Relief from chronic constipation, a condition that affects millions of Americans, may come in the form of a vibrating capsule rather than one that simply delivers medications. Vibrant, an Israeli company, is currently testing a capsule that works by vibrating in the colon.

A new study shows that the alternative, non-pharmacological therapy may produce promising results for patients who suffer from chronic constipation.

The oral capsule works by vibrating as it moves through the digestive tract and has shown promising results for treatment of constipation, according to research that was presented at Digestive Disease Week on May 3.

During the pilot study phase, the capsule nearly doubled the weekly bowel movements in patients with diseases such as chronic idiopathic constipation and constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Yishai Ron, M.D., the study’s lead researcher and director of Neurogastroenterology and Motility at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said in a statement, “Despite the widespread use of medication to treat constipation, nearly 50 percent of patients are unsatisfied with the treatment either because of side effects, safety concerns about long-term use, or the fact that it simply doesn’t work.”

Eamonn Quigley, chief of gastroenterology at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, has not heard of a previous device-based approach for treating constipation. He said in a statement, “It’s completely novel. I think it’s an intriguing technology, which deserves some further study.”

Quigley has been hired by Vibrant to help design its next research trial that compares the effects of the vibrating capsule against a placebo pill, which does nothing.