MISOPHONIA AND HYPNOTHERAPY

Does the sound of listening to someone eat or even breathe really bother you.?  Anger and even high levels of anxiety to such everyday sounds may indicate you have a condition called misophonia.  Michelle R. Berman, MD, editor of the medical information site CelebrityDiagnosis.com,  has explained that misophonia usually begins at the ages of 10 to 12.  It has been observed that the closer the emotional relationship between the person reacting to a noise and the person creating the sound, the stronger the reaction level.  

     Though most experts believe misophonia cannot be cured, there are a number of treatments including, antianxiety medication, habituation therapy and cognitive therapy.  This is an issue I have worked with a number of times using hypnotherapy.  In almost every case, the client was around 10 or 11.  The cases did tend to involve the eating or breathing of a family member.  In most cases, the family member was a parent.  In one case, I recall, it was a sibling.  

    Though misophonia cannot be cured, it is certainly worth trying a treatment to relieve the symptoms.  Hypnotherapy can be of particular value because it is brief therapy and does not involve medications.  If those intimate sounds connected with eating and breathing are bothering you or a loved one, seek help and BE WELL,

REFRAMING: MAKING OLD SITUATIONS NEW WITH HYPNOSIS

      Have you ever been to a yard sale or flea market and seen an old oil painting that you liked?  Perhaps the frame is beautiful and appealing.  But often an old painting has an ugly dark frame that makes the painting dreary and unattractive.  If you love the painting, you might buy it and decide to reframe the painting in something brighter and more appealing. 

      Sometimes situations and circumstances in our lives our limited by the frames of our thoughts, ideas and attitudes.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to change the perception of the situations and circumstances to make positive changes.  You can use hypnosis to reframe a situation by reframing your thoughts about it.  It can help you to have a new positive perspective about a situation in your life. 

     A qualified hypnotherapist can help you reframe situations that you have been unable to change by yourself.  With hypnosis you can reframe your choices to choose to eat healthy foods, be comfortable speaking in public, stop smoking, exercise more or sleep through the night.  Make your life brighter and more appealing by using hypnosis to reframe old ideas, attitudes and thoughts that are keeping you from having the life of your dreams.

APPETITE CONTROL THROUGH EXERCISE

     James LeCheminant, PhD, and associate professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, did a study of 35 women who had brain scans to figure out how their brains responded to pictures of food.  One group of scans was done after the women walked briskly on a treadmill for 45 minutes.  A second study was completed of their brains without having the women exercise first.  LeCheminant's study found that when the women had just exercised, the brain responses to the pictures of food, which were considered a marker of appetite, were reduced.  Dieting to control your weight can be difficult if you are not exercising.  Reduce your desire to eat by doing moderate exercise.  And remember, a hypnotherapy session can be a great motivator to get moving!

MEDICAL HYPNOSIS

    Guy Montgomery, director of the Integrative Behavioral Medicine program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and the leader of many studies on use of hypnosis for medical reasons once said, "Hypnosis is like a good kid with a bad reputation.  Everybody is interested, but in the back of their minds, they're thinking of Bela Lugosi."  Many people have images of hypnosis based on old movies, tv shows and comedy club hypnosis performances.  Sometimes I will meet with a first time client and they will joke, "I don't want to bark like a dog, quack like a duck or cluck like a chicken."  But people with illnesses also ask if hypnosis can be used for medical issues.

    The good news is that hypnosis used for therapeutic purposes can be a valuable tool to give clients more control over their bodies.  Over the past few years increasing studies have been done on hypnosis for medical issues. Studies have shown diminished side effects from chemotherapy after using hypnotherapy.  Medical situations such as high blood pressure, asthma attacks, hot flashes and migraine headaches have been shown to improve with the use of hypnotherapy.

     In 2012, two Swedish studies found that symptoms of irritable-bowel syndrome (IBS) eased 40% in patients after a one hour a week hypnotherapy session for twelve weeks.  The researchers reported that the positive effects could last as long as twelve weeks after the hypnotherapy.

    Over the years, I have worked with cancer patients.  These people often undergo grueling treatments including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.  These patients often work with me not only to control pain but also to control the anxiety that goes with the treatment and a frightening diagnosis. David Spiegel, a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Health and Stress at Stanford University who has studied hypnosis for 40 years, noted that "We can teach people how to manage pain and anxiety."

    Hospitals are using medial hypnosis as part of a broad program of services for their patients.  Tanya Edwards, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic says that about half of the center's patients are referred, particularly by primary-care physicians, gastroenterologists and primary care physicians.

   Anxiety is often an underlying problem for medical issues.  Even taking the medical tests can provoke extreme anxiety in some people.  Having an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a painless procedure unless you have a fear of enclosed spaces.  MRIs are confining and the loud banging, clanging sounds that are a part of the procedure can also cause discomfort. A bronchioscope pushed down the throat in a lung exam can be frightening as can an instrument inserted to go down your throat in an upper-GI endoscopy.  A hypnotherapy session before the test could make this much easier on the patient.

    From trying to conceive, to dealing with nausea, to delivery, hypnobirthing is a specialty of  medical hypnosis. Another specialty is dental hypnosis which is particularly valuable to patients who are phobic and have avoided the dentist for years. Preparing for surgery by doing a hypnosis session can be very valuable as well.

    In my practice, I always ask for a medical referral before working on a medical issue.  Sometimes people come in and say, "I'm having headaches.  Can you do a session for me?"  I always say that I would be happy to work with them on referral from their medical practitioner.  I certainly don't want to help disguise a serious medical issue such as a brain tumor.

    If you or a loved one has a medical issue, call a hypnotherapist to see how hypnosis could help you deal with the issue so you can BE WELL.

LACK OF SLEEP INCREASES RISK OF STROKE

     Do you regularly sleep less than six hours per night?  Research reported by postdoctoral fellow in psychology, Megan Ruiter, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that normal body weight adults who slept less than six hours nightly were four times more likely to have a stroke than people who got seven or eight hours of sleep each night.  The researchers followed 5,666 people age 45 and older who had no history of stroke or sleep apnea.  The researchers were monitoring these people for weakness on one side of the body and other stroke symptoms and identified the lack of sleep as increasing the risk of stroke.

     The researchers theorize that less than six hours per night of sleep can trigger high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Both of those are established stroke risk factors.  If you almost always sleep less than six hours each night, it's time to talk to your doctor.  Remember that hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in dealing with insomnia.  See your doctor, see a hypnotherapist.  Get more than six hours per night of good sleep and Be Well.

PREVENT AND REVERSE MALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

      If you are male and are experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED), know that the top way to prevent this health issue is the same way as to reduce heart disease.  ED results from diminished blood flow.  It can be an early warning sign for heart disease.  In fact, studies show that men who have ED, are 80% more likely to develop heart disease than men who do not have ED.

     So what can a mean do to prevent or reverse erectile dysfunction?  The answer is the same as preventing heart disease.  To protect yourself from these issues, exercise regularly, keep blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol under control, and maintain a healthy weight by eating a healthy diet.  To make these changes, you may need help.  Your doctor can give you a plan and any medications you need.  To get motivated, check out hypnotherapy.  It can help you get well, stay well and prevent sexual dysfunction.  Get help and BE WELL.

MORE BAD NEWS FOR SODA DRINKERS

     In earlier posts, I have reported on some of the health risks of drinking sugar-sweetened sodas and low and no-sugar sodas.  Studies first linked consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas to increased risk for diabetes, coronary artery disease, weight gain, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  In 2012 researchers at Harvard University and Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute reported on a study of soda consumption of more than 100,000 men and women over more than 20 years.  This study found that regular consumption on a daily basis of either sugar-sweetened or diet sodas increases stroke risk by about 16%.

    Adam Bernstein, MD, one of the authors of the study noted that the researchers really don't have a good explanation for the biological mechanism causing the finding.  He did note that one study suggested that the caramel coloring in some sodas might be contributing to the problem though the findings are preliminary.

    If you're worried about giving up caffein, coffee and tea do not increase stroke risk.  This may be because of the antioxidants in those drinks.  So now you have another reason to think about substituting some other drink such as water, skim milk, coffee or tea instead of sodas. 

    I have had several clients come in over the years who were concerned about the health risks of sodas and used hypnotherapy to quit drinking them.  Hypnosis can be a valuable tool to help you quit drinking sodas and BE WELL.

HYPNOTHERAPY CAN HELP WITH PHOBIAS

     Do you know what the most common anxiety disorder is?  The answer may surprise you.  Phobias are the most common affecting up to 14% of Americans during their lifetimes.  The word phobia comes from the Greek word phobos which means mortal fear.  If you are extremely anxious about flying, being in an elevator or exposed to heights, your life may be limited by these fears.  A phobia is considered to be an unreasonable and persistent fear that limits the person's ability to freely socially interact, work or play.  Sufferers with phobias will often make unreasonable or irrational choices in order to avoid that fear.

      Some people suffer with phobias by simple avoidance which often limits their lives.  Others become so uncomfortable by the physical symptoms that often often occur with phobias.  When such symptoms as shortness of breath, trembling, rapid heart beat and the strong desire to flee become too strong, they take medications like alprazolam (Xanax)  or clonazepam (Klonapin).  

     Be aware there are other treatments to reduce the severity of a phobia or even help it to disappear.  Therapy can be a non-medication way to treat phobias.  Your medical doctor may be able to recommend a mental-health professional who works with clients suffering from phobias.  There are a number of different therapies, including talk therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and exposure therapy.

      Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to alleviate or eliminate your phobia. You can free yourself from the limitations caused by phobias.  Hypnotherapy is brief therapy.  I work with most phobics only one time and allow the client to record the session for reinforcement at home.  Get the help you need, free yourself and Be Well. 

HYPNOTHERAPY EASES IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS)

      Magnus Simren, MD, professor of gastroenterology, The Sahlgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reported on research to test the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as a treatment on 346 IBS patients.  The study found that symptoms were reduced for 40% of patients receiving one hour of hypnotherapy once a week for twelve weeks.  In addition, this positive effect was reported to last for one to seven years.  It is believed that the hypnotherapy is of value because IBS patients learn to control their symptoms through hypnotic suggestion and deep relaxation.

     I believe that most hypnotherapists will require a medical referral before beginning sessions for IBS.  Talk to your medical doctor, find a qualified hypnotherapist and you, too, may be able to ease IBS with hypnotherapy 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.

BEST WISHES OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

     This is the last weekend before Christmas and the beginning of a busy holiday season for all of us.  I will be in the office on Monday and then will not return until Jan. 6.  I will check phone messages.  If you want to schedule an appointment early in the new year, please call at 703 323-0690 and leave a message and I will return your call.  January usually gets very busy as people reinforce their new year's resolutions, so call early to get on the schedule.  Thanks to all those for the interest and support of all who have followed this blog.  I wish you the very happiest of holidays and a wonderful 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.

THANKSGIVING 2013

     Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  How quickly we seem to move from one holiday to the next.  I just want to let each of my followers know how much I appreciate you.  I am very thankful for the interest you have shown in the blog, hypnotherapy and in my practice.  This is a wonderful time of the year to truly think about those things for which we are thankful.  I know that some of you are going through very difficult times.  It can be hard to focus in the middle of pain.  But, please, take a moment to reflect on your life and things for which you can be thankful.  If you are reading this, you are alive and you are literate - certainly things for which to be thankful.  Examine your life for all the positives, rather than focusing on the negatives.  Thinking of you with hopes you will BE WELL and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

BETTER SLEEP? LOSE WEIGHT

     Another reason to get a good night's sleep - a study published in 2012 in ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE reported that you need to get a good night's sleep if you are trying to lose weight.  The researchers found that dieters who got only five and a half hours of sleep per night lost 55% less fat than those who slept for eight and a half hours.  It is believed the reason for this is that dieters who slept fewer hours had a higher level of ghrelin which is a hormone that promotes hunger. 

     Insomnia and weight loss are two issues often treated with hypnotherapy.  If you are dealing with a chronic lack of sleep or are trying to lose weight, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to make those changes.  Sleep well, lose weight, and 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.

KEEP YOUR HEART HEALTHY

     Do you sit for long periods at a time?  A century ago most men and women had very active daily lives.  Many men worked on farms or in factories and physically demanding jobs requiring a lot of movement.  Many women were homemakers with much more demanding housework than most of us do today.  Today a great many people sit for long periods of time.  Many have desk jobs at work where they sit in front of a computer for many hours a day.  Others, like myself, sit with a client hour after hour with little movement except to walk one client to the door and greet the next.  Evenings are often filled with more computer work or relaxing with a book or television.  This lifestyle will not keep your heart healthy.

       A study of 4,512 adults by researchers at University College London and University of Queensland, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute and Edith Cowan University, all in Australia was published in JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY. The researchers reported that those who spent at least two hours a day sitting in front of a screen compared with those who had less than two daily hours of screen time, were twice as likely to have some type of cardiovascular event such as a heart attack.  The findings were even more frightening for those who sat at a computer or in front of a television screen for four or more hours a day.  It was reported that those people were 48% more likely to died during the four-year study regardless of how much exercise they did.

    Exercise is simply not enough to keep our hearts healthy.  We need to take frequent breaks at work and when we are sitting at home watching tv or on the computer. Hypnotherapy can be used as a tool for motivation to add frequent breaks and movement into our lives daily so that we can Be Well.