Yes, health insurance and Medicare help many people get the medical care they need. The flip side is, the third party payment system is responsible for much of our health care funding crisis. Why do I say this?  To begin with, many  people make decisions about their health care based on whether or not insurance will pay  rather than evaluating whether or not the care or test is appropriate  and balancing the risk versus benefit.  Additionally, since they don’t consider insurance dollars to be their own, they are less likely to pay attention to the billing.

In the case of Dr. Sheth, even if the billing agencies, the Insurance Companies, and Medicare missed the warning signs, each and every patient should have received an EOB (Explanation of Benefits of the equivalent) and seen payments to a doctor they never even saw.   People seem to forget that everyone who pays health insurance premiums or taxes is paying insurance bills, whether they are legitimate or not.

“Solving” the funding challenges around health care funding need to focus on education, awareness, patient advocacy, empowerment, and wellness.  People need to have good information and use common sense when making choices about every aspect of both their health care and life style choices.  Does it make sense that we can thrive on processed foods that come in boxes and have lots high fructose corn syrup?  How about diet soda? We know the value of exercise.  How many people exercise regularly?  How about doctors’ recommendations for testing and care?   Information and common sense are critical. If you doubt what I am saying about the importance of being aware and your own advocate, check out “Death By Medicine“.

Begin today.  Learn more about nutrition, exercise, healthy lifestyles, reducing stress and any diagnoses you may have received.  The ball is in YOUR COURT. Grab it and run with it.

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.

A number of years ago, I had dental surgery which did not heal properly. The site had been contaminated with Klebsiella pneumoniae which required several surgeries and 7 months to heal.  Did I sue?? No. I couldn’t bring myself to participate in this unpleasant system.  I have no idea how many other people had a similar experience because I did nothing. Recently, my friend’s husband died. He had elective surgery with no scheduled follow up. He  called his doctor’s office reporting unexpected symptoms and was given an appointment 3 weeks out.  He called again and again but he died two days before his appointment. Is his widow going to sue?  No.  Too much of an emotional drain.  Trust me. I get it.

From the standpoint of ethics, both of us have made the wrong decision.  A deciding factor in making an ethical decision is considering  how many people will be harmed by the decision.  As an ER nurse, it was important to weigh a patient’s right to confidentiality vs. public safety. In the case of significantly compromised doctors, how many will be hurt if a hospital or medical society intercedes?  Probably one: the doctor.  (This could even be a turning point for the doctor if he or she seeks treatment.) What about if he or she continues to practice? How many patients will be affected?  It’s unknown but it seems safe to assume the potential exists to harm to more than one patient.

Does the answer lie in  more regulation or oversight?  Maybe.  Reading this study reinforces my belief that patients  need to be aware, diligent with research and be their  own advocate when making decisions about health care.  What do you think?

My other friend, Elise, developed back pain on a Friday evening. It was so severe, she couldn’t even walk.  Although  she routinely uses acupuncture, chiropractic and hypnotherapy, she opted to go to the local ER because of the severity. She had X-rays, a CT Scan, was diagnosed with muscle spasms and admitted for two nights on IV pain medication.  On Monday, she visited me for a hypnotherapy session.  She limped up the stairs, obviously still experiencing a lot of pain.  After one hour, she walked out much more comfortably,  showing significant improvement.  Later, she visited an acupuncturist and got total relief. She later told me she got more relief from the acupuncturist and my hypnotherapy session than she did from her hospital visit.

Let’s compare the outcomes and costs:

Joan was incapacitated for about 6 hours and spent $175.00 for relief.

Elise was in pain for 72 hours.  She spent the same $175.00 for the acupuncture and hypnotherapy. (This is small town USA, not NYC).  But, her insurance company got stuck with a much larger bill for the care that essentially didn’t work.  Elise doesn’t know just how much that bill was because the insurance company and hospital didn’t share that information with her.   I do know that the average hospital stay is now $2,300.00 a day.  So, it is likely that those who pay insurance premiums, or taxes,  spent $4,600.00 for this one stay.

Traditional, Western medicine is very useful in many cases which require acute care.  But, doesn’t it make sense for us to empower ourselves by researching other evidence based options which can have far better outcomes, fewer side effects and save significant amounts of money?

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.

People come to me as a last resort. Few people think “I’m feeling scared,  anxious  blocked, fill in the blank…….let me all a hypnotherapist.” No, they usually exhaust all other options before calling me.  After all, here in the USA, we assume that Western Medicine is the answer.  That’s one reason our health care costs are prohibitive.

After all else has failed, they come to me. As an example, parents sought help for their 8 year old selectively autistic son.  The boy had never spoken to a teacher which posed a huge problem with his education.  A psychiatrist dismissed him after one year saying there was nothing he could do.  The child’s Dad had misgivings which I asked that he not share.  I saw this child 3 times ($75) per visit and the problem was resolved.  A simple, handwritten note of thanks when his Dad paid the bill spoke volumes.

A wonderful, caring Mom brought her 9 yer old son who had a problem with bed wetting. He was due to go to Conservation Camp with his class which would be impossible.  Now, keep in mind, he was a really “Good boy” in his Mom’s words.  Hypnotherapy turned out to be the perfect intervention.  As a very young boy, just out of his crib, Mom had told him to stay in bed.  He did just that.  a simple clarification of her statement in hypnosis proved to be the answer.

A 35 year old woman came to see me.  She had a traumatic childhood  and then as a young adult was in a very serious car accident.  “I am tired of being a prisoner of fear” she said.  She hadn’t mentioned to me that, in addition to her fear of driving,  she had not slept through the  night since her early childhood.  After her first session, she fell asleep easily and slept through the night.  That has now continued for 5 years.

Others have come with habits such as nail biting, hair pulling, smoking, biting the inside of cheeks.  These are simply things people do in response to an uncomfortable emotion.  Hypnotherapy allows us to access the subconscious mind, resolve the underlying issue and ask that a more healthy messaging system be put into place.

How could hypnotherapy help you??

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