Hypnosis has been found to work in numerous symptoms including acute and chronic pain, surgery, burns, irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, allergies and the list goes on. In 1996 the National Institutes of Health in the USA even judged hypnosis as effective in cancer and non cancer pain. It is unfortunate, that the method is not used as much in our western medicine, as it should. The interested reader can find more details in my book BEYOND PAIN.

In the next paper, I will cover another fascinating subject, the placebo effect.

Angela Mailis Gagnon, MD, MSc, FRCPC(PhysMed)
Director, Comprehensive Pain Program,
Senior Investigator, Krembil Neuroscience Centre
Toronto Western Hospital,
www.drangelamailis.com
Chair ACTION Ontario http://www.actionontario.ca

Keywords: pain