May 30, 2006 – A team from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center1 from Montreal is staying in France to study self-hypnosis techniques and other body-mind approaches that can help relieve pain in children with cancer.
Led by Dr Michel Duval, the team is in Paris, at the Robert-Debré Pediatric Hospital3. The Dr Duval held the position of head of “pain policy” there, before joining the CHU Sainte-Justine, nearly five years ago.
Thanks to the financial support of Leucan2, the Dr Duval is accompanied by a psychologist, a nurse and four young cancer survivors who suffered severe pain during treatment. A Leucan representative also joined the group.
“This is a project in the exploratory phase. We will test the possibility of training nurses who, in turn, will teach children and their families basic techniques in self-hypnosis, relaxation and mental imagery ”, specifies the instigator of the project, who is also an assistant professor in pediatrics. at the University of Montreal.
This project is part of a more global plan adopted by the “pain committee” of the grouping of doctors and dentists at CHU Sainte-Justine, a committee chaired by Dr.r Duval. It aims to give children back some control over the pain they feel.
“Our goal is to teach children to manage pain, and the cerebral cortex is by far the most powerful ‘medicine’ in this area,” continues Dr.r Duval. In addition, such an approach has a very positive side effect: these children develop the ability to cope with painful or stressful events throughout their lives. “
The team of Dr Duval must assess the possibility of implementing self-hypnosis techniques in the hematology clinic of CHU Sainte-Justine. It welcomes thousands of young patients every year. “If all goes well over the next two to three years, we could then expand the practice to other areas of the hospital,” says Dr.r Duval. It would be a great gift for children. “
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. To find out more about the Sainte-Justine Mother-Child University Hospital Center (CHU): www.chu-sainte-justine.org [consulté le 30 mai 2006].
2. Leucan is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the well-being and healing of children with cancer and to provide support for their families: www.leucan.qc.ca [consulté le 30 mai 2006].
3. To visit the Robert-Debré Hospital site: http://robertdebreparis.aphp.fr [consulté le 30 mai 2006].
