Please accept my apologies if you have already read this article under a different title. The fact that even my good friends missed it made me think it needed a new name and more press. People are experiencing great results using my “Cancer Be Gone” Guided Imagery CD, as you will see.

I still remember an article I read many years ago that said many studies showed that the success of a prescribed drug was impacted by the words the doctor spoke when prescribing it.  If a patient was told “This is a miracle drug.  It will make you well” it was very likely to work wonders.  If, on the other hand, the patient was told “Let’s give this a try.. If you have……… this will help.  Otherwise, we’ll try something else” the treatment was likely to fail. I now know that the placebo effect is well documented and shown to have direct and measurable physiological effects.

I’ve learned about the “Nocebo Effect”.  In Latin this means “I will harm”.  This term refers to the adverse effects of expectations about disease, treatments, and pharmaceuticals. A commonly quoted story is one about a man back in the 1970’s who first won a bout with cancer.  He was later told his cancer had returned and he had only a short time to live.  He did pass away at the prescribed time. An autopsy showed that he did in fact have a minute tumor on his liver that did not kill him.  He died with cancer rather than from cancer.

In June of 2009, a very vibrant, determined  young women, Jessica, was diagnosed with rectal cancer that had already spread to her lungs and liver.  Early on, Jessica made the decision that in spite of her doctor’s dire predictions, she would survive and live a long and healthy life.  The blog her mother created reflects her expectations  http://jessicasvictory.blogspot.com/ She agreed to have chemotherapy and chose not to learn about possible adverse reactions. (This information was shared with her mother who could monitor Jessica’s well being).  She researched and used acupuncture, proper nutrition, guided imagery, and participated in a Tong Ren group led by a healer and acupuncturist for people who were given no hope by their doctors.  She was also given my Guided Imagery CD “Cancer Be Gone” by her oncology nurse at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. 6 months later,  Jessica’s primary tumor was  completely gone!  She remains beautiful, full of life, and her cancer markers are very low.  Many would call her recovery a miracle.

A California man was given two of my guided imagery CD’s (“Cancer Be Gone” and “Peace of Mind”) when he was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer.  He also chose to have chemotherapy.  His course was very difficult but he has been declared cancer free.

How is this possible?  Looking at these situations from a practical standpoint,   1.  Hypnotherapy  allows people to sleep at night.  This alone is so important.  It allows our body to be refreshed and the immune system to be stronger.  2. Hypntherapy reduces stress.  The negative impact of stress on the body’s ability to heal is very well documented in studies done by Dr. Janet Kiecolt Glaser and many others.  3. The messages and suggestions in hypnotherapy are encouraging and create feelings of optimism.  In this case of my CD “Cancer Be Gone”  cancer is compared to weeds in a beautiful garden that are easily managed by removal (surgery) or chemicals (chemotherapy) both of which target only the unhealthy cells.

Let’s look at these simple changes in light of our understanding of the mind’s functions and power.

Have you ever heard it said that we use only 10% of our mind?  This is only partly true.  We have control of only the 5 or 10% of our mind that is our conscious mind. The other 90 to 95% is on autopilot using our beliefs and expectations to call the shots.  The process of guided imagery or hypnotherapy or guided imagery  makes changes at the level of the subconscious mind. Limiting beliefs can be reframed.

Let me share a quote from Bruce Lipton, PhD and Steve Bhaerman’s   book “Spontaneous Evolution”:

“Cells, tissues and organs do not question information sent by the nervous system. Rather they respond with equal fervor to accurate life affirming perceptions and to self-destructive misperceptions. Consequently, the nature of our perceptions greatly influences the fate of our lives.”

The takeaway for me is twofold.  First, those who practice guided imagery and hypnotherapy need to keep up the good work.  Second, huge positive strides could be made in the health care system many now embrace  if health care providers used to our advantage the power of the placebo effect by  choosing  words that truly encourage health and wellness.

Let me ask you this question.  In your life, do you choose PLACEBO or NOCEBO?

I am so disappointed to hear something like this.  As a hypnotherapist, I witness on a daily basis the power of words.  Words can allow the body to heal, or conversely, create the reality of dying from this illness.  We have been aware of both the placebo effect and the nocebo effect for years. In fact, the placebo effect is so strong that pharmaceutical companies fought for years to not disclose the figures about how many healed using a sugar pill.  In Texas a number of years ago, a study was done in which surgery was used to repair knees.  In one group, an incision was made and repairs were done.  In the other group, an incision was made and sutured-nothing more.  And, you guessed it.  The results were just  the same.  The same percentage of those receiving sham surgery healed.

I don’t know how many of the thousands who have used my CD were terminal and beat the odds.  But I do know of two more within my small circle who expected to die and have been declared cancer free.  The mind is so very powerful.

In the interest of supporting people in their healing process and reducing the cost of health care, even if doctors choose not to take full advantage of the placebo effect, how about toning down the scare tactics and at least do no harm.

Nicholas Kristoff has an op-ed piece in the New York Times announcing that the President’s Cancer Panel is doing just that.  “I’ve read an advance copy of the report and it’s an extraordinary document.  It calls on America to rethink the way we confront Cancer, including much more rigorous regulation of chemicals”  This is wonderful.

The article goes on to say that there are 80,000  only a few hundred have been tested for safety. “Many known or suspected carcinogens are completely unregulated.”

The report makes the following suggestions:

Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Avoid meats that are cooked well-done.

Check radon levels in your home.

Filter drinking water.

Use glass for warming in the microwave.

Please take a moment to read Nicholas’ article and let’s watch for the release of this report.

New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer

I still remember an article I read many years ago that said many studies showed that the success of a prescribed drug was impacted by the words the doctor spoke when prescribing it. If a patient was told “This is a miracle drug. It will make you well” it was very likely to work wonders. If, on the other hand, the patient was told “Let’s try this out. If you have……… this will help. Otherwise, we’ll try something else” the treatment was likely to fail. I now know that the placebo effect is well documented and shown to have direct and measurable physiological effects.

I’ve learned about the “Nocebo Effect”. In Latin this means “I will harm”. This term refers to the adverse effects of expectations about disease, treatments, and pharmaceuticals. A commonly quoted story is one about a man back in the 1970’s who first won a bout with cancer. He was later told his cancer had returned and he had only a short time to live. He did pass away at the prescribed time. An autopsy showed that he did have a minute tumor on his liver that did not kill him. He died with cancer rather than from cancer.

In June of this year, a very vibrant, determined young women, Jessica, was diagnosed with rectal cancer that had already spread to her lungs and liver. Early on, Jessica made the decision that in spite of her doctor’s dire predictions, she would survive and live a long and healthy life. The blog her mother created reflects her expectations http://jessicasvictory.blogspot.com/ She agreed to have chemotherapy and chose not to learn about possible adverse reactions. (This information was shared with her mother who could monitor Jessica’s well being). She researched and used acupuncture, proper nutrition, guided imagery, and participated in a Tong Ren group led by a healer and acupuncturist for people who were given no hope by their doctors. She was also given my Guided Imagery CD “Cancer Be Gone” by her oncology nurse at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. 6 months have now passed and Jessica’s primary tumor is completely gone! She remains beautiful, full of life, and her cancer markers are very low. Many would call her a miracle.

A California man was given two of my guided imagery CD’s (“Cancer Be Gone” and “Peace of Mind”) when he was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer. He also chose to have chemotherapy. His course was very difficult but he has been declared cancer free.

How is this possible? Looking at these situations from a practical standpoint, 1. guided imagery allows people to sleep at night. This alone is  important. It allows our body to be refreshed and the immune system to be stronger. 2. Guided Imagery reduces stress. The negative impact of stress on the body’s ability to heal is very well documented in studies done by Dr. Janet Kiecolt Glaser and many others. 3. The messages and suggestions in guided imagery are encouraging and create feelings of optimism. In this particular situation, cancer is compared to weeds in a beautiful garden that are easily managed by removal (surgery) or chemicals (chemotherapy) that target only the unhealthy cells.

Let’s look at these simple changes in light of our understanding of the mind’s functions and power.

Have you ever heard it said that we use only 10% of our mind? This is only partly true. We have control of only the 5 or 10% of our mind that is our conscious mind. The other 90 to 95% is on autopilot using our beliefs and expectations to call the shots. The process of guided imagery or hypnotherapy makes changes at the level of the subconscious mind. Limiting beliefs can be reframed.

Let me share a quote from Bruce Lipton, PhD and Steve Bhaerman’s new book “Spontaneous Evolution”:

“Cells, tissues and organs do not question information sent by the nervous system. Rather they respond with equal fervor to accurate life affirming perceptions and to self-destructive misperceptions. Consequently, the nature of our perceptions greatly influences the fate of our lives.”

The takeaway for me is twofold. First, those who practice guided imagery and hypnotherapy need to keep up the good work. Second, huge positive strides could be made in the health care system many now embrace if health care providers used to our advantage the power of the placebo effect by choosing words that truly encourage health and wellness.

Let me ask you this question. In your life, do you choose PLACEBO or NOCEBO?

]]> http://www.acmswellness.com/blog/expanded-text-nocebo-vs-placebo.php/feed 0 http://www.acmswellness.com/blog/nocebo-or-placebo.php http://www.acmswellness.com/blog/nocebo-or-placebo.php#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:41:18 +0000 Sharon O'Connor, RN http://www.acmswellness.com/blog/?p=304 Continue reading →]]>

I still remember an article I read many years ago that said many studies showed that the success of a prescribed drug was impacted by the words the doctor spoke when prescribing it. If a patient was told, “This is a miracle drug. It will make you well,” it was very likely to work wonders. If, on the other hand, the patient was told, “Let’s try this out. If you have……… this will help. Otherwise, we’ll try something else,” the treatment was likely to fail.

I now know the placebo effect is well documented and shown to have direct and measurable physiological effects.

I then learned about the “Nocebo Effect.” In Latin this means “I will harm.” This term refers to the adverse effects of expectations about disease, treatments, and pharmaceuticals. A commonly quoted story is about a man who lived in the 1970s who first won a bout with cancer. He was later told his cancer had returned and he had only a short time to live. He did pass away at the prescribed time. An autopsy showed that he did in fact have a minute tumor on his liver but it did not kill him.

In June of this year, a very vibrant, determined young woman, Jessica, was diagnosed with rectal cancer that had already spread to her lungs and liver. Early on, Jessica made the decision that in spite of her doctor’s dire predictions, she would survive and live a long and healthy life. The blog her mother created — Jessica’s Victory — reflects her expectation. She agreed to have chemotherapy and chose not to learn about possible adverse reactions. (This information was shared with her mother who could monitor Jessica’s well being). She researched and used acupuncture, proper nutrition, guided imagery, and participated in a Tong Ren group led by a healer and acupuncturist for people who were given no hope by their doctors. She was also given my Guided Imagery CD “Cancer Be Gone” by her oncology nurse at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Six months have now passed and Jessica’s primary tumor is completely gone! She remains beautiful, full of life, and her cancer markers are very low. Many would call her a miracle.

Let me ask you this question. In your life, do you choose PLACEBO or NOCEBO?

This will of course have an effect on the economics of smoking.  Thus, it will be probably be hotly contested by some.

Dr. David M. Burns, retired medical professor at University of CA, an antismoking activist, has released a summary of his findings which are not yet published by a peer review journal.  (In light of Merck and the disclosure of other instances of $$$ incentives,  I would ask ‘who cares?’)

Dr. Burn’s contention is that the curing process used here in the US increases the level of a known carcinogen called nitrosamines.  Over the past 50 years, the rate of the most common type of lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, has continued to rise in the United States.

According to the Times numbers, 400,000 Americans die each year of lung cancer.  In addition to the personal suffering, think of how this impacts the cost of health care.

“You really can’t work on something that is going to kill a billion people in this century and not be an advocate for tobacco control”  according to Dr. Michael J. Thune, American Cancer Society.

Dr. Skirts Rule to Sway Tobacco Bill

Today’s New York Times has an article about cancers “going away”.  We are talking about respected organizations reporting;  The study was conducted by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a researcher at the VA Outcomes Group in White River Junction, VT, and Dartmouth Medical School.

Here is the whole article Study Suggests Some Cancers May Go Away. Basically, it talks about women who have had regular mammograms having 22% more cancers than others over a 6 year period.

This could be huge.  Instead of jumping into aggressive, fear based treatments, this could be a vote for “watchful waiting”.

Also, how about using another evidence based modality such as Guided Imagery in the form of my CD’s?

“Cancer Be Gone” compares cancer to weeds in a beautiful garden which can be easily removed. How about empowering the mind body connection to enhance the body’s ability to make the cancer go away?

This is a wonderful finding.  Remember when AIDS patients were terminal??