HELP FOR INSTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/PAINFUL BLADDER SYNDROME

     If you have been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) you are aware of how painful and inconvenient it can be.  IC/PBS affects up to 6% of American women with women being affected more than nine times as often as men.  Symptoms include:  frequent urination (more than 8 times in 24 hours), pain, pressure, or discomfort in the lower pelvis or vulva, bladder pain or pressure, pain during or after sex, an urgent need to urinate and flare-ups during menstruation.  This may all be triggered by a bladder wall becoming inflamed and super-sensitive. This in turn may cause pinpoints of bleeding and ulcers may appear and stiffness and scarring may occur.

    Once you have received a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome, your doctor may prescribe a variety of treatments and medications.  Intravaginal Thiele massage can be done by a physical therapist and you can learn to do the procedure at home.  Electrical nerve stimulation and medications including anti-inflammatories antispasmodics and pain medications may be prescribed.  

     Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes  such as using a personal lubricant for sex, soaking in colloidal oatmeal, reducing the intensity and duration of workouts during flare ups and  making dietary changes.  You should avoid cranberry juice which is acidic and may irritate a sensitive bladder.  Other irritant drinks and foods include: caffeine products (sodas, coffa, tea), carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus fruits, artificial sweetners, tomato products and spicy foods.  Drinking more water may seem counterintuitive to a person running to the bathroom often.  But skipping on water makes urine more concentrated and more irritating. 

     A technique called bladder retraining may be valuable.  Urinating relieves pain temporarily, but some IC/PBS patients are using the bathroom so often that it reduces the bladder's capacity to hold urine comfortably.  Retraining the bladder involves increasing your typical time between bathroom trips by 15 minutes.  After two weeks, increase by another 15 minutes.  The goals is to continue until you can wait at least two hours.

    Finally, there are mind-body therapies that can be of value including, cranio-sacral therapy, acupuncture, yoga, meditation and hypnotherapy.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to deal with the discomfort, prolong the time between trips to the bathroom and reduce stress and increase relaxation.

SMOKING AND MEMORY LOSS

      Concerned about your smoking habit and cognitive decline?  You should be.  A study of 5,099 men, ages 44 to 80, at University College London, England and Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris reports that male smokers performed at a level about ten years older than their chronological age on cognitive tests.  The study also indicated that male smokers had an increased risk of dementia.  The severity of cognitive decline increased with the more cigarettes they smoked.  But there was good news in this reports published in ARCHIVES OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY.  The researchers found that after ten or more years of not smoking, the men's bodies could repair themselves.  Smoking affects the brain, hearts, lungs and blood vessels.  Decreased oxygen caused by smoking affects cognitive functioning.  If you are worried about smoking and memory loss, it is time to become a healthy nonsmoker.  Hypnotherapy is a great tool to help you stop smoking and allow your body to repair.

EATING HEALTHY - CHOOSING WHITE

     Most of us have been encouraged to eat healthy foods and told to choose colorful foods - the deep greens of broccoli or spinach or the bright red of a pepper or tomato.  New research, however, is encouraging people to add pale produce to their diet.  A Dutch study of more than 20,000 men and women over ten years found that those who ate the most white-fleshed vegetables and fruits had a 52% lower risk of stroke than those who chose only the more colorful foods.  These white-fleshed items included cauliflower, cucumbers, apples, banans and pears with pears and apples  being the most common choices in the "white group".  The researchers believe that quercetin, a plant chemical, in the white-fleshed fruits and veggies causes the benefit.  Choosing healthy foods including the white-fleshed ones can be reinforced with the use of hypnotherapy.

CHECK MY WEBSITES

    Back in the office after two weeks of travel.  Just wanted to remind you that you can access lots of information about my practice and about hypnotherapy at www.JenniferPJohnson.com or www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com.  Check out these sites and check back regularly here for more information about wellness and hypnotherapy.

HYPNOSIS AND PERSONAL ISSUES

       Yesterday I got a card from a former client who came in September of 2010.  I always appreciate when people call me on their first anniversary of quitting smoking or on the day they reach goal weight.  This note was different because the client had come for a personal issue that was causing her pain.  I will not include the person's name or the exact issue to protect her privacy. "3/16/12  Dear Jennifer - I wanted to thank you for the hypnosis.  I listened to the tape twice and went into a deep trance both times.  Then I couldn't listen anymore.  Perhaps my subconscious mind was saying: do you want a beautiful life and let this go - or - do you want a not so beautiful life and hang on?  Kind of a no brainer!  Letting go of certain events is not over night but I'm please with the progress.  Thank you so (underlined twice) much.  (Unrevealed signature).  Hypnotherapy can be a wonderful brief therapy tool for dealing with personal issues. 

HYPNOSIS AND SMOKING CESSATION

         This morning when I got to work there was a message on my voicemail that I would like to share.  I have not put in the caller's name to protect her privacy.  But this is the message she left:  "Hi Dr. Johnson, You don't have to call me back.  I just ran across your name and address when cleaning out some papers.  My name is Pat _____. I saw you three ago and three years ago on March 10 I stopped smoking. I had been smoking for 40 years.  I want to thank you because it worked.  I quit and never looked back.  Never had a desire.  It has been an absolutely marvelous three years. The most interesting thing is I can barely remember being a smoker.  So thank you, thank you, thjank you so much.  I've referred other people to you and I will continue to do that as I run across people who want to quit.  Again, thanks very much."  I ask people to call me on the first anniversary of becoming nonsmokers. Sometimes I get the calls years later. It's wonderful to get these messages and know they have used such a powerful tool to set themselves free from cigarettes and smoking.

THE USE OF HYPNOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN

        In the last week, I have had a number of parents call my office asking if hypnotherapy can be used with children.  The good news is that not only can children be hypnotized but that children are generally more hypnotically responsive than adults.  Children tend to have active imaginations and few, if any, preconceived ideas about hypnosis.

        Although some hypnotherapists work with children under the age of 5 or 6, there is little published research on the effectiveness of hypnosis with toddlers.  I have found that it is difficult for young children to focus enough to address their needs.  If you are seeking hypnotherapy for a young child, you may need to interview several hypnotherapists to find one who has worked successfully with very young children.

       By the age of six, most children are able to comprehend metaphors and have the emotional, linguistic and cognitive capability to make excellent hypnosis subjects.   A study by Olness and Gardner in 1988 found that most hypnotic ability is limited in children less than three years of age and reaches its peak during middle childhood up to the age of fourteen.

       What kinds of things could hypnotherapy be used for in working with children?  Last week I worked with an eleven year old boy who sucked his thumb, a young teenager who had test anxiety and another who procrastinated and a ten year old who wet the bed.  Hypnotherapy can be used in many of the same areas as with an adult.  Habit modification is one of those.  Where an adult doesn't want to give up cigarettes, a child may have difficulty giving up his "blankie".  Undesirable habits like hairpulling, nail biting and overeating may be addressed just like with an adult client.

       Hypnotherapy may also be used in dealing with childhood trauma like physical, mental or emotional abuse.  These issues should be addressed in hypnosis by a psychotherapist who has hypnotherapy training or as an adjunct therapy to the work being done by the psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor or psychotherapist.  Note that not everyone who practices hypnotherapy is an appropriate practitioner for a traumatized child.

       Other psychological applications of hypnosis with children include: tics, learning disorders, behavior disorders, anxiety and somatoform disorders. Medical issues that may be addressed with hypnotherapy include: eating disorders, pain management, treatment of nausea and/or vomiting and bed wetting.  Again, These issues should be evaluated by appropriate medical doctors and mental health professionals who may refer a child to a hypnotherapist as part of a treatment plan.

      A couple of notes about the session itself.  The parent or guardian who brings a young child to the session will be in the room during the entire session. Teenagers often prefer their parent to wait in the waiting room so they can talk more openly during the clinical interview that precedes the hypnosis.  Some teenagers are also self-couscious about how they might look during hypnosis (is my mouth open?).  I suggest that the child make the decision after the age of 12 or 13. 

     During my time with the child before hypnosis, my primary goal is to build rapport with the child.  Sometimes I will tell a story or have a toy to help establish that rapport.  I will try to identify an interest to build a relaxing metaphor.  One child last week pictured himself in a "wonderland of toys" (his words).  I suggested he imagine himself there putting his favorite Lego toy together.  Another child liked Sponge Bob Square Pants so he imagined himself in the pineapple house under the sea and eating crabby patties.

    Hypnotherapy is a tool for change.  It can be a valuable tool for children as well as adults. If you are thinking about hypnotherapy for your child, find a well-qualified, highly trained person and then give your child and the hypnotherapist a chance to work together.

HYPNOTHERAPY FOR COMFORT EATING

       One of the issues that people often come to see hypnotherapists for is weight loss.  I work with a highly-educated, intelligent population here in the DC area.  People know what they need to be doing - change bad eating habits by choosing healthy foods and watching their portion size, limiting caloried beverages and moving more.  Sometimes they just need help through hypnotherapy to get motivated to do what they know they ought to be doing.

      But another issue often becomes evident as we discuss their behavior.  People tend to eat for reasons other than physical hunger.  They may try to satisfy personal needs and hungers that have nothing to do with food by eating.  They try to comfort themselves by eating.  This may come from childhood when the child's parents or caretakers used food to comfort.  Didn't get asked to the prom - make brownies.  Feeling sad - let's order a pizza. Want to celebrate a special day - let's make a feast.  Food became associated with lots of emotions and the person was comforted by the food.  Now the client is an adult.  But when they feel those emotions come up, they are triggered to want to comfort themselves with food. 

      Food may have also been used as a reward when the client was young.  Going out for ice cream as a reward for a good report card.  Getting an extra cookie for being a "good girl".  Popcorn and candy at the movies as a special treat.  At some level, the child is always looking for that reward for being good - even when the child grows up.

     We may also give ourselves food when we are not getting what we need emotionally from others.  The boss criticizes our work or doesn't respect our effort, so we eat.  The one we love doesn't love us, so we eat.  Our child is disrespectful or rude, so we we eat.  Food becomes a way of giving ourself something when we feel like what we need is being held back.

     Unfortunately, the comfort from comfort eating lasts only as long as the food itself.  And then, the over-eating is often caused by self-disgust and depression.  "Oh, why did I do that?" becomes the mantra of the comfort eater. This can lead to eating disorders, depression and obesity. Hypnotherapy can be a great way to deal with this issue.  A skilled hypnotherapist can help you resolve the underlying issue and give you new tools to deal with the triggers that in the past may have encouraged you to comfort eat.

FIGHTING FATIUGE

     Are you feeling tired and worn out?  Do you complain about fatigue?  Although anyone can feel tired occasionally, if your fatigue is chronic, it's time to see your doctor.  Severe or frequent fatigue needs to be assessed by your doctor with a complete medical workup which will include bloodwork.  Your doctor will try to diagnose the problem that is causing your tiredness.  Since this can be caused by hundreds of different disorders, the first step is to identify any underlying health issue.

      If your medical doctor cannot identify any illness or specific health problem that is causing the fatigue, then stress or poor sleep habits may be the underlying issue. So the next thing to do to help yourself and relieve the fatigue is to deal with the stresses in your life, exercise more and get sufficient sleep. All of these are issues that can be dealt with effectively in hypnotherapy.  Stress relief, exercise motivation and insomnia relief can be addressed to give you the tools you need to feel healthy and energized once again.

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND HYPNOTHERAPY

       Throughout a woman's pregnancy, she gets regular care for her and her baby.  But once a woman has her baby, the care should not be over.  New mothers will likely be given an appointment to see her obstetrician or doctor for a follow up appointment.  This is usually around six weeks but may be scheduled any time between three to eight weeks after the delivery.  This appointment is a way for the doctor to make sure the new mother's body is healing appropriately.  

     But this is also the time when the new mother can share her mental and emotional health.  Sometimes new mothers will experience temporary feelings of tearfulness or sadness for the first seven to ten days after childhood.  It even has a name, "the baby blues".  The baby blues are not uncommon and do not require treatment.  But a more serious disorder may occur in less than one percent of all births called postpartum depression.   It usually occurs within the first month after delivery although it can occur any time during the baby's first year.

     Symptoms of postpartum depression include:  a feeling of being unable to cope with life, deep sadness, lack of concentration, gaining or losing a lot of weight, physical complaints, sleeping too much or too little, feelings of guilt and unworthiness, feeling tired all the time, agitation, anxiety, having trouble thinking clearly, lack of energy, feeling restless and loss of interest or pleasure. 

    A new mother who has any of these symptoms, should tell her doctor and get help.  This may include the use of antidepressants.  Women who are nursing are often referred to psychotherapy.  Another tool for postpartum depression is hypnotherapy.  This should be considered an adjunct therapy while under the primary care of a medical doctor.  Hypnotherapy is brief therapy.  When I work with a client with postpartum depression, a session would include a clinical interview that gives the client a chance to talk at length about their symptoms and how they want to feel and a forty-five minute hypnosis session.  I record the session so the woman can continue to listen to it at home as needed.  This may be all she chooses to do with hypnotherapy.  Or the client may choose to use and occasional hypnotherapy session until she feels better and the symptoms are gone.

USE OF HYPNOTHERAPY FOR STRESS AND PAIN

      Studies have shown that people who are stressed or depressed are more sensitive to pain.  The pain seemed to increase and be more intense no matter what its source.  Some studies using imaging have shown an increase in activity in areas of the brain associated with pain in patients who were stressed.  This is called stress-induced hyperalgesia.

    If you are suffering from pain caused by emotional issues, seek help for the underlying stress or depression.  Talk to your medical doctor and be honest in describing emotional problems such as anxiety, stress or depression.  There are medications to deal with depression and may reduce pain as well.

   Use distractions to help you be less focused on pain.  Listen to music.  Watch a video.  Participate in a hobby - scrapbook, woodwork, read.  Distract your mind from the pain by calling a friend or getting on facebook. Play a computer game or participate in one of the activities like Pintarest.  Distraction can be a great tool in relieving stress that may be causing your pain to feel worse.

   Hypnotherapy is another tool to deal with stress, depresion, anxiety and pain.  In many cases, hypnotherapy is an adjunct therapy to the medications of your doctor or the treatment of a psychotherapist or counselor.  A recording of the actual session can be a nice tool to use at home for relaxation and to reinforce the work of the session.  By relieving the underlying stress or depression, the pain will be less intense and more manageable.

FEEL BETTER WITH EXERCISE

     Want to feel better?  It's time to get moving.  Exercise is one of the best ways to feel good physically and mentally.  Staying physically active strengthens muscles and may help strengthen parts of the brain.  In fact, studies show regular exercise is good for the mind.  A study in the ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE indicated that people who exercised the most had a 90% lower risk of reduced mental ability.  Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that exercisers are less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease than those who did not exercise.

     You can feel better by staying active.  Benefits from exercise include:  more energy, reduced stress, lower anxiety, less depression and better sleep.  Experts suggest 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic and muscle strengthening exericse at least three times a week.  Do something you enjoy - you're more apt to keep going.  And try new physical activities which will challenge your body and your brain.  Learning a new dance step can be fun and stimulate body and mind!

     If you are having trouble getting started in an exercise program, use a professional to help get begin.  A personal trainer may be willing to help design a stimulating program for you.  A clinical hypnotherapist can stimulate your motivation so you can work out and feel better with exercise.

USING HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY

      Hypnosis was used by members of the Sumerian priesthood some six thousand years ago according to cuneiform writings of the period.  A papyrus document from Egypt shows that hypnosis was used in ancient Egypt as well. Passed down to spiritual practioners of many cultures, hypnosis later was used as a healing technique in Europe. From there physical healing expanded to mental and emotional healing with the work of French neurologist, Hippolte Bernheim, Viennese doctor Joseph Breuer who worked with repressed memories and Sigmund Freud.  Freud would later drop hypnosis for his psychoanalytical approach.  But more and more hypnosis was being used and by World War I was helping soldiers sufering from trauma and "battle fatigue" or post-traumatic stress disorder.

     By the mid 1950s's hypnosis was approved by the American Medical and British Medical Associations where it was used as an adjunct therapy to other medical and psychiatric therapies.  Today hyposis continues to be used as an adjunct therapy in those areas but is also used for by dentists, surgeons and midwives and obstetricians.  In addition, it is used in a wide variety of ways beyond health.  As a clinical hynotherapist, a few of the issues my clients describe regualrly include:  relief from stress and anxiety, habit modification (quitting smoking, losing weight, stopping nail biting), aiding in self-development, building confidence and self-esteem, developing better study or work habits, improving memory and concentration, relieving phobias, sports improvement and dealing with the fear of failure or fear of success.  As you can see, hypnotherapy can be used on a wide variety of issues.  If you are ready to explore a new tool for making positive changes in your life, see a professional hypnotherapist.

QUIT SMOKING AND SAVE YOUR TEETH

               Like to have the best chance of not losing your teeth?  Quit smoking.  If you like your smile and want to keep it that way, quit smoking now.  Elizabeth Krall, Ph.D., an assistant research professor at Tufts University's School fo Dental Medicine worked with statistics from the Boston VA Dental Longitudinal Study which tracked the oral health of over 1,000 men since 1968.  She found that a person's risk of losing teeth doubles if he smokes.  She accounted for other variables such as alcohol and coffee consumption and found that women who smoked cigarettes lost significantly more teeth than non-smoking women.  Another Tufts researcher specializing in nutrition in studying osteoporosis, collected similar data on tooth loss from over 500 Boston area women.  If you are looking for another reason to quit smoking, add tooth loss and its affect on health and appearance to your list.  If you are thinking about quitting smoking, hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you make a change that could keep you from losing your teeth.

SUGAR ADDICTION

      Recent animals studies indicate that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.  It is consumed by Americans in large amounts and people suffer withdrawal symptoms when they try to restrict their use of sugar.  This is a problem because of sugars affect on health.  Consuming sugar in large amounts can affect insulin and other hormones and can be linked to diabetes.  Sugar-intake can also be linked to dementia, osteoperosis, suppressed immune system, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides which increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and cancer.

     The average American consumes about 142 pounds of sugar in a year.  Much of that is "added" sugar which is added to processed foods or added in preparation of food at home.  Contained in almost all processed foods, another big source of added sugar people consume is in regular soft drinks.  Even foods we consider healthful like fruit drinks and yogurt are often sweetened with added sugar.

     Although almost all of us enjoy a sweet treat occasionally, sugar addiction causes cravings, causes consumption to increase over time and causes withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression and irritability.  If you are concerned about increased consumption of sugar or about possible health affects caused by sugar, it's time to change.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool in releasing addictive cravings for sugar.

SUGAR ADDICTION

      Recent animals studies indicate that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.  It is consumed by Americans in large amounts and people suffer withdrawal symptoms when they try to restrict their use of sugar.  This is a problem because of sugars affect on health.  Consuming sugar in large amounts can affect insulin and other hormones and can be linked to diabetes.  Sugar-intake can also be linked to dementia, osteoperosis, suppressed immune system, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides which increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and cancer.

     The average American consumes about 142 pounds of sugar in a year.  Much of that is "added" sugar which is added to processed foods or added in preparation of food at home.  Contained in almost all processed foods, another big source of added sugar people consume is in regular soft drinks.  Even foods we consider healthful like fruit drinks and yogurt are often sweetened with added sugar.

     Although almost all of us enjoy a sweet treat occasionally, sugar addiction causes cravings, causes consumption to increase over time and causes withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression and irritability.  If you are concerned about increased consumption of sugar or about possible health affects caused by sugar, it's time to change.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool in releasing addictive cravings for sugar.

AVAILABILITY OF FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS AND YOUR HEALTH

             A report from the American Heart Association indicates that people living in neighborhoods with the most fast-food restaurants are 13% more likely to have a stroke than those who live in areas with the fewest restaurants.  Availability of fast-food does have the potential to affect your health.  Fast-food is convenient but strokes are not.  Limiting the times you stop at a fast-food retaurant may help you be well.

SMOKING, SKIN DAMAGE AND HYPNOTHERAPY

     By now everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health.  But did you know it is also bad for how you look?  The smoke from cigarettes and the chemicals within cigarettes are very damaging to the skin.  These chemicals can cause problems with the skin's ability to protect itself from free radicals.  They are the same compounds that cause rust in metals.  Smoking reduces the body's ability to form the main structural component of skin - collagen.  Without the collagen, elastin, the elastic fibers in skin, break apart or thicken.  Smoking also reduces blood circulation cutting down on oxygen being supplied to the skin.  Skin drying and cracking may be caused in women as estrogen levels are cut. A study done by University of California at San Francisco found that female smokers were three times more likely to have moderate to severe wrinkling than women who did not smoke.  Men who smoked had twice the wrinkles of men who did not.  As long ago as 1985, Dr. Douglas Model, surveyed 116 patients and identified about half of the current smokers by their facial features.  Dr. Model said the identifying features of smokers were:  badly wrinkled skin, shriveled gray skin and gaunt features.  He called this group of features, "smoker's face".  If you care about your appearance and don't want to age badly, let this be another reason to think about quitting smoking.  And remember, hypnotherapy is a great way to become and be a healthy nonsmoker.  So check my website at www.BeAHealthyNonsmoker.com.

LONELINESS AND HEALTH

      A recent study at the University of Chicago by assistant professor of epidemiology, department of health studies, Lianne Kurina, PhD, found that loneliness can hamper sleep.  This study compared 95 adults on a perceived loneliness scale.  Those who scored highest were found to also score more likely to experience restless or disrupted sleep than those who did not score themselves as lonely.  In the past, loneliness has been associated with several physical ailments including:  heart disease, high blood presure, cognitive decline and depression.  This new study may indicate that the link between loneliness and these physical problems is the poor and disrupted sleep the person experiences. 

     If you are experiencing restless or disrupted sleep examine your own experience to see if you are lonely.  If you feel that loneliness may be contributing to your poor sleep, it's time to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to other people.  Volunteering is a great way to get to know other people.  Make sure to choose a volunteer activity that will allow you to get to know others - working at the hospital gift shop or a food pantry will allow you to get to know more people than cleaning litter boxes in an animal shelter or picking up litter on a woodland trail.  All of those are fine volunteer opportunities.  But if you are lonely, choose an activity that places you with a chance to be with other people.  Taking a class at a community college or local gym can be great ways to meet others with mutual interests.  Or join a group that serves an interest you already have - a book club, a religious group, a hobby group.  As loneliness abates, your sleep may improve.

     Read other articles from this blog if you are still experiencing  poor sleep.  Remember hypotherapy can be a valuable tool for insomnia and poor sleep.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

     Just got back to work after a week of traveling.  We spent time with family including a family reunion with people I had never met.  Then we went to Virginia Beach, walked on the beach in close to 70 degree weather and reconnected with old friends.  A break from work is a chance to regenerate.  Now it's time to welcome the New Year and all its possibilities.  I hope that you have a wonderful 2012 filled with peace, joy and prosperity.  Happy New Year!