Abstract
The experiment was designed to explore the correlation between the protective effects of hypnosis and acupuncture on externally induced short lived pain and to evaluate various data retrospectively in relation to acupuncture treatment responders and non-responders.
Twenty patients with a history of chronic pain were subjected to cold water induced pain and the data on the effect of 35 min of hypnotic suggestion and 20 min of acupuncture stimulation on the pain and other physiological variables was gathered in a controlled setting. These patients had previously had acupuncture treatment. Eleven had benefitted from it in excess of 50% and nine had reported less than 50% improvement in their condition.
Findings indicate: (1) Acupuncture responsive patients experience less acute pain when such pain is induced externally. (2) Hypnotic susceptibility and response to acupuncture are independent of each other and the former cannot be used as a predictor of acupuncture treatment success. (3) Hypnosis appears to have more definite and predictable protective effect than acupuncture. (4) Younger patients appear to have a better response to acupuncture treatment than do older patients.
It is suggested that the research in acupuncture be furthered in view of the fact that acupuncture seems to have positive effect in certain patients.
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