NICOTINE NOT SAFE

     As more and more people try to avoid the dangers of smoking, many try to replace cigarettes with other nicotine delivery systems such as an e-cigarette, nicotine patch or nicotine gum or lozenges.  But recent research out of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech  led by geneticist, Skip Garner, found that nicotine is not only addictive it is also carcinogenic.

     Professor Garner reported, "Previous tests measure and classify whether nicotine is a carcinogen or mutagen were conducted with old technology, sponsored by tobacco companies.  What we've done is we make a direct measurement of the genome using the latest technology of next gen sequencing and we could directly measure the number of mutations that exposure to nicotine caused.  The conclusion, nicotine alone can cause cancer even without the other chemicals in conventional cigarettes."

     He believes that using alternative nicotine delivery systems instead of cigarettes, actually could make the situation worse.   "When you smoke cigarettes, the actual dose is fairly low because it has spread out through your entire body, but when you're administering nicotine through a patch or you're chewing it with gum or you're inhaling it with e-cigarettes, your mouth and your skin get very high doses of nicotine."

    If you have been thinking about becoming a non-smoker, don't try to replace cigarettes with e-cigarettes, the patch or gum.  Instead, get the help you need.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to become a non-smoker and avoid the carcinogen, nicotine.

SMOKING LINKED TO CHRONIC BACK PAIN

  If you suffer from chronic back pain, be aware your smoking habit may be part of the problem.  A study  by A. Vania Apkarian, PhD, professor of physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, found that smokers are three times more likely than nonsmokers to have chronic back pain.

    Although researchers are not sure why this surprising link between smoking and back pain exists, it is believed that smokers have a stronger connection between the regions of the brain controlling chronic pain and addictive behavior.  In the study, participants who quit smoking showed a drop in the connectivity between those two regions decreasing their risk of chronic pain.

    If you are  smoker suffering from chronic back pain, you have still another reason to stop smoking.  Hypnosis can be a valuable tool to Be a Healthy NonSmoker and BE WELL. 

HYPNOSIS AND SOCIAL CONTAGION

   You may not have heard the term "social contagion" before.  But I expect you have observed its influence.  New scientific studies are identifying how our family and friends can influence the choices we make.  Some choices are quite obvious like choosing where we live or where we work.  But less obvious choices are also often the result of the impact of the people we are around .

     Choices like whether we stay married or divorce, whether we exercise and eat well or become obese, whether we have professional success or failure are often highly influenced by those around us. In fact, research indicates that behavior and emotions are extremely contagious.  This might help to explain why before the Great Recession millions of people bought houses they could not afford.

    Nicholas A, Christakis, MD, PhD, was named one of one hundred most influential people in the world by TIME magazine in 2009 for his work on social contagion.    With his colleague, political scientist, James Fowler, PhD, he researched the issue of overeating and obesity which has been identified at epidemic levels in the United States.  He found that nine states in the USA report that more than 30 percent of their residents are obese.  Christakis and Fowler used a study that had been done in Framingham, Massachusetts over thirty years.  This tracked the details of thousands of people and their connections and how they interacted.  The researchers found that the spread of obesity followed a pattern similar to the way the flu spread.  The Framingham study indicated that if you had a family member or friend who was obese, your risk of becoming obese was 45% higher.  Even if a friend of a friend was obese, it increased your risk of obesity by 25%.  So the health of your extended social network is a key factor in determining your health.

     The researchers went on to study other issues moving through human networks like suicide, sexual practices, back pain and suicide.  They found that there were "Three Degrees of Influence"  That choices and actions could be influenced clear out to friends' friends' friends. Issues like divorce are considered so personal but the ripple effect of social contagion found that if you have a friend divorcing, that increases the likelihood that you will divorce by around 147%.  

     Christakis and Fowler found that behaviors such as smoking and overeating, can be influenced by friends who live hundreds of miles away.  Obviously individual thinking, cultural upbringing and genetics all contribute to our behavior, but this research found that social contagion is also a power influence.  If you socialize with family and friends who are obese, it can change your idea of what is acceptable body size.  If you are around heavy smokers or drinkers, you may allow yourself those options as well.

    So what can you do with this information?  Do NOT abandon friends and family.  Know that the benefits of being connected are far more important than the costs.  The researchers found that the most consistently happy group of people were those who had lots of friends.  But  remember your actions and choices can influence others as well.  So ask what you can do for those in your group of family and friends.  When you quit smoking, start exercising or lose weight,  your influence will benefit not only you, but your friends and family as well.

      If you need help to make those changes, hypnosis can help you quit smoking, lose weight or get motivated to make some other positive change.  Use hypnosis and BE WELL.

SECONDHAND SMOKE AND CANCER RISK

    Perhaps you have had heard the old saying "Where there's smoke, there's fire".    Where there's smoke, there may also be health risks.  A study of 4,400 women found that those who were exposed to secondhand smoke were 70 percent more likely to have irregular Pap tests.  Kristy Ward, M.D. and lead author of the study noted, "The cervix has rapid cell turnover, so it's vulnerable to carcinogens.  Try to avoid the smoke - but if you can't, be conscientious about Paps, to detect abnormalities early."  If you are being exposed to cigarette smoke, share this information.  It may become just the motivator for your smoker to become a nonsmoker.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool for quitting smoking which could save not only the smoker's life but that of those exposed to the second smoke.  Encourage the smokers in your life to quit smoking and BE WELL.

SMOKING AND PROSTATE CANCER

     Did you know that about one in six men in the United States will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime?  It is the most common cancer in men and is only behind lung cancer as the second leading cause of male cancer deaths. 

    A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed data on 5,366 men who were treated for prostate cancer. The study was trying to address the question of whether smoking might make a difference in how a man's health progresses after receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer. The researchers found that men who were smokers when they were diagnosed with prostate cancer were about 60 percent more likely to have died from the cancer or have had a recurrence than those who had never smoked.  In fact, smokers were more than twice as likely to have died for any reason.

     The good news is that men who had quit smoking at least ten years before being diagnosed with prostate cancer had comparable risks to those who had never smoked.  About 270,000 deaths each year are attributed to U.S. men who smoke cigarettes.  If you are smoking, it's time to stop.  If you need help smoking, call a hypnotherapist to help you become a non-smoker and BE WELL.

INCREASED STROKE RISK WITH MENTHOLATED CIGARETTES

   You may know that smoking cigarettes puts the smoker at increased stroke risk.  But a study published in ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada, of some 5,167 smokers found something of special interest to smokers of mentholated cigarettes.  The researchers reported that smokers of mentholated cigarettes are at more than double the risk for stroke, compared to smokers who smoke non-mentholated cigarettes.

     If you have been thinking about quitting smokers please check out my website at www.BeaHealthyNonSmoker.com to get lots of information about the risks of smoking and what you can do to quit.  Or check out the posts on this blog which also have information about quitting smoking particularly with hypnotherapy.  If you are discouraged about being able to stop smoking,  find a hypnotherapist to give you a valuable tool to Be a Healthy NonSmoker and BE WELL.

MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS WORSENED BY SMOKING

     Still another reason for women to quit smoking - a recent study finds that smoking worsens menopause symptoms.  The study by researchers at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia was published in JOURNAL OF CRITICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM.  The  study of 296 women found that hot flashes are 56% more likely in Caucasian women who smoke and 84% more likely in African-American women who smoke.

    Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool for women (and men) deciding to quit smoking.  Check out the many posts in this blog on smoking cessation or go to www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com  Quit smoking, feel better and BE WELL.

QUIT SMOKING WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

   You've been talking about quitting.  You've done the patch, the gum and the prescription medications.  But you are still smoking.  Have you tried hypnotherapy?  Marc I. Oster, PsyD, psychologist and professor of clinical psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, reports that 65% to 70% of smokers who are treated with medical hypnosis for smoking are able to quit successfully.

   In my own practice, I believe the numbers are even higher.  I always tell my clients, I certainly don't have 100% success rate with helping people become nonsmokers.  But I know that hypnotherapy works much better than the stop-smoking drugs including nicotine replacement which have a 35% to 40% success rate or the cold turkey method which is successful about 20% of the time.  Oster comments, "hypnosis still is more effective than standard treatments."

    If you want to be a nonsmoker and if you trust and feel comfortable with your hypnotherapist, you can be a healthy nonsmoker.  Stop smoking and Be Well!

QUICK RETURNS ON STOPPING SMOKING

    One of the best things about becoming a nonsmoker is that it is never too late to stop.  So many clients I see have smoked for years and begin to justify not quitting because "it's already too late to stop health problems."  But, in reality, your body will thank you almost immediately for stopping smoking.  

     Within the first 24 hours after stopping smoking, good things begin to happen in your cardiovascular system.  Your pulse will drop to normal, circulation will be better so your hands and feet will be warmer and your blood pressure will be closer to normal.  Because of this within one day, you'll be at lower risk for experiencing a heart attack.

     Within a week of becoming a nonsmoker, your bronchial tubes will begin to relax and you'll have less shortness of breath.  While within the first three months of stopping your circulation will be better and your lung capacity will improve by one third.  With better circulation and breathing, you will have more stamina.

SECONDHAND SMOKE - STOP SMOKING WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

     Have you been thinking about quitting smoking but just need a little more motivation?  Well, how about thinking about the people you expose to the smoke.  A Gallup poll conducted in July of 2012 found that many people do not recognize the dangers of secondhand smoke with nearly one in four smokers believing secondhand smoke is not too harmful.

      Although laws have changed in many areas of the country limiting people's exposure to tobacco smoke in workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public places.  Many people are still being exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes.  The particularly vulnerable include newborns who were either exposed in the womb or after birth, and adults with breathing problems.  Researchers in California reported that as many as 900 infant deaths in the United States were the result of being exposed to secondhand smoke.

     So if you need another reason to become a nonsmoker, think about the people you love whose health may be compromised by your bad habit.  Hypnotherapy can be a fantastic tool to help you be the person you want to be - an active, healthy nonsmoker.  Stop smoking and BE WELL.

SMOKING AND HEALTH - THE LATEST SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT

       The latest "Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health" came out a couple of weeks ago.  It's been fifty years since the first report came out citing smoking as a cause of lung cancer in men.  The new report expands the list of disorders caused by smoking to include everything from tuberculosis to erectile dysfunction.  Dr. Boris D. Lushniak, the current acting surgeon general, commented that "smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature disease and death in the United States."  And, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, reported that "this year alone, nearly one-half million adults will still die prematurely because of smoking."

     Today, almost 42 million Americans are still smoking cigarettes.  You may be one of them.  If you are one of the 70 percent of smokers who have said they want to quit, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to make that happen. Don't give up - give yourself the best chance at having a long, full healthy life as a non-smoker.

    If you would like more information on using hypnotherapy to quit smoking, check the other articles in this blog or go to my website, www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com

LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT CAN PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S

      If you have a family member or friend suffering from Alzheimer's disease or have anxiety about developing this disease, changing or eliminating risk factors, the work of Deborah Barnes, PhD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, may give you insight for prevention.  Dr. Barnes was the leader of a comprehensive review published online in THE LANCET NEUROLOGY.

     In the review she reported that more than half of Alzheimer's cases could be prevented with lifestyle changes such as treating health issues like depression, diabetes, midlife obesity and midlife hypertension, stopping smoking and increasing physical activity   By eliminating or changing these risks, Dr. Barnes reported, it would potentially be possible to prevent 2.9 million cases of Alzheimer's disease in the United States.

     Good medical care for aggressive treatment of the health issues is a must.  If you need motivation to stop smoking or increasing physical activity, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to get you going, keep you going and BE WELL.

HALVE YOUR RISK FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

      It's the new year.  Is this the year you decide to become a nonsmoker?  A study by researchers at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Loyola University Health System, Melrose Park, Illinois, found that former smokers have lower blood pressure and heart rates just twenty minutes after smoking their last cigarette.  Within twelve hours, the carbon monoxide levels in their blood had dropped to normal.  And, one year later, the risk for coronary heart disease had been halved.  You know it's time to get rid of the dangerous habit of smoking.

    Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to become a nonsmoker.  Check out my web site www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com and the many articles in this blog for more information to give you the help you need to have the best chance at a long full healthy life.

NEW YEAR - ACHIEVING NEW GOALS

      Happy New Year everyone.  The best thing about a new year is it provides us a way of looking forward.  The past year is now behind us and it's time to dream about what you would like to achieve in 2014.  Have you been hoping to lose some weight, quit smoking, get moving, or deal with the myriad stresses in your life?  Take a few minutes to dream about how you would like this year to end - perhaps you see yourself as healthier, more active, calmer.  Now get specific - what would have to happen for you to reach your goal?  For example, you might say to be healthier you would need to lose thirty pounds.  Or you might say to be more active you could go to a gym. Or to be healthier you would stop smoking cigarettes.  Once you have a clear long-term goal, work out a plan for how you will reach it through attainable short-term goals.  Short-term goals for losing weight might include healthy and conscious eating and regular exercise.  Work the short-term goals and the long-term goals can be attained.  Hypnotherapy is a great tool for motivation in working those goals.  Now is the time to dream to have a really great 2014.

U.S. LIFE EXPECTANCY AT ALL TIME HIGH

     There is good news to celebrate as 2013 comes to a close.  Life expectancy is at an all time high in the United States,  The mortality statistic branch, division of vital statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics reported that preliminary figures indicate that life expectancy in the U.S. was at 78.7 in 2010. Good news was that ten of the fifteen leading causes of death had significantly decreased between 2008 and 2009.  Those causes included:  cancer, homicide, accidents and heart disease.

    The second good news is that the choices we make about how we take care of ourselves and our general lifestyle can definitely affect the possibility of those causes affecting your life.  Avoiding cigarettes, drugs and alcohol, eating well, getting good medical care, exercise and living consciously to avoid dangerous people and situations can help you to lower your risk of those causes.  Sometimes people just need motivation to take care of themselves and make those positive choices.  Hypnotherapy can be a great way to get motivated to improve your life style.  It's not enough to live longer we also want to have a high quality of lifestyle during those years. Live well, live longer and BE WELL.

QUIT SMOKING AND DROP RISK FOR HEART DISEASE

     A study sponsored by the American Cancer Society done at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Loyola University Health System in Melrose Park, Illinois, found that one year after quitting smoking, former smokers had cut their risk for coronary heart disease in half.  The researchers reported that within twenty minutes of having their last cigarette, former smokers had lower heart rates and blood pressure.  Within twelve hours after quitting smoking, former smokers' blood levels of carbon monoxide had dropped to normal.

    If you have been thinking about quitting smoking, check my website www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to help you become a nonsmoker and lower your risk for coronary heart disease.  Quit smoking - BE WELL.

ONE WEEK AS A NONSMOKER

   When I work with a client to become a nonsmoker, I always ask them to call me on their first anniversary so we can celebrate together.  I just got off the phone with a gentleman who came in last Monday to quit smoking. He said, "I know you said call me on my first anniversary, but I just wanted you to know in an hour and a half, I will have been a nonsmoker for one week.  It was much easier than I had thought possible." I reminded him that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis and that this was something he had done by using a powerful tool.  If you are thinking about getting free of cigarettes and smoking, remember hypnotherapy can be that tool. Stop smoking and BE WELL.

PREVENT HAIR LOSS - STOP SMOKING

     Did you know that a major risk factor for hair loss is smoking?  Bahman Quyuron, MD, chair, department of plastic surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio was a leader of a study of hair loss in male and female identical twins.  The study was presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' annual meeting in Denver.

     The study found that smoking was a major risk factor to prevent hair loss.  To prevent hair loss for men, it was suggested that they avoid smoking, reduce stress, reduce alcohol consumption and wear a hat as much as possible to protect hair from sun.  For women, controlling high blood pressure and drinking one to two cups of coffee a day helped prevent hair loss.

     If you are concerned about hair loss and are a smoker, you now have another great reason to quit smoking.  Check out my website at www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com for tips on quitting smoking.  Remember hypnotherapy can be a great way to stop smoking permanently.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WEIGHT CONTROL AND SMOKING CESSATION

     If you have been reading this blog for a while, you have seen many posts on weight control and smoking cessation.  I also wanted to post a couple of websites that have accurate information.  You can learn more about the health benefits of quitting smoking at www.cancer.gov (search for "harms of smoking".  For weight control and smoking cessation search in Publications at www.niddk.gov.   And remember - hypnotherapy can be a fantastic tool to aid you in making those lifestyle changes. 

PROLONG YOUR LIFE WITH A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

      Medications, surgeries and therapies are all used to prevent disease and prolong our lives.  But a 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on an eighteen year study found that, if you want to prolong your life, practicing one or more of four healthy lifestyle behaviors can make that happen.  What are the four healthy behaviors?  You probably can easily identify them - we know what we ought to be doing! 

     So if you want to have the best chance at having a long, healthy life - stop smoking, eat healthfully, drink alcohol moderately or not at all and get enough exercise.  The CDC's report said that in the study 63% of people were less likely to die if they observed those four healthy lifestyle choices than those who did not.  The lifestyle choices you make greatly influence your susceptibility to major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

    We really do make life or death choices every day. If you want to avoid the poor health with resulting meds and therapies and surgeries, it's time to follow a healthy lifestyle.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help change bad lifestyle choices and to motivate you to incorporate the healthy lifestyle choices that can prolong your life.