Post Op Pain Eased by Hypnosis

A new study has been released which has been studying women both before and after breast cancer surgery.  The researchers were particularly trying to discover the effect of  hypnosis on easing pain and what they found was that the women who received hypnosis prior to cancer surgery required less anesthesia while under going the operation.

The normal side affects of cancer surgery are fatigue, pain and nausea; and hypnosis helped to deal with these symptoms.  200 women took part in the study, and each woman received 15 minutes of hypnosis, either individually or in a group.  In these 15 minute periods, the women were given suggestions on how to relax, shown pleasing imagery, instructed how to hypnotise themselves and given advice on how to reduce fatigue, nausea and pain.

From New York City's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Guy Montgomery, associate professor in the department of oncological sciences who is also the report's lead author, said "This helps women at a time when they could use help, and it has no side effects. It really only has side benefits,"

Additional side benefits to having hypnosis prior to surgery was that the patients spent 11 minutes less undergoing surgery and also their costs were reduced by £370 as they spent less time in hospital and under doctors care.

"This is something that empowers patients," said Dr David Spiegel header led a similar study and explained. "If you're fighting, you think you're protecting yourself, but, actually, you're losing control, because you're getting into a struggle with your own body. You can teach people to float instead of fighting. You get the body comfortable and think more clearly. The weird thing is it actually works. If thoughts can make the body worse, it follows that thoughts could actually make the body feel better."