Cardiac Pain

Hypnotherapy notes In all cases of heart irregularities and / or pain a formal diagnosis (or the absence of a formal medical diagnosis) is essential. Hypnosis can be used to regulate the heart rate by reducing stress levels without needing to use high does of beta-blockers. Pain can also be managed whether of a psychological or physiological origin. Excessive concerns relating to health can also be addressed. Hypnosis is also very effective at high managing blood pressure (hypertension) which is a major risk factor contributing to the currently high incidence of heart attacks. See also hypertension

Heart attacks or acute myocardial infarction, are common and sometimes deadly. The underlying cause of a heart attack is usually coronary thrombosis, which is a blockage of the blood vessels of the heart. When the heart actually stops in a heart attack, this is called cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is stoppage of the heart. A heart attack can result in cardiac arrest, but not allways (chest pain alone may be present).

There are also less serious disorders that are mistakenly believed to be heart attack. A common example are people having a panic attack & will rush to emergency in the belief they are dying from a heart attack which is not the case.

In the recovery phase after a heart attack it is important that the heart rate is stabilised. Beta-blockers are often prescribed to acheive this goal. They are often also prescribed for anxiety symptoms because they reduce the heart rate and force the heart to beat more consistently.

Afterwards some level of residual pain may reamin and in cases where a formal diagnosis is not present pain or discomfort may also persist. There may also be a significant level of awareness of the heart rate and an excessive sense of needing to rest and protect the heart. This can sometimes be detrimental because the heart is a collection of muscles and needs exercise.

Treatment of non-cardiac chest pain: a controlled trial of hypnotherapy AUTHOR(S): Jones, H., Cooper, P., Miller, V., Brooks, N., Whorwell, P. DATE: April, 2006 DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial SUBJECTS: 28 patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of hypnotherapy in a selected group of patients with angina-like chest pain in whom coronary angiography was normal and oesophageal reflux was not contributory. INTERVENTIONS: 1. Hypnosis group (n=15): 12 sessions of hypnotherapy or 2. Control group (n=13): supportive therapy plus placebo medication - over a seventeen week period. RESULTS: 12 (80%) hypnotherapy patients versus 3 (23%) controls experienced a global improvement in pain which was associated with a significantly greater reduction in pain intensity although not frequency. Hypnotherapy also resulted in a significantly greater improvement in overall wellbeing in addition to a reduction in medication usage. There were no differences favouring hypnotherapy with respect to anxiety or depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: Hypnotherapy appears to have utility in this highly selected group of NCCP patients and warrants further assessment in the broader context of this disorder. SOURCE: Gut. Hypnotherapy cuts ‘heart pain’ Daily Express, Thursday 20th April 2006, p28 col. 2 People who suffer severe heart pain not caused by heart problems could have their symptoms eased with hypnotherapy. Until now, doctors haven’t known what causes the pain in people with normal heart function But a new study suggests that hypnotherapy could soothe the part of the brain where the pain emotion is processed Around one in three with chest pain have no apparent cause. But most are concerned that it is an undetected heart problem that they continue to take anti-angina medication. But the symptoms can prove stressful and are hard to treat. Now a study in the BMJ journal Gut suggests that they could be helped by hypnotherapy. Researchers at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, studied 28 patients with these symptoms. Of the 15 given hypnotherapy 80 per cent said they felt better. In hypnotherapy a patient is hypnotised into altered consciousness. The therapist then talks to them about deeper problems which the patient may not be aware of. Overcoming these mental stresses can help alleviate physical symptoms.