Andrew Weil, MD, a well-known and respected advisor on healthy living, states, “Guided imagery is especially useful in addressing stress related health conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, as well as stress associated symptoms such as skin rashes. It may also be beneficial in treating autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, and can help alleviate chronic allergies, hives and asthma.”
Learn to manage stress with natural approaches. Breathing exercises and mind-body therapies such as guided imagery create a healing state and facilitate well-being.
Tags: anxiety, blood pressure, breathing, chronic pain, fatigue, Fitness, guided imagery, healing, Health & Well-Being, imagination, meditation, stress, subconscious mind, Therapeutic Imagery
Scientific American Mind (July, 2005) featured an article titled “The Truth and the Hype of Hypnosis” which stated that “hypnosis has been shown to be a real phenomenon with a variety of therapeutic uses- especially in controlling pain,” citing, among others, a 1996 National Institutes of Health panel which judged hypnosis to be an “effective intervention for alleviating pain from cancer and other chronic conditions.” The article further cites a meta-analysis published by the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis which found that “hypnotic suggestions relieved the pain of 75% of 933 subjects. The pain relieving effect of hypnosis is often substantial, and in a few cases the degree of relief matches or exceeds that provided by morphine.” Another meta-analysis of 18 separate studies found that “patients who received cognitive behavioral therapy plus hypnosis for disorders such as obesity, insomnia, anxiety and hypertension showed greater improvement than 70% of those who received psychotherapy alone.” Additionally, the article stated there is strong evidence that hypnosis can be an effective treatment for “asthma; some dermatological disorders, including warts; irritable bowel syndrome; hemophilia; and nausea associated with chemotherapy.”
Tags: anxiety, blood pressure, chronic pain, headaches, healing, Health & Well-Being, Pain Management, stress, subconscious mind, weight loss, weight managment
In a June 2003 Nursing magazine article, nurses are encouraged to use imagery with their patients, stating: “people with strong imaginations, those who can literally “worry themselves sick” are excellent candidates for using imagery to improve their health.” The article further states that “imagery has documented physiologic effects: It can lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, and affect brain wave activity, oxygen supply to the tissues, vascular constriction, skin temperature, cochlear and pupillary reflexes, skin response, salivation, and gastrointestinal activity.”
Tags: blood pressure, healing, Health & Well-Being, Therapeutic Imagery
Recent studies continue to show the benefits of focused breathing and meditation for physical and spiritual health. In Dr. Herbert Benson’s 1975 book The Relaxation Response, he stated that breathing “may be used as a new approach to aid in the treatment and perhaps prevention of diseases such as hypertension.” One of the most recent studies was conducted by Dr. Vernon A. Barnes, a physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia. It showed that teenagers at risk for having high blood pressure were able to lower their daytime blood pressures. This was done by simply practicing 15 minutes of transcendental meditation (focused and concentrated breathing) twice daily, over a period of four months.
Tags: blood pressure, breathing, meditation
Recent studies continue to show the benefits of focused breathing and meditation for physical and spiritual health. In Dr. Herbert Benson’s 1975 book The Relaxation Response, he stated that breathing “may be used as a new approach to aid in the treatment and perhaps prevention of diseases such as hypertension.”
One of the most recent studies was conducted by Dr. Vernon A. Barnes, a physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia. It showed that teenagers at risk for having high blood pressure were able to lower their daytime blood pressures. This was done by simply practicing 15 minutes of transcendental meditation (focused and concentrated breathing) twice daily, over a period of four months.
Tags: blood pressure, Fitness, healing, Health & Well-Being, meditation, stress
