Acute assessment of subjective appetite and implicated hormones after a hypnosis-induced hallucinated meal: a randomized cross-over pilot trial.

The use of hypnosis can generate hallucinatory phenomena, which ranged from vivid/auditory imagery to fully developed "hallucinations" in selected people. The aim of this pilot trial was investigating the acute effects of a hypnosis-induced hallucinated breakfast (HB) compared to those of a real breakfast (RB) on subjective appetite and appetite-regulating hormones in highly hypnotizable individuals. Eight healthy post-menopausal women were recruited to consume two meals: the HB and the RB in a randomized crossover design. Participants underwent appetite sensations measurements (before meal and each 30-min until 270-min) and blood sample collection (at 0, 20, 60, 90, 180-min). A 3-day food-record was filled after each meal. The adjusted repeated measures ANCOVA did not show any meal×time interactions on subjective appetite postprandially. As expected, significantly higher glucose (p < 0.001), insulin (p < 0.001), and lower free fatty acid (p < 0.001) concentrations were found after the RB, but not following HB. Furthermore, RB significantly increased postprandial levels of glucagon-like-peptide-1 and peptide-YY at 20, 60, 90 and 180-min, whereas acylated-ghrelin and leptin levels did not differ. Postprandial neuropeptide-Y and orexin-A values significantly increased at different time-points after RB, but not following HB, while α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels enhanced after HB only. Energy intakes were significantly lower after HB on the test-day only (HB = 1146.6 ± 343.8 vs RB = 1634.7 ± 274.2 kcal/d; p = 0.003). Appetite sensation might be modulated by fully developed meal "hallucination" induced by hypnosis, likely affecting brain-peptides implicated in the appetite regulation. However, further studies are needed to verify these results obtained in a highly selected group of individuals. NCT03934580.

Effects of Self-Conditioning Techniques (Self-Hypnosis) in Promoting Weight Loss in Patients with Severe Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The usefulness of the rapid-induction techniques of hypnosis as an adjunctive weight-loss treatment has not been defined. This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether self-conditioning techniques (self-hypnosis) added to lifestyle interventions contributed to weight loss (primary outcome), changes in metabolic and inflammatory variables, and quality of life (QoL) improvement (secondary outcomes) in severe obesity. METHODS: Individuals (with BMI = 35-50 kg/m2 ) without organic or psychiatric comorbidity were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 60) or control arm (n = 60). All received exercise and behavioral recommendations and individualized diets. The intervention consisted of three hypnosis sessions, during which self-hypnosis was taught to increase self-control before eating. Diet, exercise, satiety, QoL, anthropometric measurements, and blood variables were collected and measured at enrollment and at 1 year (trial end). RESULTS: A similar weight loss was observed in the intervention (-6.5 kg) and control (-5.6 kg) arms (ß = -0.45; 95% CI: -3.78 to 2.88; P = 0.79). However, habitual hypnosis users lost more weight (-9.6 kg; ß = -10.2; 95% CI: -14.2 to -6.18; P < 0.001) and greatly reduced their caloric intake (-682.5 kcal; ß = -643.6; 95% CI: -1064.0 to -223.2; P = 0.005) in linear regression models. At trial end, the intervention arm showed lower C-reactive protein values (ß = -2.55; 95% CI: -3.80 to -1.31; P < 0.001), higher satiety (ß = 19.2; 95% CI: 7.71-30.6; P = 0.001), and better QoL (ß = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.02-0.16; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Self-hypnosis was not associated with differences in weight change but was associated with improved satiety, QoL, and inflammation. Indeed, habitual hypnosis users showed a greater weight loss.

Relaxation versus fractionation as hypnotic deepening: do they differ in physiological changes?

After rapid hypnotic induction, 12 healthy volunteers underwent hypnotic deepening with relaxation or with fractionation (without relaxation) in a random latin-square protocol. Electroencephalographic occipital alpha activity was measured, low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography was performed, and hemodynamics (stroke volume, heart rate, cardiac output, mean arterial blood pressure, forearm arterial flow and resistance) were monitored in basal conditions and after deepening. After relaxation, both forearm flow (-18%) and blood pressure (-4%) decreased; forearm resistance remained unchanged. After fractionation, a forearm flow decrease comparable to that recorded after relaxation was observed, but blood pressure remained unchanged, leading to an increase of forearm resistance (+51%). Central hemodynamics did not change. Alpha activity increased in the precuneus after fractionation only. In conclusion, both relaxation and fractionation have vasoconstrictor effects, but fractionation is also associated with an increase in peripheral resistance.

Measured outcomes with hypnosis as an experimental tool in a cardiovascular physiology laboratory.

The authors detail their multidisciplinary collaboration of cardiologists, physiologists, neurologists, psychologists, engineers, and statisticians in researching the effects of hypnosis on the cardiovascular system and their additions to that incomplete literature. The article details their results and provides guidelines for researchers interested in replicating their research on hypnosis' effect on the cardiovascular system.

A randomised controlled trial of moxibustion for breech presentation.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of moxibustion for the correction of fetal breech presentation in a non-Chinese population. DESIGN: Single-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT). SETTING: Six obstetric departments in Italy. SAMPLE: Healthy non-Chinese nulliparous pregnant women at 32-33 weeks + 3 days of gestational age with the fetus in breech presentation. METHODS: Random assignment to treatment or observation. Treatment consisted of moxibustion (stimulation with heat from a stick of Artemisia vulgaris) at the BL 67 acupuncture point (Zhiyin) for one or two weeks. Two weeks after recruitment, each participant was subjected to an ultrasonic examination of the fetal presentation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Number of participants with cephalic presentation in the 35th week. RESULTS: The study was interrupted when 123 participants had been recruited (46% of the planned sample). Intermediate data monitoring revealed a high number of treatment interruptions. At this point no difference was found in cephalic presentation in the 35th week (treatment group: 22/65, 34%; control group: 21/58, 36%; RR 0.95; 99% CI 0.59-1.5). CONCLUSIONS: The results underline the methodological problems evaluating of a traditional treatment transferred from a different cultural context. They do not support either the effectiveness or the ineffectiveness of moxibustion in correcting fetal breech presentation.