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Migraine Sufferers Could Find Relief In Hypnosis

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- People who get migraines know they can be debilitating.

From pills, to shots, to cold compresses, some treatments work for certain patients, but not for others.

Some people are turning to hypnosis for relief.

"I was expecting abracadabra," says patient Heidi White. She says she tried everything, but that hypnosis treatment has been successful.

"It has really helped me," she says. "Do I experience the start of headaches? Yes. Am I able to head them off? Yes."

Pain management experts say, through focus and concentration, some patients can trick their body to ignore the pain.

"Hypnosis has helped many people," says Lisa Ludovici, a certified medical support hypnosis practitioner. "In one session, I will teach them how powerful their mind is, and how to lower their experience of pain."

Doctors say the treatment may help migraine patients.

"I think hypnosis does play a role for some patients in managing episodic migraine," says Dr. Dana Jamieson, the director of the Headache Center at New York Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Studies show that hypnosis techniques can help, but it's not a proven cure.

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