Get Healthier With Hypnosis

Don't miss any Bottom Line Secrets. Add our address, bottomlinesecrets@news.bottomlinepublishing.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. April 17, 2011 Prescription Drugs to Avoid Like the Plague Get Hypnotized, Get Healthier No Plunger? No Problem. Secret to Unplugging Your Toilet Traveling with Teens Can Be Fun (Yes, Fun!) Erase Tumors in 2 Months Dear healthwellness82@gmail.com, Did you know that hypnosis can help your health? Whether you have chronic pain, a fear of flying or even an addiction you’re fighting, hypnotherapist Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, associate professor of family and social medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, will tell you how today’s safe, scientifically proven hypnosis therapy can help heal your body and mind. Turn the next family vacation you take with your teens -- children or grandchildren -- into the trip of a lifetime. Susan Farewell, from the travel information Web site FarewellTravels.com, explores the best travel packages with cool outdoor activities both your teens and you will love -- and the best teen-friendly towns and cities where all of you can have fun. All the best, Jessica Kent Editor BottomLineSecrets.com Prescription Drugs to Avoid Like the Plague Some drugs are just so bad that you should avoid them at all costs. If your physician won't prescribe a safer alternative -- or let you use a natural remedy -- then run (do not walk) to one who will. What kinds of drugs? Widely used antibiotic so dangerous to your kidneys that up to 28% of people who use it develop some impairment. This former rat poison is now touted as a cure-all for everything from dental problems to bone loss. Banned in Japan and Europe, it's unavoidable here in the US -- unless the proper precautions are taken. Widely prescribed drug for high blood pressure that is so dangerous, it should be used only as a last-ditch effort if nothing else works for you. Popular osteoporosis drug is just a rehashed version of an older one that built bone of such poor quality, the number of breaks actually increased, not to mention side effects, such as permanent damage to the esophagus and kidneys, stress, diarrhea, constipation, fever, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, rashes, headaches and muscle pain. Read on... Get Hypnotized, Get Healthier Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH Hear the word "hypnosis" and you may think of a stage show -- a guy in a turban dangling a pocket watch and making you cluck like a chicken or behave in some other silly and uncharacteristic way. This is not at all what modern hypnotherapy is like. Reality: Ericksonian hypnosis (named after American psychiatrist Milton Erickson, who pioneered the techniques used today) is a collaboration between you and a trained health-care practitioner that can help you achieve specific health goals. Hypnotherapy does not use commands, such as, "Now you will do what I say." Instead, the practitioner offers gentle, nonauthoritative suggestions when you are in a highly relaxed state. The idea behind hypnosis is that there is no separation between body and mind -- so you can access the healing potential of the unconscious mind to move yourself in a healthful direction. Unlike classical hypnosis, which works on only a small subset of highly suggestible people, Ericksonian hypnosis can help almost anyone -- though it is most effective for those who are motivated and accepting of treatment. Help from HYPNOSIS Research shows that hypnotherapy helps treat a variety of physical and psychological problems, including... Anxiety Chronic pain Insomnia Irritable bowel syndrome (recurring bouts of diarrhea and/or constipation) Menopausal hot flashes Nausea Overeating Phobias, such as claustrophobia or fear of flying Sugar addiction Tobacco addiction. Examples: One study found that a single 15-minute hypnosis session significantly decreased pain and anxiety in women under­going breast cancer surgery -- and, for unknown reasons, also shortened the procedure time in the operating room. In another study, 68% of women with menopausal hot flashes showed reduced symptom severity and frequency, as well as decreased insomnia, after hypnosis. How it works. Everybody has chatter in the conscious mind that can get in the way of healthful behaviors, such as controlling consumption of sweets or not panicking in an elevator. Hypnosis quiets the conscious mind so your unconscious can come in and say, "Wait a minute, we’re trying to be healthier here" -- making it easier to turn down that donut or stay calm in the elevator. Hypnosis relieves physical symptoms, such as pain or hot flashes, by reducing stress hormones that contribute to physical ailments. Hypnosis by itself does not cure the problem -- rather, it creates a heightened state of awareness that opens the way for your own willingness to bring about the desired changes. Hypnotherapy can focus on symptom reduction... strategies for coping with stress... resolution of personal problems... and/or personality development. WHAT TO EXPECT IN TREATMENT Typically, the first session with a hypnotherapist lasts one hour. During this visit, the practitioner asks questions about your particular problem -- when symptoms began, other treatments you have tried, how the issue affects your life and stress level. Because hypnotherapy is highly individualized, this information helps determine the most appropriate treatment for you. Hypnosis may or may not be done during this first session. A course of hypnotherapy generally ranges from three to eight sessions, with each weekly hypnosis session lasting about 30 to 40 minutes. Sometimes patients return months or years later for a "booster" session. During a session, you sit on a comfortable chair or couch in a ­quiet and softly lit room. Usually your eyes are closed, but you can hear everything around you. Speaking in a soothing voice, the practitioner leads you into an induction, a trancelike state of deep relaxation. One common technique is the body scan. The practitioner asks you to focus on your feet, relaxing the muscles there. Next you focus on feeling the relaxed sensation in your ankles, your calves, your knees. Over five to 10 minutes, the practitioner guides you to relax your entire body. While you are in a state of deep relaxation, the practitioner makes therapeutic suggestions, prompting your unconscious mind to deal more effectively with your health issue. The practitioner does not say something like, "You will not be afraid of the airplane," but rather, "You may find yourself feeling much more ­relaxed on the airplane than you have in the past." Suggestions are tailored to the specific problem and person. The process generally is pleasant and completely safe. You do not ­reveal personal secrets or do anything that you don’t want to do. After the therapeutic suggestions, the practitioner typically brings you back to your normal state of consciousness by saying, "I’m going to be quiet now, and over the next few minutes, you can gradually bring yourself back to the room." You may or may not consciously remember what was said to you during hypnosis... you may come to the end of a session thinking that it lasted just a few minutes, when in reality it lasted half an hour. Over the following few days or weeks, you may notice that your symptoms are improving -- for instance, you sleep better, feel less nauseous or fearful, or find it easier to resist cravings for cigarettes. HYPNOTHERAPY HOMEWORK The practitioner may assign you some simple self-hypnosis techniques to do on your own. For instance, if you are seeking to change a habit, such as compulsive overeating, self-hypnosis helps you handle cravings as they arise. These techniques typically include physical strategies, such as pressing two fingers together as a reminder of how to reach the relaxation state... or taking a series of deep breaths while focusing on a certain calming image or phrase. For a physical problem, such as irritable bowel syndrome, the practitioner may tape-record an in-office hypnosis session and have you listen to it at home. As you reexperience the state of deep relaxation again and again, not only your mind but your entire body benefits -- making your gut less susceptible to digestive upsets. Finding a practitioner: In addition to being a licensed doctor, psychologist or social worker, a qualified practitioner should have about one year of hypnotherapy training. To ensure that your practitioner has met educational standards and training requirements in clinical hypnosis, you may want to verify that he/she is certified through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (630-980-4740, www.asch.net). Hypnotherapy costs about $125 to $300 per session. Although many insurance companies do not cover hypnosis per se, you may be able to collect under a mental-health ­benefit if your psychotherapist or integrative physician includes hypnosis among the treatments offered. Bottom Line/Women’s Health interviewed Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, associate professor of family and social medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, vice chair of the department of integrative medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center and research director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing, an integrative medicine practice, all in New York City. Dr. Kligler, who is certified in Ericksonian hypnotherapy, is author of Curriculum in Complementary Therapies (Montefiore Medical Center). www.healthandhealingny.org. No Plunger? No Problem. Secret to Unplugging Your Toilet "My toilet was stopped up. My guests were on their way. And I couldn't find a plunger!" Lucky for me, I'd learned the secret: Just squirt some liquid dish detergent, wait 15 minutes, and my home and guests were good to go. How often have you been caught in a situation like this -- or any of thousands of other household mishaps? Spills, breaks, lost items -- family heirlooms nearly ruined. Too often, right? Joan and Lydia Wilen, better known to TV viewers as "The Wilen Sisters," have the secret to saving the day on these and thousands of other potentially disastrous mishaps. Learn more... Traveling with Teens Can Be Fun (Yes, Fun!) Susan Farewell When kids are young, basically the only requirement for a fun vacation is choosing a hotel that has a pool. But it can be a lot more challenging keeping teenagers happy on a family vacation. Here are vacation ideas that will please both you and your teen... Learn a sport: If your kids were busy with, say, soccer growing up and missed out on learning the basics of tennis, the last thing they want to do is be a beginner in front of their classmates. Solution: Take them for a family vacation at a tennis camp. A good resource about the various tennis programs (for adults as well as kids) is www.TennisResortsOnline.com. Other sports vacation options: Learn to play golf (check out www.USGolfSchoolGuide.com)... ride horses (http://DudeRanch.org)... and ski (most ski resorts have ski schools for all levels and ages). Of course, focusing on one sport doesn’t have to take over the entire vacation. For example, in Hawaii, sign your child up for a two-hour surfing lesson. That will magically turn the vacation into the trip of a lifetime. Scuba diving/snorkeling: You’ll find top-notch snorkeling and scuba courses at many tropical resorts, including in the Caribbean. Before committing to plans, make sure that the dive operation is affiliated with a certifying agency, such as the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (www.padi.com/scuba) or National Association of Underwater Instructors (http://naui.org). Good bet: Beaches Sandy Bay in Jamaica (www.Beaches.com/main/sb/sb-home.cfm). Seaside towns and islands: Small resort towns are ideal for teens. One example is Cape May, New Jersey. Pick a hotel near the boardwalk, and let the kids come and go to the beach and arcades as they please. There’s plenty of history in this Victorian town, as well as a variety of restaurants and shops to keep everyone in the family satisfied. Other seaside towns for family getaways: Provincetown on Cape Cod in Massachusetts... Venice Beach or Carmel, California... Seaside, Oregon... and Port Townsend, Washington. As for islands: Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, off the New England coast... San Juan Island, off the Washington coast. Big, famous cities. You can’t go wrong by visiting New York or San Francisco. There are so many distractions in these cities that your kids will be too preoccupied to complain. At hotels in both places, you can find reasonably priced family suites. Examples: In midtown Manhattan, try the superhip Pod Hotel (230 East 51 St., New York City 10022, 800-742-5945, www.ThePodHotel.com). Family suites -- called Townhouse Studio pods -- start as low as $209 (depending on availability) and include one queen-size bed and two singles. In San Francisco, try the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel (2500 Mason St., 415-362-5500, www.SheratonAtTheWharf.com). Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Susan Farewell, editor in chief of FarewellTravels.com, an online travel news and information site that draws upon the insights and expertise of passionate travelers all over the world, including Susan’s teenage daughter, Justine, who accompanies her on many trips. http://FarewellTravels.com Erase Tumors in 2 Months "Within two months, every tumor had shrunk, dried up and fallen off," said Tom to Dr. Gary Null about the miraculous disappearance of his rapidly spreading cancer. Tom had already gone through surgery once for skin cancer on his forehead. Unfortunately, his skin cancer was melanoma. Just 10 days after the operation, the cancer was back with a vengeance. It reappeared on his forehead, and quickly spread to his arm, upper body and chest. Four doctors all agreed: There was nothing they could do to cure this cancer. They all still wanted to operate. But Tom wanted to live -- not just get sliced up. Read on to learn what Tom did to save his life... Important: Help your friends get much more out of life -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free weekly e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Boardroom Inc. 281 Tresser Boulevard Stamford, CT 06901-3229 ATTN: Web Team You received this e-mail because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Disclaimer: Bottom Line Secrets publishes the opinions of expert authorities in many fields. But the use of these opinions is no substitute for legal, accounting, investment, medical and other professional services to suit your specific personal needs. Always consult a competent professional for answers to your specific questions. Bottom Line Secrets is a registered trademark of Boardroom Inc. 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