Hypnosis Hinders Hot Flashes

If you suffer from hot flashes, hypnosis may cut your suffering by up to 74 percent, according to a study at the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University.

How hypnosis eases hot flashes isn’t clear. The authors of the study speculate that it may be because hypnosis improves the function of the parasympathetic nervous system. This system is popularly called the “rest and digest” system. It slows the sympathetic or “fight or flight” nervous system that controls body functions that ramp up during hot flashes, such as sweating and heart rate.