Doctors pretty much took a patronizing attitude toward their well-insured but kooky clients. IBS is marked by crampy pain, gassiness, bloating, constipation and its snotty-nosed twin sister, diarrhea. About 40 million people have been diagnosed with the syndrome. There is no medical origin for IBS, yet its physical effects can easily be measured. Gervitz is at the forefront of research proving connections between mind and body.
Psychophysiology tracks the physiology of psychologically induced pain.
Research has proved beyond question that measurable physiological activities take place during unexplained pain. It produces the same kind of muscle tension, blood pressure and oxygenation as headaches that do have physical sources. According to Dr. David Sobel, a primary care physician with Kaiser Permanente and author of the highly respected Mind-Body Health Newsletter, only 16 percent of people who visit their physician for common maladies like nausea, headache and stomach upset are diagnosed with a physical, organic cause. And when the body speaks, it curses. You can wash out its mouth with soap, but it simply doesn't respond to direct commands.