 'what if you poo your pants'? ... my life was a misery," the 66-year-old said.
"Your head is linked to your tummy and backside, and causing great disruption in the force ...once you've had a few bad episodes of that fear, it really stuffs up your life."
Read more from The Senior:
IBS is a chronic and often debilitating condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and unpredictable bowel movements.
Mr Hodge said he became "like a GPS" in knowing where all the closest public toilets were around town as panic would often consume him.
He's now using a daily probiotic from Qiara which he said "calmed" his gut symptoms and anxiety, though he still needs to keep the cheese to an absolute minimum.
A recent 6-month study from University of Melbourne found only 75 per cent of study participants were able to reduce or manage IBS symptoms through a low FODMAP diet (which restricts trigger foods like onions, garlic, apples, milk and wheat).
But the study also found psychological traits like "gut-specific anxiety, personal control and perceptions of illness" might also play a role in symptoms, said Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski.
She explained in IBS, communication between the gut and the brain can become "oversensitive to normal signals", which can cause symptoms of IBS.
"Stress can make it worse. Understanding this helps guide treatments that can calm these signals and improve symptoms," Professor Biesiekierski said.
The research team is now launching a world-first international clinical trial to see if a type of brain-training - exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - makes a difference.
"CBT helps people with IBS retrain how their brain responds to gut symptoms and feared foods, reducing anxiety and avoidance through gradual exposure," said Professor Biesiekierski.
"Unlike the low FODMAP diet, which works by avoiding trigger foods, CBT can help patients reduce fear and avoidance by gradually reintroducing those same foods."
The trial will be a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Karolinska Institute.
Around 200 participants will take part in 12 weeks of treatment entirely online from their own homes.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects around one in five people, according to the government's Health Direct website, but scientists now believe the mind has a lot to do with it.
Shane Hodge, a former connoiseur of cheese and chocolate milkshakes, has been living with debilitating IBS symptoms for seven years since being hospitalised for food poisoning.
He agrees with the new research from the University of Melbourne, and said stress, paranoia and anxiety make his IBS worse.
"You're stressed and embarrassed about 'what if you poo your pants'? ... my life was a misery," the 66-year-old said.
"Your head is linked to your tummy and backside, and causing great disruption in the force ...once you've had a few bad episodes of that fear, it really stuffs up your life."
Read more from The Senior:
IBS is a chronic and often debilitating condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and unpredictable bowel movements.
Mr Hodge said he became "like a GPS" in knowing where all the closest public toilets were around town as panic would often consume him.
He's now using a daily probiotic from Qiara which he said "calmed" his gut symptoms and anxiety, though he still needs to keep the cheese to an absolute minimum.
A recent 6-month study from University of Melbourne found only 75 per cent of study participants were able to reduce or manage IBS symptoms through a low FODMAP diet (which restricts trigger foods like onions, garlic, apples, milk and wheat).
But the study also found psychological traits like "gut-specific anxiety, personal control and perceptions of illness" might also play a role in symptoms, said Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski.
She explained in IBS, communication between the gut and the brain can become "oversensitive to normal signals", which can cause symptoms of IBS.
"Stress can make it worse. Understanding this helps guide treatments that can calm these signals and improve symptoms," Professor Biesiekierski said.
The research team is now launching a world-first international clinical trial to see if a type of brain-training - exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - makes a difference.
"CBT helps people with IBS retrain how their brain responds to gut symptoms and feared foods, reducing anxiety and avoidance through gradual exposure," said Professor Biesiekierski.
"Unlike the low FODMAP diet, which works by avoiding trigger foods, CBT can help patients reduce fear and avoidance by gradually reintroducing those same foods."
The trial will be a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Karolinska Institute.
Around 200 participants will take part in 12 weeks of treatment entirely online from their own homes.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
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Experts have welcomed a move by the government's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to review the safety and regulatory framework for medicinal cannabis products after increasing public and professional concern. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said cannabis products are being prescribed at "alarming rates through direct-to-consumer telehealth models". Victorian MP and user of medicinal cannabis, David Ettershank, welcomed the review which includes a callout for public comment, and said it was "long overdue". "There has been a meteoric rise in the use of medicinal cannabis, and that is clear from all the data from the state and federal levels," he told The Senior. "The seniors' market is one of the fastest growing sectors for the medicinal cannabis industry, because of its ability to help with pain, arthritis, stress and sleep management." Read more from The Senior: Mr Ettershank said it's been a "Godsend" to be able to be prescribed approved medicinal cannabis to treat his auto-immune condition Polymyalgia Rheumatica, and ongoing chronic back pain from an injury, though admits it's not a "miracle cure for all ailments". The Senior understands only two medicinal cannabis products have been approved by the TGA, meaning many other products are accessed through the unapproved goods scheme. "Telehealth is an important mechanism to improve access to health services - but these direct-to-consumer, single-issue models lack clear referral pathways or a feedback loop to GPs and as the TGA has acknowledged, this requires much broader consideration by government," said AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen. 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Read more from The Senior: Mr Ettershank said it's been a "Godsend" to be able to be prescribed approved medicinal cannabis to treat his auto-immune condition Polymyalgia Rheumatica, and ongoing chronic back pain from an injury, though admits it's not a "miracle cure for all ailments". The Senior understands only two medicinal cannabis products have been approved by the TGA, meaning many other products are accessed through the unapproved goods scheme. "Telehealth is an important mechanism to improve access to health services - but these direct-to-consumer, single-issue models lack clear referral pathways or a feedback loop to GPs and as the TGA has acknowledged, this requires much broader consideration by government," said AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen. "We are seeing increasing reports of patient harm from cannabis, including psychosis, so this current surge in prescriptions is highly concerning ...Clearly, the health landscape has changed dramatically in Australia, so it is vital we look at our regulatory settings and find out what needs to be done to address any gaps." Product-specific telehealth services are one of three key issues raised by the TGA. Other key issues include the safety risks of the products and whether there are appropriate regulations oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products being accessed via the Special Access Scheme and Authorised Prescriber Scheme. Like every industry, Mr Ettershank said, there will always be people who do the wrong thing for greed or act improperly, though from his own experience he has found practitioners take their responsibilities very seriously. "It's a relatively new industry, having only been around for 10 years, and it is appropriate that we pause occasionally to reflect on what is happening," he said. "I'm concerned that the scope of their consultation is limited, and it is not an inquiry by multiple agencies .... I'd like to see a holistic approach to regulation, reform, safety and quality in the medicinal cannabis sector, but we look forward to participating in the consultation." Further details on the consultation can be found at For enquiries relating to this public consultation, please email MedicinalCannabisReforms@ The closing date for this consultation is 23.59 AEST on October 7 2025. All submissions received by the deadline, will be considered by the TGA.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
How common infection carried through cat faeces can affect daily human behaviour
A very common parasite found in billions of people around the world – including 20 per cent of Australians – can affect mental health and reaction times, even leading to more car crashes. Toxoplasmosis is often carried in faeces of cats after eating a mouse, as well as in contaminated raw meat, and can be easily passed onto humans. Once in the body, the parasite can then affect a person's daily behaviour. It does not cause serious health risks to the average healthy person, but previous research has shown the infection is creating 'havoc' on people's dopamine levels, leading to a reduction in self-control, making more impulsive and high-risk decisions, and being impatient. Dr Michele Garagnani from the University of Melbourne told those infected are two per cent more likely to be involved in a car crash. 'Our study suggests... people take more risks, are less patient, have less self-control and are more likely to start entrepreneurial decisions, like companies and start ups that turn out to be risky or not founded so they fail (or) are actually not successful,' the senior lecturer said. 'All the studies have shown that people with toxoplasmosis are more likely to feel anxious, to be depressed and have more mental health issues.' There is no cure for toxoplasmosis and was once only detectable by blood or saliva swabs. However, Dr Garagnani and his team – consisting of Carlos Alós-Ferrer from Lancaster University in the UK and Anja Achtziger from Zeppelin University in Germany – have created a new online test for people around the world to check if they are infected. The 'simple' test involves assessing a person's reaction time. A subject is placed in front of a computer or similar device where they are asked to focus on the screen for two minutes. In that time the person must respond, for example, to the changing of colours, by pushing a button as quickly as possible. 'What we measure is both how quickly they react and how much they can sustain attention to a task,' Dr Garagnani told To confirm the validity of the new testing tool, the research team carried out head-to-head clinical trials and compared it to blood tests. The study found just under 80 participants had their reaction times analysed with RhD-negative blood types, which can slow a person's response by less than one second. The online test has a 97 per cent accuracy rate, according to research published in April. A larger study was then completed with 1,010 subjects who were then asked questions about their life, as well as employment and income. The results showed 10 per cent of people 'deemed' with toxoplasmosis are more likely to be unemployed and on average earned less than those who were not infected. 'We also found that those who were deemed infected were more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and experience mental health problems,' Dr Garagnani said. The test is not aimed to replace medical testing of toxoplasmosis but is hoped to allow more people to check whether they have the infection on a larger and cheaper scale. The senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne stressed people infected with toxoplasmosis cannot feel it in their daily lives and the effects are 'very small'. Dr Garagnani added the infection is a concern for individuals with weak immune systems, those with HIV and pregnant women as it can lead to serious health problems for the baby. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had previously labelled it as 'one of the most neglected parasitic infections'. But WHO recently provided an update to be 'less cautious' of it due to the rise in tuberculosis, 'the world's top infectious killer', which claims 4,500 lives and sees 30,000 people fall ill each day. 'They are still considering it as a neglected parasitic infection. It's insidious and growing instead of going down in the world population, which is alarming,' Dr Garagnani said. 'But it's an infection which has no medical symptoms during the lifelong part of the patient so it's less prevalent and less concerning than other sicknesses.'
