Hypnotherapy is recognised in assisting with the effects of Chemotherapy, other Cancer treatments and any resulting nausea. Additionally it is used as a support for body and mind, strengthening the resolve and providing relaxation and relief. Current research with patients with Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma found they live longer if they receive relaxation and Hypnotherapy treatment along with standard Chemotherapy. Similar approaches have resulted in mixed results for other cancers. Dr Leslie Walker of Hull University studied 63 patients with newly diagnosed Cancers, all of whom were receiving Chemotherapy and standard anti-nausea drugs. The patients were split into three groups. One group was given relaxation tapes, another received the tapes plus Hypnotherapy to reinforce their effect. The third received neither. Walker followed up the patients 13 years after diagnosis. "We found that the patients who had received relaxation or relaxation and Hypnotherapy lived significantly longer," he says. On average, patients in the relaxation and Hypnotherapy group lived an average of 10.7 years after diagnosis, patients who used only the tapes lived 8.7 years and patients with neither lived 7.8 years. But Walker stresses that the patients differed in age and the stage of disease when treatment started. So although the differences are significant, translating Hypnotherapy plus relaxation into three extra years of life is not possible, he says. How the relaxation and Hypnotherapy may increase survival is not clear. Other studies of cancer patients have found that similar treatments can boost levels of killer T cells. But researchers have not been able to link this rise with increased survival. "Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy tend to suppress the immune system functioning, so small interventions may help patients be more resistant to these effects," Walker says. It would be usual to have a discussion first to establish exactly what benefits the patient is trying to achieve so as to maximise the effectiveness of the Hypnotherapy. Please telephone to arrange an initial consultation.