PAIN
Convinced that you can't make it through surgery without serious drugs? The mind may be a better painkiller, according to a new study.
Patients taught hypnotic relaxation techniques before surgery required less medication during their procedures, says Elvira Lang, M.D., associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. Of 161 patients in her study undergoing procedures requiring only local sedation, such as kidney drainage and angioplasty, 82 learned relaxation exercises, including closing one's eyes and breathing deeply, focusing on a floating sensation and imagining a safe, comfortable place. While all patients were offered pain and anxiety medication during surgery, 50% of the relaxed subjects requested no drugs at all, compared to just 18% of the other patients. Furthermore, the relaxed patients' procedures cost an average of $130 less per person and ran 17 minutes shorter. "Most of the savings came because the procedures went faster," says Lang; the calmer the patient, the easier the surgery.
