Hypnosis used in brain surgery!

This is a great article on how hypnosis is used in medical settings both as an alternative and as a complimentary procedure.  Hypnosis is not what you see on TV, it is a tool-set used by trained professionals to assist people in making life-changing choices.  

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/01/hypnosis-replaces-anesthetic-in-brain-surgery-and-theres-video/

Dynamic Duos

Many clients ask, “what food is healthy”?   In truth, there is a lot of different opinions in the nutrition field about this topic.   Additionally, people can’t always eat certain foods due to food allergies, medications, and other health related issues.    I’m not a doctor or a dietician; however, I do a fair amount of research on the topic and like to share what I find with my clients and friends.   If you have any doubts about a food or pairing, check with your doctor or dietician.

Last week, NPR published an article called “Dynamic Duos: How To Get More Nutrition By Pairing Foods” which can be found on http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/24/413122931/dynamic-duos-how-to-get-more-nutrition-by-pairing-foods.   Here are some of the highlights:

1.   Eating eggs with your salad helps boost absorption of carotenoids — the pigments in tomatoes and carrots.  Carotenoids such as beta carotene and lycopene are phytonutrients that help fight inflammation.  Absorption was 3.8-fold higher when the salad included three eggs compared to no eggs.   Monroe Hypnosis verdict:  I will be eating and making more Cobb salads.
2. You'll get more plant-based iron from black beans if you eat them with something rich in vitamin C, like red pepper.   Monroe Hypnosis verdict:   peppers will now be a part of every burrito I make.
3. Calcium + Vitamin D.   Vitamin D helps calcium absorption which, in turn, may help with increasing bone density.   Monroe Hypnosis verdict:   Many milk producers add Vitamin D for this reason.
4.  For a complete vegetarian protein:   combine humus and whole wheat bread.  Monroe Hypnosis verdict:   a great way to get protein with a salad when a meat choice isn't desired or unavailable.
5.  Adding black pepper to turmeric makes the anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of nutrients in turmeric easier to access (by 2,000 percent).   Monroe Hypnosis verdict:   a great way to spice up your food life for many different vegetables and meats. 

Monroe Hypnosis article verdict:   I will be adding some new custom suggestions to my diet so that I can enjoy the above health benefits.   Adding spices to meat adds flavors without a lot of calories adding eggs and oil based dressings to salads could add protein and absorb more nutrients that reduce inflammation. 

Lose weight safely, naturally, and effectively this New Year

We learned in school that matter is never created or destroyed, it simply changes form.   So some people ask:  “When I lose the weight, where does it go?”    Yesterday, the National Public Radio (NPR) highlighted research performed by Dr.  Ruben Meerman (physicist) and Andrew Brown, a lipid researcher at the University of New South Wales.  

It turns out that what we know about aerobic exercise and burning fat is true.  The following is a chemical formula that describes what happens (Shute, 2014): 

C₅₅H₁₀₄O₆+78O₂ —> 55CO₂+52H₂O+energy 

C₅₅H₁₀₄O₆+78O₂ is called a triglyceride.  Triglycerides are a type of fat that doctors watch as part of our routine physicals.  It turns out that when a triglyceride is burned it becomes carbon dioxide (which we breathe out of our bodies), water (we sweat and exhale), and energy.  

If you have a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, sign-up for an initial consultation to see how hypnosis can help you stick to the plan www.monroehypnosis.com/calendar and turn those extra few pounds into carbon dioxide, water, energy, and a thinner, happier you!

Works Cited

Shute, N. (2014, December 16). When You Burn Off That Fat, Where Does It Go? Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/16/371210831/when-you-burn-off-that-fat-where-does-it-go?sc=17&f=1001

Diet pills can be scary, thankfully, you don't need them to lose weight!

October and Halloween is a time when we search for things that scare us.   Ghosts, ghouls, vampires and a host of scary sights often come to mind as we reach the end of fall and begin our transition into winter.   The one thing you shouldn't have to be scared about, is losing weight! 

In a recent article from NPR (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/26/294807827/tampered-bottles-of-weight-loss-drug-discovered-in-7-states) it was revealed that the supply of Alli was tainted in several states (including New York!).   Although this headline is scary, I would like to bring attention to another part of the article, the side effect warning.  

According to the article, “When the product debuted in 2007, some people who failed to reduce the amount of fat in their diet had problems with fecal incontinence, a problem that the company had warned people could happen”.  As someone who struggled with weight most of my life, I can honestly say that there was a point when I would consider this an acceptable risk.  Thankfully for all of us, there are healthier and safer ways to lose weight using hypnosis.

The program that I created for Monroe Hypnosis is designed to exist with people’s current lifestyle.   This means that the changes are very small, easy to manage, and ultimately won’t leave you wondering about tainted pills and catastrophic side effects!  My program is research based and custom designed to help you lose weight the way YOU want to lose weight!  In addition being hypnotized and creating positive suggestions, I will teach self-hypnosis.   With self-hypnosis, you will have the tools at your disposal to always be in the driver’s seat of your weight loss and maintenance.  

                                                                                                                                        

Visit our site today to learn more about our program and schedule your initial consultation.  Our office in Rochester, NY office is conveniently located on Monroe Avenue across from the Pittsford Plaza.   

   

Hypnosis in the media.

Many of us have learned about hypnosis from what we have read in books or seen in movies.   Hypnosis has been featured in many movies such as: The Manchurian Candidate (1962 & 2004), Stir of Echoes (1999), Zoolander (2001), Donnie Darko (2001), Office Space (2001), and Shallow Hal (2001). In The Manchurian Candidate and Zoolander, individuals become sleeper-agent style assassins that kill without memory or remorse.   In Stir of Echoes, the main character becomes hypnotized to see a girl’s ghost and solve the mystery surrounding her.   Lastly, in Donnie Darko and Shallow Hal, the main characters utilize hypnosis to improve themselves.  

Hollywood exists to entertain people, not to educate people.   The “popular” image of a hypnotist swinging a pocket watch and telling someone that they are getting “very sleepy” does not occur in modern hypnotism and modern hypnotherapy.   The concept of a “weak” subject bending to the will of the hypnotist and mindlessly obeying orders is also a complete fiction without a basis in reality. 

This unfortunate stereotype showcases a host of misconceptions. Few, if any, modern hypnotists use a swinging watch.  Although most hypnotists attempt to calm subjects during the induction, relaxation is not necessary.  People have even been hypnotized during extreme duress to reduce blood flow from injury and during vigorous exercise.  Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies confirm that during hypnosis subjects are not in a sleep-like state but are awake.  Clients can always resist a suggestion and are always in control while in the state of hypnosis.  In an office setting, hypnotists can assess hypnotic state and depth by asking questions and performing tests utilizing muscle response.  

Take charge of your life.   Leave all of the Hollywood fairy-tales behind, and join the growing number of people who benefit from hypnosis.   

Does hypnosis help to manage pain?

Are you worried about post-surgical pain? Hypnosis can help reduce recovery time and reduce pain levels experienced after surgery.  In a recent meta-analysis, (Montgomery, David, Winkel, Silverstein & Bovbjerg  2002), 20 studies with control groups were reviewed to assess if hypnosis reduced pain in individuals after a recent surgery.   The results from this study indicated that there was a clinical effect from hypnosis on recovery time and self-reported pain experienced.   In fact, “surgical patients in hypnosis treatment groups had better outcomes than 89% of patients in control groups”.   Staggering proof across multiple studies indicated that hypnosis helped those who wish to recovery from surgery faster and reduce pain.  

Monroe Hypnosis Surgery Relief Plan

1.       Reduce stress prior to surgery.   Stress lowers our immune system and lowers our body’s ability to heal.  For people going into surgery, “High psychological and physiological stress responses before surgery (that is itself an additional psychophysiologic stressor) lead to poorer outcomes even in otherwise healthy men undergoing relatively simple elective surgical procedures.” (Linn, Linn & Klimas 1988).  Hypnosis has been studied and proven to reduce stress in a 100% natural way.  

2.       Provide Reiki prior to the surgery using the time/distance symbol.  This creates a bubble of good intention that allows healing energy to be released during the surgery without environmental contamination from hands.  

3.       Reduce pain levels after surgery utilizing hypnosis.  As discussed above, utilizing hypnosis after surgery led to better outcomes 89% more often than those who did not receive hypnosis. (Montgomery, David, Winkel, Silverstein & Bovbjerg  2002).  

4.       Provide Reiki to affected area and whole body in person as needed to reduce healing time.   According to a 2008 study on healing touch, all healing touch patients showed a greater decrease in anxiety scores when compared to the visitor and control groups. In addition, there was a significant difference in outpatient healing touch length of stay when compared to the visitor and control groups. (MacIntyre , Hamilton, Fricke, Ma , Mehle & Michel , 2008).

Works Cited

Linn, B., Linn, M., & Klimas, N. (1988). Effects of psychophysical stress on surgical outcome.  Psychosomatic Medicine, 50(3), 230-244.

MacIntyre , B., Hamilton, J., Fricke, T., Ma , W., Mehle , S., & Michel , M. (2008). The efficacy of healing touch in coronary artery bypass surgery recovery: a randomized clinical trial. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 14(4), 24-32.

Montgomery , G., David, D., Winkel, G., Silverstein, J., & Bovbjerg , D. (2002). The effectiveness of adjunctive hypnosis with surgical patients: a meta-analysis. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 94(6), 1639-45.

Can I be hypnotized?

Many new clients call or visit and want to know if they can be hypnotized.   For the vast majority of people, the answer is "Yes".   According to the National Guild of Hypnotists, hypnosis depends on focus, desire to succeed, and the rapport between a client and a hypnotist.  There are a few notable suggestions of people with low or no success of entering the hypnotic state:  infants and children under the age of four, people who do not establish good rapport with others or who cannot concentrate, individuals with an IQ below 70, and people who are distrustful.

[Hypnotists use a variety of preliminary suggestibility tests that are non-invasive and simple to administer. Many of these methods "test" a client's ability to visualize.   Please visit my site Monroe Hypnosis to schedule a free consultation at our Pittsford, NY office.]

Physiologically stated, scientists at Stanford discovered that " Hypnosis works by modulating activity in brain regions associated with focused attention", specifically,  "highly hypnotizable participants showed greater co-activation between components of the executive-control network and the salience network. More specifically, in the brains of the highly hypnotizable group the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an executive-control region of the brain, appeared to be activated in tandem with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which is part of the salience network and plays a role in focusing of attention. By contrast, there was little functional connectivity between these two areas of the brain in those with low hypnotizability". - See more at: Stanford School of Medicine

As a former school teacher, I spent a lot of time reading studies of brain development in children and adults. Specifically, I studied the physical development of the brain as it relates to education and behavior.   The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a functional area that helps short term memory (Oxford Journal) and the dorsal anterior cingulate is an area of the brain that is activated with reward-based decision making (National Academy of Sciences).  These theories and the study by Stanford reinforce the National Association of Hypnotists' statement on the ability of people to be hypnotized.