Can hypnotherapy help with disease?

Can hypnotherapy help with disease?

Quite simply, yes! A good hypnotherapist can definitely help with disease!

Firstly, let’s clear something up. Hypnotherapy should always be used in a ‘complimentary’ basis and not as ‘alternative’. Whatever condition you have please make sure that you always heed the medical advice from your appropriate medical practitioners. (Though don’t be afraid to question, ask for second opinions, and carry out your own research!)

Just to make it clear, hypnotherapy as an alternative practice would be to use hypnotherapy rather than other medical models. That, to me, can be madness. Hypnotherapy as a complimentary practice is to use hypnotherapy alongside other medical models.

Hypnotherapy also doesn’t make any claims of ‘miracle’ cures. Although, saying that, I have successfully worked with asthma, chronic fatigue, allergies, psoriasis, pain (including chronic pain condition), fibromyalgia, insomnia, depression, neurological conditions, ‘physical’ injuries and many other conditions. (I’m not saying I can help with all, as some will no doubt have a genetic basis, or be due to irreversible physical damage, yet if there is a psych element I would work with all my experience to find and resolve it.)

When clients contact me and ask if I can help directly with the disease or condition. I normally just answer “maybe, and I’m willing to give it a go – are you?” and let them know that I am constantly amazed at just how many presenting diseases and conditions have a basis in psychology.

Yet at the same time there is much I can do in respect to the psychological elements, everything from clearing negative emotions, stress and anxiety, fears and worry, helping with beliefs and focusing the mind on what you want to have happen. I can help you accept the condition you find yourself in, help you focus your mind on a positive outcome, and put you in a much more positive mindset.

As an aside, even if you have a viral infection, hypnotherapy can help. The immune system is known to be put under pressure when negative emotion is present. And the immune system is given a boost when there is positive emotion. So even just doing an ‘emotional clear-up’ of your mind will put you in a better place to fight the infection.

So can hypnotherapy help with disease? Yes it can. Though should always be utilised alongside other appropriate medical attention. How much can it help? That depends on the condition, and the person with the condition. There will be some improvement, if just in your state of mind. And sometimes there can be so much more...are you willing to give it a go? What have you got to lose?

10 Weeks to 40m Ultra-marathon

10 Weeks to 40m Ultra-marathon

This is the summary of my third week’s training for the Brecon Beacon’s ultra-marathon. Mileage is upped, and the long runs are getting longer!

I started the week by putting an additional 1kg in my rucksack. I’ll have to run with emergency equipment on the runs, and that will weigh a few kilos, so I might as well get ready for it. Also, if I get to do the Marines’ selection run across Dartmoor I want to show them respect and run with as much weigh as I can to hopefully match their weight.

The additional weight did make a small difference – I felt a little slower up the hills, until I adjusted my running posture slightly to compensate for the weight.

My Sunday long run was a nightmare – so frustrating! I will always put my huskies first, and it was because of them I had to cut the run short. The temperature was 7 degrees when I left at first light. Yet rose quickly, and the last few miles I chose a route back that was shaded by trees so they didn’t overheat. I was hoping for 19-21 miles, yet had to settle for a little over 16.

Huskies have fur that insulates them against cold and heat. They cool through their mouths, ears, paws and anus. So when the heat comes up they can’t efficiently shed heat, and the insulation means they overheat quickly. Under 14 degrees is the optimum for working, although I know mine can do light work at 16-17 degrees. When I got back at just before 10am the thermometer was already pushing 19, and it was hotter in the sun.

Sunday was BBQ day and I fuelled up on meat and wine! Perfect for my run the next morning – commencing proper ‘back to back’ runs, getting my legs used to moving while tired. In coming weeks I’ll be looking at getting to around 26 miles on the Sunday and 14 on the Monday – getting the 40m distance in over two days.

I’ve also been hunting for the right foods to carry with me. Carbs, especially fast carbs, are NOT necessarily the right foods to be eating on an ultramarathon. I know it goes against the grain, yet it is worth looking at what happens at the hormonal level.

When you eat carbs your body produces insulin. The job of insulin is to take those carbs and store them as fat – and keep them there. Yet, I hear you say, this doesn’t matter because the carbs will first be used up to refuel – carbs are the first energy source of the body. And you’d be right.

However, you can only process around 300kcals of carbs an hour. Yet you will be burning far more energy. This energy (at the lower respiratory levels where ‘stress’ isn’t induced, such as during an ultramarathon) needs to come from your fat stores. When insulin is present glucogen doesn’t come out to play. Glucogen is the hormone which releases the fat for burning as energy.

Eat carbs and you inhibit fat burning.

And it gets worse. If you have fast carbs, like many energy gels provide, you will produce more insulin than what is actually required. This will further inhibit fat burning.

As a result I am looking towards fat and protein foods for my energy sources during runs, to ‘top up’ the depleting energy stores. And also I’m looking to allow my body to adjust to ‘fat burning’ mode as much as possible. Running an ultramarathon is just as much about correct nutrition and biological reactions as it is about running.

To keep the biological reactions at the right level I am looking at running within the ‘fat burning zone’ as much as possible. This is a lower heart rate, one where you can chat as you run. Here fat will be the primary energy source. Put your body under further stress and you will be burning protein from your muscles instead – not really a good idea!

I’ve found a great drink to use – each little plastic bottle contains around 350kcals all from fat, protein, and just a little carbs. I like the idea of taking fluid on with your food – it helps it be processed quicker in the stomach without drawing fluid from elsewhere in the body. I’ve found a product in Tesco’s that is a chocolate milkshake from full fat milk with single cream, real cocoa, and just a little sugar for sweetness. This could be perfect – I am one of the few who thrive on dairy. I’ll be giving them a go on my runs – I’ll let you know how it works out!

Interestingly, I think I have now hit ‘running fitness’. My body has adapted and now I just ‘run’, it is just a natural thing to do. My Tuesday run was supposed to be just 7 miles, yet I felt I could go on forever, so added another 2 on the end to complete 9 miles in total. I was going to do the further additional 2.5 miles to complete my 40miles for the week – yet I also know it is possible to push it too far, too quick. So I’ve allowed myself to get to the total in 4 days instead. And running the Wednesday 3.5miles, which took my running total to 41 this week, just seemed very short! The Thursday run was just bonus miles on top, and classed by me as active recovery.

I’m now pondering on what routes to run next week in order to keep things interesting on the longer runs.

This is my third week’s mileage, week commencing Sunday 9^th September:

Sunday:                16 miles

Monday:              12.5 miles

Tuesday:              9 miles

Wednesday:      3.5 miles

Thursday:            3.5 miles

Friday:                  Rest

Saturday:             Rest

Weekly Total =  44.5 miles