Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a significant healthcare problem, and many individuals with CLBP remain unresponsive to available interventions. Previous research suggests that hypnosis is effective for many chronic pain conditions; however, data to support its efficacy for CLBP are outdated and have been limited primarily to case studies. This pilot study indicated that a brief, 4-session standardized self-hypnosis protocol, combined with psycho-education, significantly and substantially reduced pain intensity and pain interference. Significant session-to-session improvements were also noted on pain ratings and mood states; however, follow-up data suggest that these benefits may not have been maintained across time in this sample. These findings need to be replicated and confirmed in a larger clinical trial, which could also assess the long-term effects of this treatment

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2010 Jan;58(1):53-68. Tan G, Fukui T, Jensen MP, Thornby J, Waldman KL. Anesthesiology Pain Program, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA. TAN.GABRIEL@va.gov

Forty-five patients of essential hypertension differentiated into two TCM types, i.e. Gan Yang Shang Kang Zheng (GYSK) and Yin Xu Yang Kang Zheng (YXYK) were randomly selected. Among them, the 31 patients received qi-gong therapy including 12 GYSK cases (group b) and 19 YXYK cases (group c) and 14 patients (group d) received nifedipine therapy. It was found that the plasma 6-K-PGF1 alpha was increased and TXB2 as well as TXB2/6-K-PGF1 alpha ratio were decreased after the therapy (P < 0.05) in group b, c and d. No statistical significant difference was found between group b and group c (P > 0.05). The results suggest that qi-gong is regulatory on TXB2 and 6-K-PGF1 alpha in patients with essential hypertension and is identical in the two different TCM Zheng types.

Hunan Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 1997;22(6):497-9. Li W, Xing Z, Pi D, Li X. Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan Medical University, Changsha.