A recent presentation at the European Anaesthesiology Congress, in Amsterdam, showed significant benefits of combining hypnosis with a local anesthetic. “We can reduce the costs involved in longer hospital stays, remove the need for patients to use opioid drugs, and increase their overall comfort and satisfaction levels.”
The conclusion was based on a studies using the combination for both breast cancer and thyroid surgeries, but presenters suggested that it would be just as beneficial for a “wide range of additional procedures, including carotid artery surgery, knee arthroscopy, gynecological surgery, plastic surgery and egg retrieval for fertility treatment.”
For more information on the use of hypnosis in medical treatment, go to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.