May 31 2011

Love & Laughter

“All you need in the world is love and laughter. That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.”  ~ August Wilson

Laughter improves the mind and spirit. If we can laugh at our troubles, we can create positive biochemical changes in our body which will help reduce feelings of depression or helplessness. When we laugh, we breathe more deeply, which fills our body with oxygen and improves our immune system. Our blood pressure decreases and endorphins and other natural pain-relieving hormones are released. We create a better state of mind and when we are in a better state of mind, we are able to think more calmly and clearly. Our entire body relaxes.

In stressful situations, our body suffers. Constant stress robs us of our sense of humor. It takes the fun out of life! When we are children, we laugh on average about 400 times in a 24 hour period. As adults, we only laugh about 17 times a day! What a tragedy!

Two women share a laugh.

A good laugh bursts forth from the soul.

You can bring more laughter into your life. Collect books and movies that are funny and the next time you’re feeling down, bring them out and laugh. Choose to surround yourself with happy and positive people. Be more playful in your daily activities. Give yourself some “laughter therapy” whenever you’re feeling down.

As Oscar Wilde said, “Life is too important to be taken seriously!”

In my practice as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I encourage my clients to lighten up. We focus on the positive aspects and the solutions which brings a sense of peace. Being able to laugh at yourself is an important step on the way to enlightenment…a state of acceptance and love for your true authentic self…including that part of yourself that laughs so hard, milk comes out your nose!

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Oct 12 2010

Fountain of Youth

Having an active and satisfactory level of intimacy in your life contributes to your overall health and well-being. Having a healthy relationship with your sexuality is a function of your subconscious mind. If you are unsatisfied and would like to better express yourself, hypnotherapy, therapeutic imagery and mind-body energy techniques like Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) are very effective modalities to help.

To stay young and healthy, how often is sex recommended?

A.    Once a week

B.    Twice a week

C.    10 times a month

D.    200 or more times a year (about 4 x week)

Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of the “You” series health guides for body mind and soul and Oprah’s go-to health guy, states that if you have 200 orgasms a year, you can reduce your physiologic age by six years.

Dr. Michael Roizen, author of RealAge — Are You as Young as You Can Be?, states that “Having sex at least twice a week can make your RealAge 1.6 years younger than if you had sex only once a week.” He defines ‘real age’ as “an estimation of your age in biologic terms, not chronologic years.”

Roizen believes that sex keeps us younger because it “decreases stress, relaxes us, enhances intimacy, and helps … personal relationships.”

Although no study has yet proven a cause-and-effect relationship between good sex and longevity, there seems to be a beneficial system at work here — a sort of virtuous cycle of sex and health reinforcing one another.

One of the first long term studies of aging begun at Duke University in the ’50s and reported in the December 1982 journal Gerontologist found that the frequency of sexual intercourse (for men) and the enjoyment of sex (for women) predicted longevity.

A study done in Wales, and published in the December 1997 British Medical Journal under the title, “Sex and Death: Are They Related?” found over ten years of follow up, that men who reported at least two orgasms a week at the time of the study had less than half the risk of dying from various causes than those who reported a lower frequency of orgasm.

Other studies have found that sexual dissatisfaction was a predictor of the onset of cardiovascular disease. A study published in the November-December 1976 journal Psychosomatic Medicine compared 100 women with heart disease (acute myocardial infarction) with a control group and found sexual dissatisfaction among 65% of the coronary patients but only 24% of the controls.

In a long-term study published as Secrets of the Superyoung, Dr. David Weeks, of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, found that “the key ingredients for looking younger are staying active … and maintaining a good sex life.” In a study of 3,500 people, ages 30 to 101, Weeks found that “sex helps you look between four and seven years younger,” according to impartial ratings of the subjects’ photos. Dr. Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist, attributed this to significant reductions in stress, greater contentment, and better sleep.

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Oct 05 2010

Pleasure Prescription for Better Health

Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. “Yes” is the answer.
~Swami X

Sex is the most fun you can have without laughing.
~Woody Allen

Sex Reduces Pain

Immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal level. This releases an increase in endorphins, which alleviate the pain of everything from headache to arthritis to even migraines. In women, sex also prompts production of estrogen, which can reduce the pain of PMS. Just thinking about sex can help to reduce pain.

Sex Improves Intimacy

Speaking of oxytocin, this so-called “love” hormone helps us to bond, trust and build intimate relationships. Higher levels of oxytocin have also been linked to a feeling of generosity.

Sex Helps You Sleep Better

The release of oxytocin during orgasm promotes sleep. Getting enough sleep helps to maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure.

Sex Burns Calories and Keeps You Fit

Sex is a great way to exercise. A vigorous session may burn some 200 calories–about the same as running 15 minutes on a treadmill. 40 half-hour sessions could burn off more than enough calories to lose a pound. The pulse rate or an aroused person rises from about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete at maximum effort. Muscular contractions during intercourse work the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax.

Another fitness benefit of sex is that it can keep you in constant awareness of your body image. If you are continually being naked in front of another person, it’s a good incentive to stay in shape.

 Men’s Health magazine has gone so far as to call the bed the single greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.

Sex Boosts Immunity

Good sexual health could mean better physical health. Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which is known to boost the immune system, protecting you from colds and other infections.

Sex Relieves Stress

Biological Psychology reports that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure and overall stress reduction. A study of 24 women and 22 men noted that those who had intercourse had better responses to stressful situations than those who abstained from sex. They performed better at such tasks as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic.

Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health

Researchers in England recently published a study of 914 men who were followed for 20 years. They found that compared with those who had sex less than once a month, those having sex twice or more per week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack or stroke by 50%.

Sex makes for a Happier Prostate

Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate.

A study recently published by the British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week. Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more per month, (252/year) were linked to lower prostate cancer.

Sex is a Beauty Treatment & Fountain of Youth

In a study at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, a panel of judges guessed participant’s ages. Those who looked seven to 12 years younger than their age were also enjoying sex at least four times a week, on average.

Sex raises a woman’s estrogen level, which helps make hair shiny and skin supple.

Sex also boosts production of testosterone, which leads to stronger bones and muscles.

Having at least two orgasms a week can increase your life span. Every time you orgasm, the hormone DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) increases in response to sexual excitement. DHEA can boost your immune system, repair tissue, improve cognition, and even work as an antidepressant.

Sex helps your sense of smell. After sex, production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain’s olfactory bulb, its smell center.

Sex gives you better bladder control. Pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels offer the benefit of minimizing the risk of incontinence. Strong muscles increase the intensity of orgasms.

Sex Improves Your Teeth (special delivery system for women). Seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay. It could be a far more satisfying experience than squeezing a tube of Tartar Control Crest. Researchers have noted that etiquette usually demands the brushing of one’s teeth before and/or after intimacy, which helps promote better oral hygiene.”

Sex can enhance your sense of spirituality.

Many ancient traditions and cultures view sexuality as something sacred and spiritual. Sexual energy is unlike any other.  When we merge with this power during orgasm, we are connecting to our non-physical aspects. Why do you think we cry out, “Oh God!”? According to the Taoists, since we are conceived through orgasm and orgasmic energy permeates every cell of our body, we need to feel this orgasmic energy regularly – ideally every day – to stay healthy.

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Aug 12 2010

Anger, Stress and Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson has been in the news a lot lately. Allegedly, he has a little rage. We have reason to believe that he’s suffering from some anger management issues and life coping skills. We’ve been exposed to his mind, and it’s not pretty. He has some problems and he is seeking help. Mel has chosen to use hypnotherapy to take action to make some changes. He has enlisted the help of Australian hypnotherapist Rick Collingwood, who flew to the star’s US home for a 10 day treatment program. Collingwood told Radar-Online:  “I gave him sessions to help with the stress he’s obviously experiencing.”

It is well documented that hypnosis is extremely beneficial for helping to deal with stress and coping with the problems of everyday life. Collingwood added “Hypnosis can be used very effectively as a therapy for anything that is the human condition, to change behaviour and habits and also for self improvement.”

Anger and stress are toxic substances in your body. Adrenal fatigue, and an overload of the stress hormone, cortisol, leaves your body in a state of dis-ease. If stress and anger are experienced on a continuous basis, you may experience any number of health-related issues such as a compromised immune system and inflammation in your body. Over time, you may develop high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes to name just a few. Your thoughts (subconscious mind) create your health.

Although Mel is not a role model, he is a fellow human being. And he recognizes the power of the subconscious mind to create change, acceptance and a sense of peace and well-being. May he have tremendous success!

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Jun 01 2010

Stress Related Health Conditions

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.

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Apr 19 2010

More than 70% Show Great Improvement

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.”

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Feb 02 2010

Physiologic Effects of Imagery

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.”

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Feb 02 2010

Focused Breathing Lowers Blood Pressure

Category: Fitness,Health & Wellness,Spiritual ExplorationPatricia @ 1:08 pm

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.

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Nov 23 2009

Benefits of Focused Breathing

Category: Health & WellnessPatricia @ 4:08 pm

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.

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