Using their imagination may not just be for children’s playtime anymore. A new study has found that kids with functional abdominal pain who used guided imagery in addition to standard medical treatment greatly reduced their pain.

The study being published in the November 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics found that 73.3 percent of kids who used the alternative treatment in addition to mainstream medical treatment reported that their abdominal pain was reduced by half or more by the end of the treatment course. That’s compared to 26.7 percent of kids in the standard medical treatment only group.

The guided imagery treatment consisted of 10-minute daily sessions and 20-minute biweekly sessions on CDs the children used at home. One session, for example, directed them to imagine they were floating on a cloud and relaxing.

In addition to helping overall results, the kids said the exercises were enjoyable and easy to use. Researchers say they’re also cost-efficient. "Such self-administered treatment is, of course, very inexpensive and can be used in addition to other treatments, which potentially opens the door for easily enhancing treatment outcomes for a lot of children suffering from frequent stomach aches," said lead author Dr Miranda van Tilburg.

Functional abdominal pain affects as many as 20 percent of children. It is defined as persistent pain with no identifiable underlying disease that interferes with activities.