Hypnosis helped Stanford/Packard physicians pinpoint cause of children'...(een the ages of 8 to 16 whose seizurelik...),Health

Date:2/14/2008

een the ages of 8 to 16 whose seizurelike events included twitching, loss of consciousness, shaking, jerking and falling. Their results were published online in January in Epilepsy & Behavior. The physicians needed to know whether these were true epileptic events, which are best treated by medication, or non-epileptic events caused by psychological stress or other neurological problems.

"We can't always distinguish epileptic from non-epileptic events visually, or through descriptions by family or friends," said Olson, an associate professor of neurology, of neurosurgery and of pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "But regardless of the cause, these are disabling, life-altering events that need to be treated."

The authors believe that, although hypnosis may not work for every child, the technique is an important tool that can speed proper diagnosis and treatment for children suffering from seizurelike events.

To hypnotize the subjects, Shaw, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, first used a combination of deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation to induce a state of relaxation and deep focused attention in the subjects. He then used a combination of imagery and suggestion to induce one of their typical seizurelike events. Children typically visualize being at one of their favorite places - for one teen, it was on a beach in the Bahamas. After a hypnotic trance was established, Shaw would then direct the child to recall the feelings or events that usually precede a typical seizure. Electrodes on the child's scalp recorded their brain activity during the session.

In eight out of nine cases, Shaw could successfully trigger a seizurelike event with this procedure. After an appropriate monitoring interval, Shaw then directed the hypnotized child to "return" to his or her favorite place and the episode would stop. Using this technique, t
'/>"/>

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center Source:Eurekalert

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Reducing Pain via Hypnosis, This Week on Your Cancer Today (TM)
2. Hypnosis for smoking cessation sees strong results
3. Hypnosis Eases Pain of Breast Cancer Surgery
4. Fight against hay fever and other allergies helped by new immune system discovery
5. PepPods Helped Katrina Victims and Now Available to Help California Wildfire Disaster Victims Rebuild Lives with Greater Ease
6. ProHealth Physicians Selects Allscripts Electronic Health Record and Practice Management for 240 Providers
7. Inexpensive Online Pain Education Program for Physicians as Effective as Live Presentations by National Experts
8. HealthCare Partners Physicians Join Blue Cross of California Power Select HMO Network
9. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation, Aurora Health Care and HealthEOS Announce Settlement Agreement
10. Physicians Still Hopeful About Desmoteplase for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke Despite Negative Results
11. Onmark Launches Integrated Quality(TM) Program to Help Physicians Succeed With National Quality Initiatives