Optical illusion dampens arthritis pain

Seeing the movements of a healthy hand mirroring one's own movements plays a welcome trick on the brains of arthritis sufferers, a new study shows: It reduces the perception of pain. The observation, reported this week at the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference, could offer a safe, inexpensive means of dampening chronic pain by enlisting the brain's power of suggestion.

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots blog

November 15, 2011