(NaturalNews) Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is pain in the chest that is not caused by the heart. NCCP is often caused by the organs near the heart, such as the esophagus. Symptoms include an ache in the center of the chest that does not move to the arm, shoulder, or neck areas.
Treatment of the condition includes medication and changes in the diet. However, treatment is often unsuccessful in the long term and NCCP comes pack. Persistent NCCP has negative effects on the sufferer and often leads to a weakened psychological state.
A study was performed in 2006 to see whether non-cardiac chest pain could be improved with the help of hypnotherapy. The study consisted of twenty-eight participants who had been suffering from non-cardiac chest pain and who also had a normal functioning heart. It was also determined that acid reflux was not the cause in any of the twenty eight patients.
The twenty-eight participants were studied for four weeks and questionnaires were given to them to fill out. After this four week period, the participants were randomly put into two groups. One group received twelve sessions of hypnotherapy and the other group received supportive therapy and a placebo pill for seventeen weeks.
The main factor that the researchers were trying to test was to see whether the chest pain diminished. Other factors they were looking into included quality of life, severity of pain, frequency of pain, anxiety, depression, and use of medication.
The study found that 80% of the hypnotherapy patients saw an improvement in pain, compared to 23% of the control group seeing improvement. More specifically, the participants realized less intense pain. Neither group saw improvement in frequency of pain. In addition, the participants in the hypnotherapy group reported a greater sense of well being. The patients in the experimental group also saw a reduction in the amount of medication needed.
This study supports evidence that hypnotherapy plays a major role in helping people manage their pain. The implications of this study are great. Hypnotherapy allowed people who once suffered from NCCP to learn to control their pain. Hypnotherapy also helped reduce the amount of medication needed to treat the chest pain.
Source:
Gut 2006;55:1403-1408
About the author
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/
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