RE: HYPNO help on way for anxious mums-to-be (LT, May 13).

Hooray some good news from East Lancashire Hospital Trust – a proven way of reducing post-natal anxiety is being offered to all mothers-to-be ... brilliant.

As a psychology student with a pregnant wife, I wanted to read more. I went to the trust’s website and found the press release. The conclusions read: “Allocation to two-third-trimester group self-hypnosis training sessions did not significantly reduce intra-partum epidural analgesia use or a range of other clinical and psychological variables.”

The response rates to the six-week post-natal questionnaire were extremely low at 60 per cent in the intervention group. So what happened to the NHS golden rule of evidence-based practice?

The extra costs entailed are £4.83 per mother. In the interest of good research I propose two new studies, the Lucky Clover Leaf Study and the Rabbits Foot Study, and as it doesn’t matter if either actually work, I may be shortly setting up a stall outside the main entrance selling both.

At a cost of £3.83 for each I will be saving the NHS money.

Mr W Phillips, Blackburn