They say imagination can move mountains. Well, it can also cure a stomach ache. No, this isn't a joke. Scientists have indeed found that kids with stomach aches, who use audio recordings of guided imagery at home along with regular treatment, are three times more likely to ease their problem, compared to kids who are only undergoing treatment.

Long-term benefits

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill and Duke University Medical Centre (DUMC), focussed on functional abdominal ache, defined as persistent ache with no identifiable underlying disease that interferes with activities.

“What is especially exciting about our study is that children can clearly reduce their abdominal pain a lot on their own with guidance from audio recordings, and they get much better results that way than from medical care alone,” said Miranda van Tilburg, a professor at University of North Carolina.

In the study, researchers found that those gains were maintained six months after the treatment.

A stress-buster

While there is no scientific evidence indicating that guided imagery by itself helps to heal disease, this technique has been shown to promote relaxation and to improve quality of life. It is especially useful for conditions that are made worse by stress, such as high blood pressure, pain, and headache, as well as stress and anxiety themselves. It may also help certain eating disorders.

In a 1997 study at the University of Miami, researchers found that guided imagery helped elevate mood and decrease stress. The participants rated their moods before and after practicing guided imagery and had their blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol measured. The subjects who used guided imagery reported a significant decrease in depression, fatigue, and total mood disturbance, and measured significant decreases in cortisol, as compared to the control group.

Imagery has been successfully tested as a strategy for relieving nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients, and it has also been found to relieve stress and promote weight gain in those with cancer.

Other studies have shown that guided imagery is particularly helpful for patients preparing for and recovering from surgery. A 1996 study at the Cleveland Clinic showed that patients who used guided imagery prior to colorectal surgery had less anxiety before and less pain after the surgery than did the control group.

And it's cheap too!

“Such self-administered treatment is, of course, very inexpensive and can be used in addition to other treatments, which potentially opens the door for easily enhancing treatment outcomes for a lot of children suffering from frequent stomach aches,” Tilburg added. It is very common, affecting up to 20% of children.

Pic: Gabriella Fabbri