Well: Hypnosis as a Health Option

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford University School of Medicine call hypnosis an “effective and inexpensive way to manage medical care.”

Today’s Patient Money column looks into the costs and potential benefits of hypnosis for dealing with anxiety, pain management and other health issues.

Some critics find the research into mind-body therapies unconvincing, but their skepticism has not deterred patients. And there are researchers who say they believe that by helping patients feel in better control of their symptoms, hypnosis can reduce the need for medication and lower costs.

“It is an effective and inexpensive way to manage medical care,” said Dr. David Spiegel, director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine and a leading authority on hypnosis.

A study by radiologists at Harvard Medical School, published in 2000, found that patients who received hypnosis during surgery required less medication, had fewer complications and shorter procedures than patients who did not have hypnosis. In a follow-up study in 2002, the radiologists concluded that if every patient undergoing catheterization were to receive hypnosis, the cost savings would amount to $338 per patient.

To learn more, read the full column, “Using Hypnosis to Take Control of Your Symptoms,” and then join the discussion below.