May 11, 2005 – It seems that self-hypnosis could complement the action of conventional drugs to relieve the symptoms of hay fever. The results of a recent study1 conducted at the University of Basel, Switzerland, are still preliminary, but according to the researchers, they are interesting enough to warrant further research.
The study involved 79 people, allergic to grass or pollen, with moderate to severe symptoms of hay fever. It lasted two years to cover two seasons of allergies. Initially, the participants of a first group received training of approximately two hours from a specialist in hypnosis. This session taught them to enter a state of hypnosis (calm, focus, openness) on their own. The second group received no training. All subjects continued to take their usual medication.
After the first year, the researchers observed an improvement in symptoms and quality of life in the subjects who had used self-hypnosis to relieve their symptoms, compared to those in the control group. In addition, a slight reduction in the use of conventional drugs was observed in subjects who practiced self-hypnosis.
At the end of the first year, the subjects of the second group also underwent training in self-hypnosis. At the end of the study, the positive trend of symptom improvement was repeated, this time in both groups.
These results do not provide a clear idea of the effectiveness of self-hypnosis on hay fever. In fact, the improvement in symptoms observed in the group trained in self-hypnosis did not differ clearly enough from that in the control group to be statistically significant. However, these results pave the way for further research.
For more details on self-hypnosis, see our Hypnotherapy, Autogenic training and Sophrology sheets.
Marie-Michèle Mantha – PasseportSanté.net
According to BBC News.
1. Langewitz W, Izakovic J, Wyler J et al. Effect of self-hypnosis on hay Fever symptoms – a randomized controlled intervention study. Psychother Psychosom. 2005; 74 (3): 165-72.