You may already know that I am confident my work can make a difference in health, wellness and ultimately, reduce the cost of health care. The challenge is making it accessible to enough people to make a significant impact.  To that end, I have developed a program for employers and health insurance companies which offers convenient and affordable access to my recordings. If you think about it, employers pay the vast majority of health (or illness) related expenses in terms of health care premiums, turnover, presenteeism, and Worker’s Compensation claims.

If you haven’t already seen my Press Release, please read the MSNBC version. There is a link, user name and password and I welcome you to download any recordings that would be helpful to you.

Sound Mind Sound Body Corporate Wellness Plan

Jenn, a 12 year old came for a visit because she had abdominal pain each morning that prevented her from going to school.

If you are a parent, you may have faced a similar situation. Your son or daughter seems fine until it’s time to go to school. Then, he or she complains about a stomach ache. Or, even more dramatic, vomits. What do you do?

1. Be aware and supportive. Is something going on at school that needs to be addressed? The belly is rich with nerve endings and can provide us valuable information about what is or isn’t working in our lives.

2. Is there a physical/organic issue? This of course needs to be ruled out.

3. Consider hypnotherapy to manage the underlying stress and allow the subconscious to send more subtle messages.

Psychosomatic illnesses do start in the mind, but, they are not under our conscious control. The subconscious is powerful and wise and has a reason for creating a situation that cannot be ignored. Anxiety expressed in a manner such as I’ve described is an excessive response to a situation and  responds very quickly to hypnotherapy.

Adam both and and the 12 year old girl were helped with just one private session. Adam’s panics went away and he goes to school each day now. Jenn, the 12 year old has made such comments as “It’s weird. I’m happy now!” She goes to school each day. Her family wrote to say that she looks as if the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulders.

And, I am a happy woman to be able to enhance the lives of these two children!

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?

Do we really need a study to confirm this? How about anecdotal “evidence”.  Over the years, have you ever known couples who try forever to become pregnant. as soon as they throw in the proverbial towel and adopt, they become pregnant.

How about going back to the basic physiology of stress, or the fight or flight response. Does it make sense to bring another child into a world in which there is stress? In earlier times, that stress could be lack of food or abundance of predators.  Therefore, in times of stress, the reproductive system shuts down.

Yes,  it has been apparent to me for years that stress has a powerful impact on a woman’s ability to become a mother.

Being a certified hypnotherapist, I work very successfully with woman who are too anxious to conceive .  There are studies that show hypnotherapy can double to success rate of IVF. It’s my contention that in many instances, using relaxation techniques such as Guided Imagery and Hypnotherapy as the first step would eliminate the need for fertility treatments altogether.

I have a much loved and very effective Guided Imagery CD “Fertility Enhancement for Couples”.Are you willing to invest $18.00 to feel relaxed and move toward a healthy pregnancy in a healthy way?

New York Times Article  “Old Maxim of Fertility and Stress is Reversed“

We are well aware of the need to balance caloric intake and exercise, but clearly, more changes are necessary.

Let me share some things I have learned about weight control.

1. In our culture the word “lose” has a negative connotation. We don’t really want to “lose” anything.  A much better way to define our goal  is to “attain our ideal weight” Words have power.

2. There is a powerful emotional component to overeating and being overweight.  Many people eat in response to an uncomfortable emotion. In my hypnotherapy practice, I help people identify their emotions and satisfy them in an appropriate way. When they feel a need to eat, I ask them to stop to identify whether or not they are feeling true physical hunger. If they are, they choose a nutrition packed snack. If not, they determine what emotion they are feeling and choose a healthy coping mechanism. If they are bored, they find something to do; anxious, take some deep breaths or maybe exercise.

3. The second part of the emotional component is that the subconscious mind sometimes uses fat as a blanket of protection.  I have observed in my own practice that many obese people have been physically or sexually abused as children. Some of my clients have done extremely well using hypnotherapy to allow them to feel safe without that insulation.

4. People need a good night’s sleep to be at their ideal weight. If we are tired, we have more cravings.  Without adequate, deep sleep, the hormone Leptin which allows us to feel satisfied is not produced properly.  Know what works for you to manage stress and sleep soundly most nights.

5. Overweight people can have an obstructed airway  which can lead to sleep apnea.  These people  seldom get a good night’s sleep.  If you snore, it’s really important to be screened for sleep apnea.

6. There is far less nutritional value in our food supply than in the past as a result of depleted soils and the over processing of foods.   We eat a lot of food and lots of empty calories but receive inadequate  nutritional value.   We  need to continue eating since our body truly does need nutrients. Do some research and make wise food choices based on what is available to you locally.

The work I do as a certified hypnotherapist can help with some of these challenges.  n addition to private sessions, I have a wonderful, preloaded MP-3 player “Oasis of Comfort”which has hypnotherapy scripts for stress management, changing habits, sleeping well,  along physical and emotional comfort.  It is totally portable and provides  positive thoughts to go. Available at Amazon.com or my website for just $29.95 plus shipping and handling.

I’d love to hear about your journey to a fit and trim, healthy body.

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

If we are committed to resolving the current state of health care funding in the US,  how about taking full advantage of the placebo effect?  We’ve know for years that exists and may be responsible for a huge percentage of healing that takes place.

In the New York Times Opinionator, Olivia Judson wrote a short but good article about this.  She begins by saying “The placebo effect is, potentially, one of the most powerful forces in medicine.  The challenge is to harness that power in a reliable and systematic way”.  That is certainly true.  I can bear witness to its effectiveness.

In summary, she says  “It’s time we stopped treating the placebo effect as a nuisance-something that rational humans shouldn’t have. Instead, we must learn to purposefully enhance its power.”

Enhancing the  Placebo Effect

After all, what is our goal? To allowing healing to happen or earn a fortune prescribing tests and medicine?

An editorial in today’s New York Times shares information about government funded clinical trials for cancer treatments. Keep in mind how critical these studies are for a number of reasons.  I don’t need to remind you of the incidence of cancer in our culture and the emotional toll it takes. The NIH trials should provide unbiased information  to guide patients and doctors when choosing treatment options.

Apparently, it takes an average of 2 1/2 years to navigate the cumbersome, bureaucratic system system to gain approval for a clinical trial.  “A typical trial must navigate past dozens of overlapping reviews by different boards and agencies that must approve the original concept of the trial and then the protocol that will govern how it is conducted before the investigators can start enrolling patients”  A second challenge is that the investigators may not be paid for the full cost of the study.

Dr. John Mendelsohn of the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston offered some suggestions. I’m on board with setting deadlines for each step in the process.  Giving them more money??  Should we continue to reward less than optimal results?

Why do I talk about these situations in the same breath?   It’s OUR money.  While millions of people are struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, our tax dollars are being squandered.  Remember that word??

Check out Faltering Cancer Trials