The present work aimed at assessing whether the interference exerted by task-irrelevant spatial information is comparable in high- and low-susceptible individuals and whether it may be eliminated by means of a specific posthypnotic suggestion. To this purpose high- and low-susceptible participants were tested using a Simon-like interference task after the administration of a suggestion aimed at preventing the processing of the irrelevant spatial information conveyed by the stimuli. The suggestion could be administered either in the absence or following a standard hypnotic induction. We showed that, outside from the hypnotic context, the Simon effect was similar in high and low-susceptible participants and it was significantly reduced following the posthypnotic suggestion in high-susceptible participants only. These results show that a specific posthypnotic suggestion can alter information processing in high-susceptible individuals and reduce the interfering effect exerted by arrow stimuli.

Conscious Cogn. 2009 Jul 31. Iani C, Ricci F, Baroni G, Rubichi S. Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali, Cognitive e Quantitative, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of use of complementary and alternative systems of medicine by different segments of society and to identify the diseases in which they have been found to be effective. METHODS: This was a questionnaire-based descriptive study carried out from April 2002 to March 2004, in selected urban and rural areas of four provinces of Pakistan representing general strata of population from various socioeconomic conditions. RESULTS: The overall trend in Pakistan shows that 51.7% (CI 54.3-49.1) chose complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) while 48.3% (CI 50.71-48.89) chose biomedicine. Of those who chose CAM, 20% (CI 21-19) also used biomedicine as well; 16% (CI 16.8-15.2) homeopathy, 12.4% (CI 13.02-11.78) unani medicine, 2.1% (CI 2.20-1.99) mind-body medicine (faith healing), 0.9% biologically based practices (home remedies, diet and nutrition) 0.05% energy medicine (Reiki), 0.05% Traditional Chinese Medicine, and 0.02% aromatherapy. CONCLUSIONS: About half of the studied population used CAM. The population estimates of use of CAM are within the range reported elsewhere. It reflects an increasing popularity of CAM in Pakistan as well. Combined use of biomedicine with CAM was common and often patients did not reveal the use of CAM to the biomedicine practitioners.

J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May;15(5):545-50. Shaikh SH, Malik F, James H, Abdul H. Drugs Control Division, NIH, Islamabad, Pakistan. shshaikh2001@yahoo.com