Researchers at the VA Medical Center in New Orleans gave deep relaxation training to 30 people receiving chemotherapy, but not to 30 others. Those practicing deep relaxation experienced significantly less nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, and also less anticipatory nausea as they approached their oncologists' offices. At the Women's and Infant's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, researchers invited volunteers from a local spa to administer foot massages to people about to have chemotherapy. But in the evaluation, every one of them said it reduced the stress and discomfort of chemotherapy. Researchers at Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh, wondered if a program of calming music and visualizations might increase the benefits of standard antinausea drugs used during chemotherapy.
Relaxation therapies ease cancer pain .
Advanced cancers often cause pain that mainstream oncologists may undertreat because they are reluctant to prescribe high-dose narcotics. Stanford researchers gave standard care to some of a group of 54 women with advanced breast cancer, while the rest were enrolled in a weekly support group. Half of those in the support group were also trained in self-hypnosis. After a year, the standard-care group reported the most pain. The women in just the support group reported significantly less.