Researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia conducted a systematic review of studies that compare the impact of various techniques on reducing pain and distress in children getting shots for immunization.

The investigators identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs that measured the impact of these interventions during the injection of vaccines in children 0 to 18 years of age. Both self-report and observer assessments were used as measures.

A friend sent us the link to this blog entry by a woman who underwent surgery for what looks like hip replacement, if I’m interpolating correctly. This is a magical story by a charming woman who refers to herself as a reluctant clairvoyant.  Check it out:

My Magical Band of Allies

Jan. 1st, 2010 at 1:07 PM.  It's been 4 weeks post-op.  I'm off the walker, back to my leopard print cane, and I'm finding myself "forgetting" to use my cane when walking outside or doing minor tasks.  Where once there was pain, now there is none and my pronounced limp is slowly receding every day as I get stronger and re-learn the process of walking. I can't push it too much but I am surprised at how easy, rapid and peaceful my whole recovery has been.  I saw Dr Gilbert earlier this week for my first follow up visit since surgery.  He was pleased with how my gait has improved and how mobile my left hip is becoming.  However, I still need to follow hip precautions for the next 2 months.

We recently got this over-the-top enthusing over our Cancer imagery, showing how supportive a simple technique like guided imagery can be for reducing passive helplessness and giving some control back …,
 
This is the most wonderful CD ever. I was diagnosed with breast cancer right after my lovely daughter graduated from college. What a week of extreme joy, to the depths of despair!

Over the past 9 years I’ve been through the mill.  I’ve suffered 3 miscarriages, then had 4 years of infertility, and three IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments.  I’ve watched friends and relatives get pregnant, filled with envy, anger, grief and discouragement.  My mind filled up with negative, sarcastic, disparaging self-talk.

I knew I needed to do something to combat the negative internal messages.  I have some hypnosis training, so I bought a dozen hypnotic and guided imagery CDs, loading them all into my MP3 player so I could check out the tracks and decide what to listen to. 

For me, Belleruth’s voice and words stood out immediately as something I could connect to.  I hate it when the narrator tells you to “let go”.  It’s very stressful to be asked NOT to be stressed!  But I relaxed when she started by acknowledging and validating the feelings I did have (“I know there are times when I become frightened, angry, impatient, jealous or sad, and I accept what I feel as my inner truth of the moment.”). For me, this was reassuring and uplifting - to first be allowed to accept the feelings I have, THEN to let them go.

We love getting birth announcements from our peeps.  Sometimes these come from people who had fertility struggles, maybe a series of miscarriages; sometimes we hear from people who had difficult pregnancies; and sometimes, like the message below, we just hear about a regular birth experience made a little easier.  We still are hoping for a systematized study of guided imagery in childbirth, but until one of those comes down the pike, we’ll settle gratefully for postings like this one:

Some of you may remember C.J., the terrific youngster who underwent bone marrow transplantation way back in 2001.  We had just completed recording the Bone Marrow Transplantation imagery – it wasn’t duplicated or packaged yet – but we sent a rough studio copy to him, at his mother’s request (everyone should have an advocate like this awesome Momma, let me tell you!!). 

Dear Belleruth and Health Journeys,

My 5 year old son, a very active little boy, tripped while running around the living room and fell against a coffee table with sharp corners.  He suffered a deep cut on his forehead.  I took him to the E.R. to get him stitched up, and of course he started squirming and protesting the minute he realized what was about to go down.  The more the nurse and I tried to hold him still, the more upset he became.  Things went from bad to worse.

Hi Belleruth, I was given a CD to help people through surgery using guided imagery.  When I first listened to it, 3 days before my hysterectomy, I became afraid, visualizing the OR.  Shortly, after that part of the CD, the visualization of your own personal team of well wishers was very powerful. I thought of my dear uncle, now deceased, being part of that group and as the one who nodded and smiled at me before I went under.

Since you have Successful Surgery, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to do something on the order of fear of medical procedures?  Specifically, for when getting your blood pressure checked. A good 30% of people, I've read, suffer from White Coat Hypertension.  It's something subconscious that we have no control over that beckons the fight or flight response in a doctor's office but is fine at home. This is a very worrisome condition causing many doctors to convince their patients they actually do have high blood pressure and give them dangerous unnecessary medications.  I can find nowhere on the web that offers this title.  It would be a valuable service and I know I would buy it.

Thank you for reading this.

Lana