They analyzed 24 studies of exercise in cancer patients published between 1980 and 1997 and found that the studies have consistently demonstrated that physical exercise following cancer diagnosis has a positive effect on quality of life, including physical, functional, psychological, and emotional well being. Biofeedback involves learning to voluntarily control certain body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. How people use biofeedback to control pain is not understood, but some researchers believe that imagery helps. Cancer patients sometimes use biofeedback techniques to reduce anxiety and help them cope with their pain, but results are mixed. Biofeedback usually is used with other pain-relief methods.
Hypnosis is a technique in which an individual s susceptibility to suggestion is heightened.
To relieve pain, the hypnotist may suggest that pain will be gone when the person wakes up. Some cancer patients have learned methods of self-hypnosis that they use to control pain. The role of hypnosis in treating chronic pain is uncertain, however. Some studies have shown that 15 to 20 percent of hypnotizable patients with moderate to severe pain can achieve total relief with hypnosis. Other studies report that hypnosis reduces anxiety and depression by lowering the burden of emotional suffering, pain may become more bearable.