Hypnosis may relieve non-cardiac chest pain

[Celebration]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-04-20T200117Z_01_COL071085_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-CHEST-PAIN-DC.XML&archived=False

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with chest pain that's not caused by a heart condition or heartburn may find hypnosis provides significant pain relief and improves their sense of general well-being, British investigators report.

The causes of non-cardiac chest pain, as it's termed, are unknown. It can create so much anxiety that many people with the condition actually seek more care than patients with bona fide heart disease.

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The hypnosis started with participants being told that their symptoms could be due to disturbances of motility, visceral sensation and stress. Then, after progressive muscular relaxation, 'chest-focused' suggestions were introduced, "centered around normalization of function" of the esophagus, the investigators explain. Patients were advised to practice the techniques daily.

Eighty percent of patients in the hypnosis group had complete or moderate improvements in chest pain compared with only 23 percent of those in the non-hypnosis group. Corresponding improvements in general well-being were reported by 73 percent and 23 percent.