Bringing nature into the hospital room meant less pain for patients having a common but uncomfortable lung procedure, new research shows.

A recording of a gurgling brook and a large mural of a mountain stream in a spring meadow helped bronchoscopy patients control their pain much more than patients not treated to any calming distractions, say scientists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During a bronchoscopy, a fiber-optic tube the diameter of a pencil is snaked through your mouth or nose so doctors can examine your lungs for disease.

Doctors say the findings could lead to safer ways to control pain during many invasive procedures.

The findings were presented May 20 at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.

From HealthScout.com