Hypnosis Articles and other realated issues.

Scientists are unveiling how the brain works when hypnotized

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/47697/title/The_Mesmerized_Mind

 

Mention hypnosis, and the image that springs to mind is a caped magician swinging a pocket watch, seducing otherwise sensible people into barking like dogs.

Can Hypnosis Snuff Out a Smoker's Cigarette Habit?  9-11-09
Study shows hypnotism is an effective smoking-cessation technique.
By Lindsay Chura, U.S. News & World Report

Smokers trying to quit sometimes use nicotine patches to fight their tobacco dependence. But patches don't work for everyone. Research suggests that patches might be made more effective if used in combination with hypnosis, just as they tend to work better when used in conjunction with professional counseling. A study showed hypnotherapy to be as effective as standard behavioral counseling when combined with nicotine patches in helping smokers to quit and stay off cigarettes for one year.

"This study provides much-needed evidence that hypnosis is indeed a very helpful treatment," says lead author Timothy Carmody. 

During hypnotherapy, Carmody explained, patients are coaxed into a relaxed state and then provided with a series of skills for coping with withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. Patients are given an audiotape of this training to reinforce these messages at home, and over time it is hoped they will gain increased confidence in their ability to stay off cigarettes for the long term.  Hypnotherapy is one of many alternative therapies gaining wider acceptance at some of the nation's best hospitals and medical research institutes. 

The study, conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California-San Francisco, was published in the May 2008 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research. A total of 286 participants were randomly divided and received either hypnosis or standard behavioral counseling aimed at smoking cessation. During standard behavioral counseling, patient and counselor discussed the dangers of smoking and the benefits of quitting. Participants in both groups were seen for two 60-minute sessions and received three 20-minute follow-up calls to reinforce the messages discussed in either the hypnosis or behavioral counseling treatment sessions.  

Alternative medicine is popular but full of holes

MARILYNN MARCHIONE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 13, 2009

"It's self-hypnosis" that can help patients relax, he said. "If you tell yourself you have less pain, you actually do have less pain."

Alternative medicine has become mainstream. It is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals such as the shock-trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Consumer spending on it in some cases rivals that of traditional health care.

Hypnotherapy Helps Patients Cope and Manages Side Effects

The use of hypnotherapy has been examined for the treatment of anticipatory nausea in patients receiving chemotherapy (Marchioro G, et al. Oncology. 2000;59:100-104) as well as for posttreatment nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, hair loss, and mucositis (Richardson J, et al. Eur J Cancer Care. 2007;16:402-412 and Lotfi- Jam K, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2008;26: 5618-5629). For some patients, the trauma of undergoing chemotherapy is so great that they cannot cope with it. Hypnotherapy has served as a valuable tool in helping patients cope with having cancer (Liossi C, White P. Contemporary Hypnosis. 2001;18:145-160 and Alden PA. Contemporary Hypnosis. 1997;14:87-93).
For more info, see: http://www.oncologynursingnews.com/Nontraditional-Modalities-Help-Oncology-Patients-Acupuncture-and-Hypnotherapy/article/126645/

Management of Fibromyalgia Syndrome 
JAMA. 2004;292:2388-2395

The optimal management of fibromyalgia syndrome(FMS) is unclear and comprehensive evidence-based guidelineshave not been reported.Eight sessions of hypnotherapy delivered over 12 weeks improved visual analog scale pain ratings, fatigue,sleep, and global assessment. A third study using hypnoticallyinduced analgesia found that patients experienced less painduring hypnosis than at rest. Subcortical cerebral bloodflow increased in the patients who were treated.

Women & Heart Disease - By Dr. Lisa Tannock

Women often think of heart disease as a "men’s disease." Unfortunately, this is wrong. Cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, are the leading killers of women in the United States, accounting for a third of all deaths. Since 1984, the number of cardiovascular deaths for women has exceeded the number for men. This can be explained by several factors, including under-diagnosis and under-treatment of cardiovascular disease in women compared to men.

In general, women develop heart disease at an older age than men. However, this is not true in the case of women with diabetes. Another common misconception is that people with heart disease will have warning signs in the form of symptoms. About 50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who die of heart disease have no previous symptoms. When women do have symptoms, they are often vague and non-specific complaints such as fatigue, nausea or back discomfort.

Major risk factors for heart disease include high levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol), low levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol), high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes.

IBS Hypnotherapy Therapy - Does It Work?

Hypnotherapy is becoming a common place treatment for many ailments. Some people undergo hypnotherapy for fun, but it can also have medical benefits. The big question is: does hypnotherapy work for IBS? Can IBS Hypnotherapy treatment actually have a long term positive effect on people who suffer from the serious and debilitating disease?

Since 1958 hypnosis has been approved by the American Medical Association as a viable medical treatment option. It is thought that hypnotherapy can be beneficial for IBS sufferers as it is good at relieving stress, and stress is a major contributing factor to the onset of IBS symptoms and signs.

For more info, see: http://www.ibssymptoms.healthadvicesite.com/ibs-hypnotherapy.html