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- October 2009
- Reducing stomach pain is child's play
Reducing stomach pain is child's play
13 October 2009: Children can use their imagination to reduce stomach pain, according to researchers in the US.
The research, published this week in the journal Paediatrics, looked at 34 children aged six to 15 who had been diagnosed with stomach pain. The children were separated into two groups: half listened to guided imagery CDs at home; the rest received two months of standard medical treatment for stomach pain.
They found that nearly three out of four of the children who listened to the guided imagery CDs had less stomach pain compared with only one in four of those who received conventional medical care. Guided imagery treatment was also found to improve their quality of life and reduce the number of visits they needed to make to the doctor.
Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director for Bupa International, commented: “This study suggests that there are benefits to using guided imagery for stomach pain in children. This type of treatment has great potential, especially when you consider how much it could reduce the need for medical interventions, treatment costs and the number of days children miss school.”
However, Dr Khemka warns that caution should be exercised until more research is carried out: “Although this was a well designed and executed study, only 34 children were included. Once it has been shown that guided imagery treatment is effective in relieving stomach pain in thousands of children, we can start getting excited about it, but not until then.”
Dr Khemka went on to give this advice: “If your child has stomach pain and you are concerned, you should visit his or her GP for help and advice.”
Key facts
- Guided imagery is a technique that involves imagining situations and encouraging relaxation.
- The children listened to guided imagery CDs at home on more than five days per week for two months.
- Each CD included imagery and suggestions for reducing stomach pain.
- The children were asked to imagine a number of situations including:
- floating comfortably on a big puffy cloud
- a special object melting into the hand like butter
- light and warmth spreading through their stomach
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Read the full study
van-Tilburg M, Chitkara D, Palsson O, et al. Audio-Recorded Guided Imagery Treatment Reduces Functional Abdominal Pain in Children: A Pilot Study. Pediatrics 2009; 124(5):e890-897
doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0028
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