INSOMNIA AND HEART DISEASE RISK

    A 2011 study at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, indicates still another reason to find ways to deal with insomnia.  The study, published online in CIRCULATION, was led by public health researcher and internist Lars Erik Laugsand, MD, lead author of the study conducted at the university in Trondheim.  The study found that there is a 45% higher risk for heart disease for people who have trouble falling asleep most nights than those who don't have trouble falling asleep.  The study of 52,610 people also showed a 30% higher risk for developing heart disease in those who have trouble staying asleep.

   The study concluded that the reason for the increased risk of heart disease in those with insomnia may be associated with increase stress hormones, inflammation and blood pressure issues.  Each of these can increase the risk for heart disease.  Check out some of my earlier blogs about insomnia, its symptoms and causes and how you can help to relieve the symptoms.  Do not give up - remember hypnotherapy can be another tool in dealing with insomnia and protecting yourself from the risk of heart disease. 

WEIGHT LOSS AND HYPNOSIS

      Sometimes people who are curious about hypnotherapy as a tool for weight loss will ask me "well, exactly how many sessions will that be?"  It's a very good question and almost impossible to answer with a number.  I suggest to my clients that we start with two sessions.  The first session is a comprehensive clinical interview in which I ask about what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong and what they feel they need to do to reach their goal weight.  The interview also includes everything from family history to health history to their weight loss and weight gain history.  After identifying overeating triggers and exercise patterns, the clients creates a weight-loss plan that they believe will work for them.  The second session is the actual hypnotherapy session based upon all the information and the plan they created.  Then the clients go out and work their plan.  I ask no commitment beyond the two sessions.  But I do tell clients, it takes a long time to get significant amounts of weight off so they may need an occasional session of hypnotherapy for reinforcement.

      Yesterday, a client came in who I first worked with for weight issues on August 28, 2013.  Yesterday was October 22, 2013.  In less than two months, she had lost twenty pounds.  Incidently, this is well above what I suggest is likely to happen.  I suggest that a pound to a pound and a half per week is good weight loss.  When she got motivated, it just came off faster than that.  So why was she back?  She had decided she wanted to get ahead of the curve on holidays.  She was afraid of all the candy available during the holiday as sugar was one of her challenge areas.  And she wanted to stay focused on her goals through the holidays and not slip back into all bad habits.  We planned that session in about 35 minutes and then we did a 45 minute hypnosis session.

      All hypnotherapists have their own ways of assisting weight loss and different programs for helping you.  With hypnosis as a tool, weight loss can happen and be maintained.  Use hypnotherapy and BE WELL.

FRIENDSHIP, HAPPINESS AND WELLNESS

      Those of you who have followed my blog posts for some time know that most of the time I am exploring ways to BE WELL - physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.  I often report on studies about wellness and how hypnotherapy can be used as a tool to achieve that goal.  Today I am simply reflecting on how fortunate I have been in the wonderful number of friends in my life.  This came to mind because I have just come back from a five day trip up to Niagara Falls, Canada, with a couple who have been a part of my life since 1981.  Although it had been a number of years since we had been together, we climbed in the SUV and immediately started chatting as if we had seen each other recently.  During the trip, we toured, we ate, we went on the "Maid of the Mist" boat tour of the falls and we ate some more.  But most of all we talked, reminisced and laughed together.  We parted yesterday - they fly home on Saturday.  I'm back to work today.  But each one of us, is likely feeling good today because of that time we shared together.  Give yourself the best chance at wellness by enjoying old friends, making new friends and reconnecting with those who have been lost along the way because of busy lifestyles.  Friendships can help you to BE WELL.

REDUCE STRESS AND GET RID OF BODY FAT

     In 2011, J. Daubenmier, et al., researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a study in the JOURNAL OF OBESITY.  It was called "Mindfulness Intervention for Stress Eating to Reduce Cortisol and Abdominal Fat Among Overweight and Obese Women: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study." In the study, one group of  chronically stressed and overweight or obese women were taught how to reduce stress and the technique of mindful eating where they focused on the sensations of eating such recognizing fullness. The control group did not learn those techniques.  The study found that the more healthful eating women with the greatest reduction in stress lost the most deep belly fat.

     Learning stress reduction and mindful eating techniques helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol and thus aids in losing belly fat.  Hypnotherapy can be used to assist in learning these techniques and reinforcing them in hypnosis.  Reduce stress, eat mindfully and Be Well!

GET FIT AND LIVE LONGER

     What is the best predictor for longevity?  Many people may guess that weight is the key predictor.  They assume that people who are thin will live longer than those who are overweight.  Dr. Mark Stengler has reported on a University of South Carolina study in which researchers found that the best predictor of longevity is fitness level rather than weight.  The best way to improve your fitness level is by regular aerobic activity.  If you are having trouble getting motivated to exercise, see a clinical hypnotherapist for an exercise motivation session.  Get fit, Be Well, live longer.

HYPNOTHERAPY FOR MOTIVATION

     Many of my clients are surprised to learn that hypnotherapy can be a great tool for issues besides quitting smoking, losing weight and reducing stress.  I recently received a thank-you note from a client who had come to me feeling depressed and unmotivated after she lost her job when the executive she worked for left the company.  She just wanted to get on with her life.  This is the note I received, "Hi, Dr. Johnson    You are amazing!  when my phone rang during my session yesterday, it was from a company asking me if I was interested in interviewing for an Executive Assistant position next week:)  when I got home, I started cooking up a storm - pasta with meat sauce and spice cake with frosting.  This morning I got up at 6:15 and went for a two mile walk with my husband then I went to the office and packed my office and my executive's office.  I feel good today.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!"

     Congratulations to her and all the people who have used hypnotherapy to improve their lives.  Personal issues such as motivation, anxiety and depression can also be addressed with hypnosis.  

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.

AGING AND SELF-ESTEEM

     In 2012, Richard Robins, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and his research team reported on a study of 3,617 adults conducted over 16 years identifying when self-esteem began to decline.  The study was based on how participants responded to statements such as "I take a positive attitude toward myself".

      The researchers reported that self-esteem generally began to decline around the age of sixty.  This was believed to be a time when factors such as poor health, retirement, reduced income and disabilities became more prevalent.  The loss of self-esteem is important since people who are less satisfied with life and less confident in their daily life tend to be more susceptible to depression.

      To maintain self-esteem make life choices to stay socially connected by spending time and maintaining regular contact with family and friends, volunteering in your community, being active in social groups.  In addition, take care of yourself physically by eating healthfully and exercising regularly.  If you need motivation to make those good choices to maintain your self-esteem, hypnotherapy can give you a head start in enjoying those years after sixty.

HYPNOTHERAPY FOR SLEEP PROBLEMS AND WEIGHT ISSUES

     Another reason to get enough sleep. Recent studies have reported some significant connections between what is happening in our brains as we sleep and illness.  A shortage of sleep has been linked to a variety of health problems including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and obesity.

    One in five adults in the United States show significant signs of chronic sleep deprivation health problems.  In addition, studies show that people who sleep four hours or less per night spend a lower percentage of their sleep in Stage 2 and REM sleep.  The lack of Stage 2 and REM sleep makes a person feel hungrier, crave more salty and sweet foods, and consume more calories than those who have more sleep.

    Hypnotherapy can be a great tool in dealing with insomnia.  If you have noticed weight gain and cravings for sweet and salty foods and are not sleeping well, hypnotherapy can help you get your sleep patterns adjusted. 

EXTEND YOUR LIFE WITH EXERCISE, GET MOTIVATED WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

      Studies continue to come out about the benefits of exercise.  In 2011 a study was released on the research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.  The study, completed under department of epidemiology chair Xifeng Wu, reported on the administration of an exercise questionnaire to 416,175 adults which was followed by an average of eight years for health outcomes.  The results were perhaps not surprising but still impressive.  Those who reported exercising for as little as fifteen minutes per day extended their expected life spans by three years.  This was compared with those who did not exercise.  The benefits were even better for thirty minutes per day of exercise.  The exercise they described did not have to be difficult.  Even a brisk walk counted.

    If you want the best chance at a long, full, healthy life, extend it with exercise.  If you are having trouble getting motivated get some help. This could include an exercise partner, a structured class or a trainer.  It could also include seeing a hypnotherapist to get motivated so you can extend your life.

WILL POWER, HABIT AND HYPNOTHERAPY

     Often when clients come to me to make a change in their life, their first comment is
"I just don't have any willpower".  They feel that if they just had more willpower that they could change their behavior.  A study by Dutch researchers in 2011, gives new insight into willpower and developing good habits.  The researchers conducted studies on people who had above average self-control and found that the high-self control subjects were not using large amounts of willpower to control their behavior.  Instead, these people spent their time and willpower establishing positive habits.  They were focusing on the positive rather than the negative.  By establishing positive habits, they became routine and the individuals no longer had to spend a great deal of willpower fighting negative habits.

    If you are trying to make a change in your life, rather than focusing on strong willpower to stop a negative, focus on creating positive autopilot habits.  An example might be, rather than focusing on willpower to stop drinking soft drinks, a person might focus on a good habit of keeping water easily available and drinking water regularly.  If you need help to establish positive habits, a hypnotherapist can help you.  Build great positive habits and Be Well!

HYPNOTHERAPY WORKS!

    I love to get calls where clients tell me about their experiences after using hypnotherapy to help correct a problem or challenge in their lives.  This morning I had a call from a former client.  When she first came to see me, she was very anxious.  She had been in an accident while showing a horse.  A champion rider before the accident, she was fearful and having a real problem doing something she had enjoyed for years.  We did one session of hypnotherapy.  Her call this morning was one of joy and victory as she reported the horse show over the past weekend was a great experience.  She concluded it was "the most wonderful experience, I'd had in a long time."  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to meet the challenges in your life as well.

SEXUAL ABUSE AND YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH

      Today, most people are aware that sexual abuse experienced recently or years ago can cause mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.  But there is growing evidence that sexual abuse including molestation and/or rape can also cause a large range of medical problems.

      Since it is estimated that one in six men and one in four women were sexually assaulted before they were eighteen, this is a significant population who may have physical as well as mental health issues stemming from sexual abuse.  It has been shown that traumatic experience including sexual abuse causes unstable levels of cortisol, the major stress hormone.  The elevated levels of cortisol can in turn lead to inflammation which is a major factor in many illnesses. The inflammation can be a contributing factor to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and arthritis.

    Since survivors of sexual abuse have higher than average rates of tobacco use, drug and alcohol abuse and risky sexual behavior, the side effects of those habits can directly affect their physical health. Other physical healths often seen with sexual abuse survivors include: chronic daily headaches, obesity, eating disorders. gastrointestinal disorders, fibromyalgia and chronic pelvic pain.

     If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, be sure and talk honestly and completely to your medical doctor.  This will help your physician to be aware at the time of diagnosis and in preventative care planning.  This will also be of value for women having a Pap smear or a man having a prostate exam. 

    A person who has been sexually abused needs to make it a real goal to take care of him or herself.  Healthy habits including getting enough sleep, exercising, eating a healthy diet and meditating can help reduce your stress and cortisol production thus reducing your risk for health problems.  Hypnotherapy is often used in building these healthy lifestyle habits.

     If you have not dealt with your sexual abuse history, seek professional help from someone trained in sexual abuse treatment.  This may be a counselor, psychologist or certified sex therapist.  There are sexual abuse survivors' groups and online help.  These include:  the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (www.ascaSupport.org) and Survivors of Incest Anonymous (www.siawso.org). You may also learn new strategies for living with a sexual abuse history with such recovery books as The Sexual Healing Journey:A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse, The Courage to Heal and Victims No Longer.

     If you have not dealt with your sexual abuse history, seek professional help from someone trained in sexual abuse treatment.  This may be a counselor, psychologist or certified sex therapist.  As a hypnotherapist, I work with sexual abuse survivors as an adjunct therapy on referral from the person's primary therapist when that therapist believes hypnotherapy could be a valuable tool.  There is help available.  Don't let a history of sexual abuse affect your mental, emotional or physical health.  Heal your past and Be Well.

SHORTEN YOUR LIFE SPAN WITH TOO MUCH TV

     Are you hoping to have a lengthened life span because you don't smoke and are not obese?  Before you pat yourself on the back, know there is another habit that can shorten your life span.  In 2011, Lennert Veerman, MD, a senior research fellow at The University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia, reported on a study of 11,000 adults ages 25 and older which compared lifestyle and health data.  The study found that for every hour of sedentary TV-watching per day, on average life expectancy was reduced by 22 minutes.  Which means that a six-hour daily TV habit after the age of 25 could be expected to reduce life expectancy by nearly five years. In other words, the cardiovascular risk for too much TV watching is as dangerous as smoking and obesity.

    It's time to cut back on television watching and begin to add in more healthy activities like spending time with your family and friends, exercising and meditating.  If you need help in making those changes, hypnotherapy can be a great tool to motivate you.  Get up.  Move.  Be Well.

LIVE LONGER WITH BETTER FOOD CHOICES

      What do pumpkin, collard greens and raspberries have in common?  The answer - they will all help you live longer.  A study published in Archives of Internal Medicine in 2011 by Chaoyang Li, MD, PhD reported that those foods were among fruits and vegetables that helped people live longer because they contained high levels of alpha-carotene.  Dr. Chaoyang Li is an epidemiologist in the division of behavioral surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and the leader of the study of 15,318 people.

     His report concluded that the people with the highest blood levels of alpha-carotene were 39% less likely to die from all causes over 14 years.  Among the foods with the most alpha-carotene were:  carrots, snap beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mangoes, collard greens, plantains, bell peppers, tomatoes, plantains, raspberries, peas, cornmeal and corn, tangerines and vegetable juice cocktail.

    Another study by Katherine Tucker, PhD, professor and chair, department of health sciences at Northeastern University Boston on 623 people was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  In it Dr. Tucker, the senior author of the study, reported that people who ate at least three weekly servings of tuna, salmon or mackerel had smaller amounts of bone loss over four years than those who did not.  Those particular fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

    If you want the best chance at having a long, full and healthy life, these studies indicate, better food choices improve that chance.  If you are having trouble making those changes, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to help you improve those choices.  Eat well.  Be well.

HOW DO YOU GO "IN" TO HYPNOSIS?

         Sometimes a new client will ask how I intend to take him in to a trance state.  The technique used by the hypnotist or hypnotherapist is called an induction.  An induction is used to help the client reach a state of relaxation where there is heightened suggestibility. 

         Hypnotherapists use a variety of methods including:  staring at an object (a dot on the wall, a pendulum, etc.), a variety of relaxation suggestions and other words spoken in a relaxing, often repetitive tone, and sounds such as music or a heartbeat. There is no need for a hypnotherapist to touch a client during an induction. 

         I personally enjoy using a combination of induction techniques while very carefully observing the client.  I sometimes use a sound machine to play ocean waves or water lapping against a lake shore or the sound of water rushing across the rocks while the client envisions a pretty stream.  Some hypnotists like to use calm music but I personally find that many clients are distracted by more popular classical pieces they recognize or have a distaste for New Age music.  I usually start with a guided imagery of a peaceful relaxing place which the client has identified in the clinical interview before the hypnotherapy session.  Then I often progress to some kind of progressive relaxation of their body.  I often end the induction with a deepening technique.  During this part of the induction, I am trying to intensify the experience of hypnosis for the client.  My favorite deepening technique is simply to have the person imagine a flight of very safe stairs. As I guide them down the stairs, I give many suggestions for being calm, relaxed and comfortable as they go deeper and deeper.

     Each hypnotherapist or hypnotist will have their own techniques for inducting a client in to hypnosis.  Remember, it is the hypnotist's job to lead you in to that relaxed state where you are suggestible.  It is your job to lie back and enjoy the process!

ARE HYPNOSIS AND MEDITATION THE SAME?

   In the next few weeks, I'm going to try to answer some of the many questions people ask me about hypnosis. Some clients ask if meditation and hypnosis are the same.  In both hypnosis and meditation, a person will experience a meditative state.  But there are some significant differences between meditation and hypnosis.  First of all, the focus is different.  In meditation, you are choosing to go inward and focus on yourself.  In hypnosis, a person will be focusing on something outside herself such as a voice or a pendulum or a dot on the wall.  Once the person has focused, whether through meditation or hypnosis, she will enter an altered state. But once in the altered state, the experience is different.  In meditation, the person continued to focus inwardly on herself while in hypnosis the person enters an altered state and then receives suggestions.  Finally, there is a major difference in the goals of the two altered states.  The only goal of meditation is to "be" in the altered state while the goal of hypnosis is to receive suggestions in order to make a change in idea, thought or behavior.

    Many of my new clients know little about hypnosis. So I offer a free consultation so people can ask their questions.  A free consultation gives the client a chance to get questions answered and to be with the hypnotherapist and see if it feels like a good match. Both meditation and hypnosis can be valuable tools in physical, mental and emotional health.  Use those tools and BE WELL!

DEPRESSION AND STROKE RISK

        A study of 80,574 women published in STROKE found that there is a 29% greater risk of stoke in depressed women than in women who were not depressed.  The senior author of the study was Kathryn Rexrode, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.  It is believed that the findings apply to men as well as women though only women participated in the study.

      The researchers believe the possible reason for the increased risk is that depression is linked to increased inflammation. Inflammation is considered a risk factor for strokes.  In addition, people suffering from depression may not take steps to prevent strokes like consistently using prescribed medications or exercising.

      Take heart in knowing that most cases of depression can be treated successfully with psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.  Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy have proven as helpful as antidepressant drugs in treating mild cases of depression.  Seeing your health care provider to get a treatment plan is a first step in getting help for depression.  In some cases, a psychotherapist will refer a depressed client to me for hypnotherapy as an adjunct therapy.  So get help for your depression and lower the risk for stroke.

        A study of 80,574 women published in STROKE found that there is a 29% greater risk of stoke in depressed women than in women who were not depressed.  The senior author of the study was Kathryn Rexrode, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.  It is believed that the findings apply to men as well as women though only women participated in the study.

      The researchers believe the possible reason for the increased risk is that depression is linked to increased inflammation. Inflammation is considered a risk factor for strokes.  In addition, people suffering from depression may not take steps to prevent strokes like consistently using prescribed medications or exercising.

      Take heart in knowing that most cases of depression can be treated successfully with psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.  Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy have proven as helpful as antidepressant drugs in treating mild cases of depression.  Seeing your health care provider to get a treatment plan is a first step in getting help for depression.  In some cases, a psychotherapist will refer a depressed client to me for hypnotherapy as an adjunct therapy.  So get help for your depression and lower the risk for stroke.

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.