Imagining the Pain Away

If you have a child, you've almost certainly heard the whiny complaint "I have a stoooomach ache!"

Like the good parent you are, you searched for reasons. Perhaps your child had constipation. Or diarrhea. Or food poisoning. Or a virus.

After ruling out all the usual culprits, though, and finding that your child is basically healthy, what's a parent to do?

It turns out that the answer is surprisingly simple and effective. According to an article in Science Daily, "Children with functional abdominal pain who used audio recordings of guided imagery at home in addition to standard medical treatment were almost three times as likely to improve their pain problem, compared to children who received standard treatment alone."

In other words, just by imagining their pain away, children felt better. Amazingly, not only did the pain go away, but it stayed away for as long as six months.

Since as many as 20 percent of children do suffer from "functional" (unexplained) abdominal pain, it seems that this study (conducted by UNC Hospitals and Duke University Medical Center) may be a huge boon to parents and kids alike.

Next step: thinking away the sound of a child who just won't stop whining -- even when his stomach feels just fine!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng