Hypnosis and upper digestive function and disease

Complementary and alternative treatment in functional dyspepsia

Introduction and aim

The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has steadily increased in Western countries. We aimed at analyzing available data on CAM effectiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients.

Methods

A bibliographical search was performed in PubMed using the following keywords: "complementary/alternative medicine," "hypnosis," "acupuncture" and/or "functional dyspepsia."

Results

In community settings, almost 50% of patients with FGIDs used CAM therapies. Herbal remedies consist of multi-component preparations, whose mechanisms of action have not been systematically clarified. Few studies analyzed the effectiveness of acupuncture in Western countries, yielding conflicting results and possibly reflecting a population bias of this treatment. Hypnosis has been extensively used in irritable bowel syndrome, but few data support its role in treating FD.

Conclusions

Although some supporting well-designed studies have been recently performed, additional randomized, controlled trials are needed before stating any recommendation on CAM effectiveness in treating FD.

Advantageous Use of Hypnosis in a Case of Psychogenic Vomiting

This case study describes in detail the role of hypnosis in treatment of a case of psychogenic vomiting. The patient, a 60-yearold woman, had been suffering for 9 months from episodes of vomiting which resulted in weight loss, dehydration, and hypokalemia. She was a conscientious woman with high standards of behavior, which did not allow an expression of the extreme hostility she felt toward her daughter-in-law. Hypnotherapeutic sessions reduced her anxiety, restored her sleep, improved mood, and helped deepen rapport, all of which created the ideal setting for Gestalt's empty chair technique. Integrating hypnosis greatly enhanced the quality of the empty chair dialogue, which by bringing about a shift in the patient's emotions from hostility to sympathy, facilitated recovery.

Hypnosis in pregnancy with intrauterine growth restriction and oligohydramnios: an innovative approach

The clinical application of hypnosis has been effective in obstetrics. Intrauterine growth restriction and oligohydramnios are dreaded complications of pregnancy that may result in preterm deliveries causing increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. In this longitudinal prospective study, clinical hypnosis was used in addition to the conventional medical management in such pregnancies. The perinatal outcome was compared with the control group wherein hypnosis was not used. The hypnosis group had a significantly shorter preterm delivery rate (p = .004) and fewer incidence of low birth weight babies (p = .009). Significantly reduced operative intervention in terms of lower rate of cesarean section (p = .008) was also observed in the experimental group. Hence, the use of clinical hypnosis as a viable adjunct to medical management is suggested to help to prevent neonatal morbidity and fetal loss. A multicenter randomized, controlled clinical trial is encouraged in this area.