We've highlighted a number of ways people can better manage their pain in this space through integrative medical treatments such acupuncture and tai chi. Metastatic breast cancer patients may also find pain relief from another very unconventional source: Hypnosis.

Scientists studied the effect of hypnosis on pain management while monitoring the health and pain levels of 124 female metastatic breast cancer patients at four-month intervals over the course of a year. Patients were assigned to a treatment regimen of education alone (the control group) or education plus hypnosis training and practice in a group therapy setting.

Women who learned hypnosis experienced a significantly diminished intensity of pain over time compared to the control group. Additionally, patients who could be hypnotized more easily derived greater benefits, such as using this skill more often away from group settings and addressing other cancer symptoms.

One caveat: Hypnosis couldn't reduce the number of instances or consistency of pain episodes women experienced.

No doubt, some of you may be very skeptical about hypnosis, and some of it is deserved, especially if you've grown up seeing such experts use their skills to "make" folks do harmless things against their nature on TV. Apparently, however, the Mayo Clinic saw enough value in hypnosis to devote a section of their Web site to defining the rewards and few risks associated with this treatment.

Health Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 579-587, September 2009

ScienceDaily February 26, 2010