Scenery eases cancer pain

 
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in the US analysed patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy (BMAB), a painful cancer treatment in which the marrow is extracted from the pelvic bone with a local anaesthetic.

Some patients were treated in a hospital environment, while others were exposed to pictures of birds and waterfalls. A third group were shown pictures of traffic and city life. The researchers found that those subjected to natural scenery experienced lesser pain, while the levels of pain felt by those shown pictures of urban life were the same as those treated under standard procedure.