title: Hypnosis in contemporary medicine.
abstract: Hypnosis became popular as a treatment for medical conditions in the late 1700s when effective pharmaceutical and surgical treatment options were limited. To determine whether hypnosis has a role in contemporary medicine, relevant trials and a few case reports are reviewed. Despite substantial variation in techniques among the numerous reports, patients treated with hypnosis experienced substantial benefits for many different medical conditions. An expanded role for hypnosis and a larger study of techniques appear to be indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla 32224, USA. stewart.james@mayo.edu
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy