By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Short courses of hypnosis therapy or cognitive therapy can calm the distressing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for the estimated 15 percent of adult Americans who suffer from the disorder, a new study finds.

Mind-Body Treatments Ease Irritable Bowel Even short courses of hypnotherapy, cognitive therapy can work, studies show

HYPNOTHERAPY 7

ACTRESS Nicky Adams first started using hypnotherapy in her early 20s when she struggled to cope with the death of her mother. Nicky, 35, who is touring with the Abba-based musical production Mamma Mia, turned to a therapist for support.

"It was the best thing I ever did," says Nicky. "I was in mourning and, at 21, you're not really grown up as a person."

Nicky saw therapist Ann Lee at the Hale Clinic in London and, 14 years on, still calls on her services. "It's no different to having a good dentist you can see if a tooth falls out," she says.

WHAT IS IT? A form of mild hypnosis where the patient is in a deeply relaxed state. The therapist then makes healing suggestions to help them cope with their illness.

WHAT IT TREATS: Anxiety, phobias, addictions, pain, insomnia, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome and hay fever.

THE EVIDENCE: Some studies show it can work for certain types of pain. In April researchers at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital found it helped patients with persistent chest pain that had no obvious cause.

By BBC News Online's Caroline Ryan in Boston

All doctors should know how to perform hypnotherapy on their patients, according to a US expert.

Professor David Spiegel, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University, said the therapy had been shown to help patients deal with pain, and could potentially be used in many other situations, such as helping people cope with long-term illnesses.

Professor Spiegel told BBC News Online: "We have more and more people living with these illnesses who need help coping with them, and hypnosis is a safe and effective way to teach people how to manage their own response, how to take the edge off their pain, how to think through their anxiety and not let it overwhelm them."

The Stanford scientist made his comments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.

24 Apr 2006 "Hypnotherapy can relieve chest pain"

Hypnotherapy may help relieve non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) reported two newspapers (20 April 2006). The newspapers accurately reported the reliable results from a small randomised controlled trial. Further research is needed to verify the findings in a more representative group of patients with NCCP.

· Hypnotherapy may help relieve non-cardiac chest pain, briefly reported two newspapers, 20 April 2006 (1,2).

· The newspaper articles were based on the findings of a randomised controlled trial that included 28 patients with NCCP who had no evidence of coronary artery disease or oesophageal reflux (3). Hypnotherapy was associated with significantly improved global chest pain, pain intensity, overall wellbeing, and a reduction in medication use, compared with supportive therapy plus a placebo medication. There were no differences favouring hypnotherapy for pain frequency, or levels of anxiety or depression.

· The newspapers reports were both short and generally accurate. However neither of the papers highlighted that the trial was conducted in a highly selected group of NCCP patients, and therefore further research on a larger number and broader range of patients is needed to verify the findings.

Evaluation of the evidence base for hypnotherapy cuts heart pain

Where does the evidence come from? The evidence comes from research led by Professor P Whorell, conducted at the Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, UK. The trial was funded by a grant from the NHS Executive North West Biomedical Funding Scheme.

What were the authors' objectives? The objective was to assess the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in patients with angina-like chest pain who had a normal coronary angiography and no evidence of oesophageal reflux.

What was the nature of the evidence? The evidence comes from a single blind randomised controlled trial which involved 28 patients. The trial enrolled patients with NCCP who experienced pain at least once a week, had a normal coronary angiography, no coexisting disease, no previous response to proton pump inhibitors, a normal gastroscopy, and in whom the contribution of oesophageal reflux to the pain had been excluded.

What interventions were examined in the research? Patients were randomised to receive either 12 sessions of hypnotherapy over 17 weeks, or "supportive therapy" plus a placebo medication. Symptoms were recorded for one month before treatment, and then patients attended one 30 minute session for nine weeks, followed by fortnightly visits for four weeks, and a final visit after a further four weeks. Effectiveness of the treatment was assessed by comparing chest pain (overall global assessment, severity, frequency) scores, quality of life, anxiety and depression and medication use at the beginning and the end of treatment.

Hypnotherapy in Medicine

by Paul Gustafson, Healthy Hypnosis

Acceptance In spite of tremendous medical advances there remains the consistent question as to why some clients recover and flourish while others don't. The healthcare assembly line is rolling faster now than ever before. Despite technical success there is underlying concern about a client's emotional state, how they view themselves being ill, and what expectations they may have for recovery. The model of modern medicine is quite authoritarian. Our culture has taught us to look outside of ourselves for healing. We believe that we get health from others, that the healer or physician has all the power, we hope. This model minimizes the importance or even the consideration of our own abilities. It also creates the expectation that everything is achieved on a conscious level. This approach can leave us feeling dependent and vulnerable.

Until recently hypnosis had been on the outside looking in. It has mostly been viewed as dark and mysterious or as a manipulative stage act going for the cheap laughs. Things are changing quickly. Research is bearing out what many have been claiming for decades. Hypnotherapy is now widely practiced in 21st century medicine, psychiatry, dentistry, athletics and business.

How It Works Our bodies routinely fight off illness. We self-heal and repair in spite of how we often disregard our own health. With hypnosis we are able to enhance our ability to heal and recover. We can manage symptoms with less medication, control own comfort and level of relaxation and use creative imagery to look forward in time envisioning resolution.

The subconscious mind is our storage facility as well as our control center. It balances our breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and co-ordinates every step we take. It's a very powerful place. Once ideas or beliefs hang around long enough they begin to take root and grow into action.

Think of the subconscious mind as a greenhouse. In a fertile climate, you can grow roses or poison ivy with equal success. Hypnotherapy is the process of stepping into the greenhouse, pulling out the weeds by the roots and leaving positive healthy replacements. What our mind conceives or body achieves.