LUNG HEALTH MEANS BETTER BRAIN HEALTH

Still another reason to keep your lungs healthy.  Charles Emery, PhD, and professor of psychology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, reported on research tracking health data of 832 adults for nearly two decades.  The adults were in a an age range of 50 to 85.  The researchers found that reduced pulmonary (lung) function led to mental decline in not only people suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) but even in healthy adults.  It is believed the reason for the cognitive decline was because when lungs function poorly, it reduces oxygen in the blood which could slow down signals between brain cells.

    To have the best chance for better brain health, it is important to keep your lungs healthy. Make healthy choices like eating a healthful diet, exercising regularly and avoiding pollution to your lungs by stopping smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke.  You can support those healthy choices with the use of hypnosis.  Breathe better, think better and BE WELL.  

SMOKERS' SPOUSES AT GREATER STROKE RISK

    If you are a smoker, you are risking not only your own health but that of those who are around you particularly your spouse.  In 2009, M. Maria Glymour, ScD, assistant professor in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, reported on a study of 16,225 people who were married to smokers.  The people were followed for an average of nine years.  It was found that people who had never smoked but were married to a person currently smoking had a 42% greater risk for a first stroke when compared to people who never smoked married to people who had also never smoked.  The risk jumped up to 72% higher risk for ex-smokers married to a person currently smoking.

   Smoking is dangerous not only to your health but the health of those you love.  Quitting smoking can bring down the risk of your spouse having a stroke.  If you need help to become a healthy nonsmoker, hypnotherapy can help. Stop smoking and you and your spouse have the best chance to BE WELL.

LUNG HEALTH MEANS BETTER BRAIN HEALTH

 Still another reason to not smoke, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and avoid environmental pollutants such as secondhand smoke.  Charles Emery, PhD, professor of psychology at The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio,  reported on research on lung function and its influence on brain health.  The researchers followed health date on 832 people between the ages of 50 and 85 for almost twenty years.  They found that reduced lung function  due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but also in otherwise healthy adults led to cognitive deterioration.  

   The researchers theorized that reduced oxygen in the blood due to poor lung function could slow down signals between cells in the brain.  If you need to get motivated to quit smoking, exercise regularly, avoid secondhand pollutants or exercise regularly, hypnosis can be a valuable tool to increase your chances for better brain health.

STRESSORS INCREASING STROKES AND HEART ATTACKS

    Barry A. Franklin, PhD, director of preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, has identified five emotional and physical stressors that can temporarily increase the risk of a cardiovascular event such as strokes and heart attacks.  While the risks are highest in people with heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, physical and emotional stress can also affect healthy people.

     Physical stresses which can trigger strokes and heart attacks include overexertion such as shoveling snow and strenuous winter sports such as cross-country skiing. A combination of a diseased heart, cold temperatures and unaccustomed physical activity can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 50 to 100 times over those who don't exert themselves.  For people who don't normally exercise, shoveling snow or skiing can cause increases in blood pressure and heart rate at the same time that breathing cold air is constricting the arteries. In addition, people skiing tend to be at higher altitudes with a lower pressure of oxygen in the air making increased demands in the heart.

    Another physical stressor which can trigger a cardiovascular event is having sex. This is particularly true in extra-marital sex which can cause a greater level of arousal than normal  and cause the heart rate to increase by as much as 30 beats per minute which can put extra demand on the heart.  One report indicated that around 80% of heart attack deaths which took place during or after sex took place in hotel rooms where the sex partner was not their spouse. Researchers do not believe sex is risky for people who are physically active and having sex with a regular partner or spouse.

   Emotional stressors can be just as dangerous in increasing the risk for a heart attack or stroke.  Bad news like learning of the death of a loved one or getting bad health news immediately elevates your risk for a heart attack.  THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE reported that the risk of having a heart attack is highest on the day bad news is received.  The risk continues to remain high for at least a month afterwards.

    Another emotional trigger which could activate a cardiovascular event is watching sports.  This is important for those who are really invested and passionate about their team.  When true fans get really excited, the heart rate can increase by as much as 100 beats per minute which could rigger arrthythmias or clots.

    Extreme anger can also raise your risk for a heart attack.  Just being aggravated does not raise your risk but extreme anger can trigger an increase in blood clots, heartbeat irregularities and constriction of arteries.

    There are things you can do for each of these risks. If you are normally quiet sedentary, don't shovel snow.  Buy a snow blower or hire someone to shovel your snow.  If you are a sedentary, amateur skiier, start increasing your activity level well before your ski trip.  And dress for the cold weather including a scarf to cover your nose and mouth. exercise regularly for safer sex and choose a regular partner or spouse.  Become less invested in sporting events and take any heart medication prescriptions regularly. If you have received bad news, spend time with loved ones and other people who care. Consider therapy for extreme anger and get medical advice from your doctor. All of these risks are greatest in people who don't exercise, are overweight and who smoke.

    Dr, Franklin is coauthor with Joseph C. Piscatella, of PREVENT, HALT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE.  Learn more about how you can lower your risk for heart attacks and strokes. Remember hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to make positive changes to decrease your risk of stroke and heart attack.

SET A QUIT DATE FOR BECOMING A NONSMOKER

    Robert Sokolove, health psychologist at Boston Medical Center, suggests people who are thinking about quitting smoking set a quit date ahead of time.  He notes, "Your quit date has symbolic value".   I suggest to my clients that they pick a date of significance which has meaning for them - a birthday, a religious event or a secular holiday is something to look forward to and will be remembered later.   Many experts also suggest that people choosing to quit smoking choose a date a couple of weeks to a month ahead so they have time to mentally prepare.

   If you are thinking about quitting smoking, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to help you.  Each hypnotherapist will have their own program.  I am so confident that I can help smokers become nonsmokers that I tell clients that If they should slip and start smoking any time for an entire year, I will be happy to do a free session to get them started again as nonsmokers.  My website, www.JenniferPJohnson.com, has a section where you can learn more about my program. If you are thinking about becoming a nonsmoker, set a quit date and call a hypnotherapist to make your commitment a reality. 

HYPNOTHERAPY FOR RADIATION THERAPY FATIGUE

    A study published in JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY gave new encouragement for patients undergoing radiation therapy which with some cancers often has the side effect of fatigue. Research done at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City found that patients who underwent hypnosis during radiation treatment experienced less fatigue than participants in the control group.

     The researchers reported that after six months,the average patient who had been treated with hypnosis reported less fatigue than 95% of patients who were not hypnotized.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in working with many medical issues including: pain relief, IBS and chronic fatigue.   

IMPROVING LONGEVITY FOR AMERICAN MEN

   A paper in the journal, HEALTH POLICY, reported that about 150,000 American men in the United States die prematurely each year from preventable causes.  This was a higher rate than in fifteen developed countries.  Among the most identified diseases causing the high rates of preventable disease in American men were diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer.

    The magazine, MEN'S HEALTH, recommended studying some of the other developed countries which did not have such a high rate of male premature death.  Italian men make heart-healthy eating choices including a Mediterranean diet, olive oil and moderate amounts of red wine.  Italian men also smoke much less than they once did.  Japanese men drink green tea which has been identified as a help in fighting prostate cancer.  In Switzerland, men are much more apt to ride a bike or walk to work.  This activity may be an identifiable reason for the lower risk of diabetes in Swiss men.

    The men in those countries were all making good choices to take care of themselves and their health.  If you or the man in your life are ready to improve the chances for a long, full healthy life, it's time to eat well, quit smoking and even have a glass of red wine or a cup of green tea.  Hypnotherapy can help to make those changes so you can BE WELL.

NICOTINE NOT SAFE

     As more and more people try to avoid the dangers of smoking, many try to replace cigarettes with other nicotine delivery systems such as an e-cigarette, nicotine patch or nicotine gum or lozenges.  But recent research out of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech  led by geneticist, Skip Garner, found that nicotine is not only addictive it is also carcinogenic.

     Professor Garner reported, "Previous tests measure and classify whether nicotine is a carcinogen or mutagen were conducted with old technology, sponsored by tobacco companies.  What we've done is we make a direct measurement of the genome using the latest technology of next gen sequencing and we could directly measure the number of mutations that exposure to nicotine caused.  The conclusion, nicotine alone can cause cancer even without the other chemicals in conventional cigarettes."

     He believes that using alternative nicotine delivery systems instead of cigarettes, actually could make the situation worse.   "When you smoke cigarettes, the actual dose is fairly low because it has spread out through your entire body, but when you're administering nicotine through a patch or you're chewing it with gum or you're inhaling it with e-cigarettes, your mouth and your skin get very high doses of nicotine."

    If you have been thinking about becoming a non-smoker, don't try to replace cigarettes with e-cigarettes, the patch or gum.  Instead, get the help you need.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to become a non-smoker and avoid the carcinogen, nicotine.

HYPNOSIS FOR AGE-RELATED LOSS OF STRENGTH

      Most people are familiar with the term "osteoporosis" which describes the gradual age-related loss of bone.  Less familiar to most of us, is the term "sarcopenia" which is the age-related loss of strength, function and bone mass.  Symptoms of sarcopenia include, becoming weak, walking slowly, and falling more easily.  In addition, sufferers of sarcopenia are less likely to recover from illnesses and more likely to die,

   Michael J. Grossman, MD, a specialist in antiaging and regenerative medicine in Irvine, California, writes that this disease "generally starts at age 40.  By the time you're 50, you're losing 1% to 2% of your muscle mass every year."  Besides the symptoms of sarcopenia listed above, those  having this age-related muscle loss have more fat which can produce inflammation causing such chronic diseases as cancer and heart disease. Having less muscle, means a person burns less blood sugar (glucose) so you are at greater risk for developing or controlling diabetes.

    Dr. Grossman recommends a protein rich diet which includes a four ounce serving of chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef.  In addition, he recommends supplements including a daily vitamin D supplement in the 3,000 to 5,000 IU (international units) level,, 1,000 mg (milligrams) of omega- fatty acids with 400 mg of EPA and 300 mg of DHA taken twice daily and if you are exercising, three grams of the amino acid Creatine.  He recommends finding a doctor trained in antiaging medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to test hormone levels.

    To stop or reverse muscle loss, you should be doing both aerobic and resistance exercise.  Besides walking for lower-body strength, upper body strength can be increased with exercises such as ballroom dancing or playing tennis.  Lifting weights or resistance bands can also be used to strengthen the different muscle groups.

     If you are concerned about losing muscle mass or strength and functioning of your muscles, you may need to get motivated to add these recommendations into your lifestyle.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable too to strengthen your muscles and BE WELL.

STRESS CAN MAKE YOU FAT

     If you have noticed that you tend to gain weight when you are really stressed out, you're not imagining the correlation. Andrew L. Rubman, ND, and contributing medical editor to DAILY HEALTH NEWS, confirms what you have suspected.  So why does stress make you fat?

    Rubman identifies the culprit as the hormone, cortisol.  When we are stressed, our bodies go into the fight-or-flight syndrome, which is the basis of how our bodies respond physiologically to stress.   The adrenal glands begin to produce the hormone in order to regulate the effects of insulin on blood sugar.  Add in poor dietary choices and ongoing stress can overload the body's system causing weight gain.

    The combination of high cortisol levels and dietary imbalances can be further aggravated by sleep problems and aging.  Chronically, waking up regularly in the middle of night to worry about finances, family or work problems can be an indicator that stress may affect your weight.  Dr. Rubman notes, "This may be your adrenal gland saying, "wake up", there is something wrong with your insulin-cortisol-blood sugar levels.  

    Dr. Rubman suggests a number of ways of managing blood sugar levels.  If you have symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) which may include:  anxiety, trembling, heart palpitations, or headaches  or high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) including fatigue, blurred vision, thirst or frequent urination, see your medical doctor for blood and urine tests. Under a physician's supervision, you may be prescribed medications or supplements including chromium, a fiber supplement such as glucomannan and high potency B vitamin 

    If you are concerned about gaining weight or preventing issues such as diabetes and heart disease, it is important to deal with the stresses in your life.  Develop tools to deal with the stresses in your life.  Nurture yourself by allowing your body to relax by mindful breathing or meditation.  Exercise is a wonderful way to deal with stress.  Hypnosis can be a powerful tool to deal with stress, motivate you to improve eating habits and exercise regularly.  Make those changes, deal with the stress, lose the weight and BE WELL>

SMOKING LINKED TO CHRONIC BACK PAIN

  If you suffer from chronic back pain, be aware your smoking habit may be part of the problem.  A study  by A. Vania Apkarian, PhD, professor of physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, found that smokers are three times more likely than nonsmokers to have chronic back pain.

    Although researchers are not sure why this surprising link between smoking and back pain exists, it is believed that smokers have a stronger connection between the regions of the brain controlling chronic pain and addictive behavior.  In the study, participants who quit smoking showed a drop in the connectivity between those two regions decreasing their risk of chronic pain.

    If you are  smoker suffering from chronic back pain, you have still another reason to stop smoking.  Hypnosis can be a valuable tool to Be a Healthy NonSmoker and BE WELL. 

HYPNOSIS, A GREAT TOOL TO PREVENT NAIL BITING

    You may have never heard of onychophagia but a simple show of hands may reveal you have this challenge.  For onychophagia is the term for chronic nail biting..This behavior occurs in different cultures and on different continents.  Nail biting occurs slightly more in males than females.  It is also very common at all ages.  Studies have shown that nail biting occurs between 28 and 33 percent of the time in children between seven and ten. Nail biting peaks in adolescents with 19 to 29 percent of teenagers. As young adults mature, the incidence of nail biting drops but 10 to 20 percent continue to chew their nails.  

     So why do people bite and pick their nails?  There are a lot of different opinions.  Although the old Freudian view of oral fixation is no longer popular, some older studies still lean to psychological reasons.  Newer studies often identify nail biting as a relative of obsessive-compulsive disorder. While some experts describe this as an exaggerated grooming behavior similar to monkeys and apes, others believe there is a genetic link since the behavior is often seen in families,  Stress relief may be important to some nail biters while for others it may simply be a matter of habit.

     In any case, though it can seem like a fairly unimportant habit, I often see clients who complain about it affecting their lives.  Some complain about the embarassment of a behavior that seems childlike or unprofessional while others talk about the discomfort of sore, raw or even bleeding fingers which makes their hands unattractive. And others are very concerned about nail biting being unsanitary.

     Among techniques people have used to overcome onychophaiga are:  keeping a journal  about the behavior to help identify triggers to nail biting, using a relaxation technique like meditation, keeping hands busy with an activity like playing with a stress ball or even the old Internet favorite of painting the nails with a bitter or hot liquid such as something flavored with peppery flavors like Tabasco sauce.  Be aware that some people actually start to like the hot flavors.  Some medical doctors will prescribe medications such as Prozac when the nail biting is severe.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to help you overcome this habit.  Stop nail biting, feel good and BE WELL.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SUGAR ADDICTION

    In recent years, sugar addiction particularly to soft drinks has become a common complaint among my clients.  This is not surprising.  A Scientific Statement in the AHA (American Heart Association) JOURNAL CIRCULATION reported that in the 2000s Americans increased their intake of sugar by an average of 22.2. teaspoons.  That is the equivalent of 355 calories most of it consumed in soft drinks.

    The statement identifies a large number of health problems caused by this excess sugar including:  weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol  which is the good cholesterol and increased risk for cardiovascular disease which includes stroke. Based on research at the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center who analyzed health and diet data from more than 4,500 people who had no history of high blood pressure, the America Heart Association issued the following guidelines.  1) Women should eat no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day or six teaspoons.  2) Men should eat no more than 150 calories of added sugar or nine teaspoons.  Since one twelve ounce can of cola contains eight teaspoons of sugar or 150 calories even one soda is too much for a woman.

    Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of BEAT SUGAR ADDICTION NOW! (Fair Winds) says, "Eating too much sugar is an addiction.  Sugar gives you an initial high, you crash several hours later, and this leaves you wanting more sugar."  He has several recommendations that can help including: 1) using sugar substitutes such as stevia and erythritol which are combined in the products PureVia and Truvia, 2) Getting seven to nine hours of sleep which he says "optimizes energy, decreases appetite and slashes sugar cravings, 3) drinking water to stay hydrated, 4) cutting out excess caffein, 4) taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement since low levels of nutrients can trigger food cravings and 5) Eating whole foods including vegetables, whole grains, beans and meat which do not trigger sugar cravings

    If you need help making these changes, hypnosis can be a valuable tool. Beat your sugar addiction and BE WELL.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT BELLY FAT

     Did you know belly fat is dangerous even when you have kept your overall body weight under control?  A study of more than 350,000 people published in THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE reported that a large waist can nearly double your risk of premature death.  Excess belly fat results in what we call an "apple" body shape.  Also known as visceral fat, it is stored in the abdominal cavity.  This is dangerous because it can wrap around or even invade internal organs including the heart.

   There are two types of belly fat.  There is soft belly fat and then the hard belly that is often called "having a beer belly."  The hard beer belly is the more dangerous of the two because people with hard belly fat have high levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) which is a risk factor for heart disease.  Among other serious health conditions linked to belly fat are:  diabetes, migraines, cancer, dementia, and lung problems.

   So measure your waist just below the navel.  A good goal for women is 35 inches or less and 40 inches or less in men.  Unfortunately, there are no known ways for spot reducing just visceral fat.  Healthy overall weight loss includes:  1) eating healthy foods and watching portion size, eliminating junk and processed foods.  Void processed carbohydrates such as snacks, white bread, fruit juice and beer.  All these can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar that may increase belly fat. 2) Add aerobic exercise such as a 20 minute walk daily.  This will burn calories, reduce fat and increase metabolism. 3) Set your thermostat lower.  New research finds that sleeping in a cool temperature could increase your body's energy expenditure resulting in weight loss.  

    If you add these behaviors into your daily life, you should boost metabolism and lose weight including  the visceral belly fat that is so dangerous.  If you need motivation to eat well and add the aerobic exercise, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool.  Use hypnosis, get rid of that belly fat and BE WELL.

SECRETS TO BE HAPPY

   Usually during the clinical interview that is part of my hypnotherapy sessions, I will ask clients what they hope to have happen because they came to see me.  Often the answer is, "I just want to be happy."  Social scientists believe that though life circumstances and genetics play a big part in happiness, about 55% of happiness comes from personal choices.

    In 2011, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic author and explorer, released the book THRIVEbased on five years of research and talking to researchers in the areas identified as the world leaders in happiness - San Luis Obispo, California, the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and Singapore.    In his books he identified the secrets of the happiest people in the world.

    Among the secrets were: 1) OWNING ONE TV.  Americans spend an average of more than four hours a day watching TV.  This is time not spent in real interaction with family and friends. 2) CREATING A "FLOW ROOM".  A flow room in Danish society is similar to the American family room.  But it has no television or computer screens.  3) EXPERIENCING WHAT BUETTNER CALLED "THE SUN BONUS".  Sun exposure produces Vitamin D, often called the "happiness vitamin" because it increases seratonin.  People in sunnier climates consistently indicate higher levels of happiness than those of us who live farther north.  So get out and enjoy the sun. 4) STOP SHOPPING.  Many people who get satisfaction from buying things take fewer vacations and work longer hours.  Americans are inundated by media and social expectations and to want more.  Make good memories through experiences with those you care about.  5)  BE SELF-EMPLOYED.  Business owners and self-employed workers report some of the highest levels of happiness perhaps because they are doing work they like or because they have more control and autonomy.  6) VOLUNTEER.  Research studies have shown that altruism creates feelings of well-being with an effect on the brain similar to addiction.  So get "hooked" on the rewardsof volunteering including better health and increased self-worth.  Buettner also recommends having some kind of 7) FAITH.  Whether through organized religion or spirituality, people of faith tend to be happier than those without.    If you would like to be happier, explore adding these recommendations to your life.

     Hypnotherapy can help you get motivated to make these changes.  A qualified hypnotherapist will guide you to identify your goals to dd changes so you can BE HAPPY.

FAST FOOD LINKED TO DEPRESSION

   If  you are a fast food junkie and suffer from depression, a 2012 study finds those two conditions  may be related.  The study of 8,964 people was done by researchers at the University of Las Palmas. Gran Canaria, and the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain and was published in PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION.

    The study findings indicated that those eating the most fast food during a six-year period were 37% more likely to become depressed than those who ate the least fast food.  Those who ate large amounts of commercially baked goods such as doughnuts and muffins also were more likely to be depressed.  

     The largest consumers of the commercially baked goods and fast food tended to be younger, less active and single.  So the depression might be caused by lifestyle rather than the specific foods studied.

     Poor eating habits, lack of exercise, depression are all things that can be helped with hypnotherapy.  Change bad habits with the help of hypnosis and BE WELL.

EXERCISE IMPROVES LIFE EXPECTANCY

     If you are at a healthy weight with a BMI between 20 and 25, you  may feel like that healthy weight ensures you of a long life.  But a 2012 study published in the journal PLoS gives a warning signal to couch potatoes who so far have managed to stay at a healthy weight.The study found that 30 minutes a day of exercise could add extra years of life and as much as 4.2 years could be added for those willing to spend as much as an hour a day of exercise.  

     The study participants who were sedentary and over the age of 40 were almost twice as likely to die during the course of the study.  The authors noted, "This finding may convince currently inactive persons that a modest level of physical activity is 'worth it' for health benefits, even if it may not result in weight control."

     Even those people who are severely obese can benefit from exercise. A Mayo Clinic cardiologist, Francisco Lopez-Jiminez, who was not involved in the study said, "We have to set priorities with patients.  First and foremost is to get sedentary obese people to become as active as they can and not to use their weight as a measure of their success.  Sometimes we tend to focus too much on the weight issue and to little on the exercise part of it."

     The enormous scale of the study which culled data from six major study groups totaling more than 632,000 people adds reaffirms a sedentary lifestyle is more dangerous than obesity in negatively influencing health.  You may not be able to lose weight today, but you can start moving today.  If you need motivation, hypnosis can help you get moving, improve your life expectancy and BE WELL.

HYPNOSIS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

     Have you ever thought about hypnosis as a tool for weight management?  A University of Connecticut study conducted in 1997 found that hypnosis can play a significant role in managing weight.  The researchers reported that test subjects who used only weight-loss methods such as diet lost an average of six pounds during the testing period.  Those who also used hypnosis lost an average of fifteen pounds.  In addition, those who used hypnosis kept the pounds off for two years following the therapy.  

    I always tell my clients, hypnosis is not magic.  If you continue to do exactly the same things, you are going to get the same result.  But hypnosis can be a great tool to motivate behavioral changes to include exercise and eating and nutrition habits. The hypnotherapist's suggestions must be personalized to meet each individual client's needs.  Each hypnotherapist has there own way of establishing those needs.  I require an hour and a half clinical interview with the client to learn about personal and family behavior around eating and movement.  We discuss the client's motivation to make a change and create a plan of how they want to eat, drink and move that will allow goals to be met.

    The hypnosis session will include positive, beneficial suggestions based on the clinical interview and the client's plan.  If you want to get motivated to make changes in your weight or changes in your eating or exercise behaviors, hypnosis can be a valuable tool to BE WELL.

HYPNOSIS AND SOCIAL CONTAGION

   You may not have heard the term "social contagion" before.  But I expect you have observed its influence.  New scientific studies are identifying how our family and friends can influence the choices we make.  Some choices are quite obvious like choosing where we live or where we work.  But less obvious choices are also often the result of the impact of the people we are around .

     Choices like whether we stay married or divorce, whether we exercise and eat well or become obese, whether we have professional success or failure are often highly influenced by those around us. In fact, research indicates that behavior and emotions are extremely contagious.  This might help to explain why before the Great Recession millions of people bought houses they could not afford.

    Nicholas A, Christakis, MD, PhD, was named one of one hundred most influential people in the world by TIME magazine in 2009 for his work on social contagion.    With his colleague, political scientist, James Fowler, PhD, he researched the issue of overeating and obesity which has been identified at epidemic levels in the United States.  He found that nine states in the USA report that more than 30 percent of their residents are obese.  Christakis and Fowler used a study that had been done in Framingham, Massachusetts over thirty years.  This tracked the details of thousands of people and their connections and how they interacted.  The researchers found that the spread of obesity followed a pattern similar to the way the flu spread.  The Framingham study indicated that if you had a family member or friend who was obese, your risk of becoming obese was 45% higher.  Even if a friend of a friend was obese, it increased your risk of obesity by 25%.  So the health of your extended social network is a key factor in determining your health.

     The researchers went on to study other issues moving through human networks like suicide, sexual practices, back pain and suicide.  They found that there were "Three Degrees of Influence"  That choices and actions could be influenced clear out to friends' friends' friends. Issues like divorce are considered so personal but the ripple effect of social contagion found that if you have a friend divorcing, that increases the likelihood that you will divorce by around 147%.  

     Christakis and Fowler found that behaviors such as smoking and overeating, can be influenced by friends who live hundreds of miles away.  Obviously individual thinking, cultural upbringing and genetics all contribute to our behavior, but this research found that social contagion is also a power influence.  If you socialize with family and friends who are obese, it can change your idea of what is acceptable body size.  If you are around heavy smokers or drinkers, you may allow yourself those options as well.

    So what can you do with this information?  Do NOT abandon friends and family.  Know that the benefits of being connected are far more important than the costs.  The researchers found that the most consistently happy group of people were those who had lots of friends.  But  remember your actions and choices can influence others as well.  So ask what you can do for those in your group of family and friends.  When you quit smoking, start exercising or lose weight,  your influence will benefit not only you, but your friends and family as well.

      If you need help to make those changes, hypnosis can help you quit smoking, lose weight or get motivated to make some other positive change.  Use hypnosis and BE WELL.

HYPNOSIS FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION

    Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, and associate professor of psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, reported on the findings of researchers who reviewed 148 studies that compared the frequency of social interaction and health over a period of 7.5 years.  They found that strong relationships with the people in their lives including family, friends and coworkers increased the likelihood of survival by 50%.  

    Holt-Lunstad suggested that to live longer open your life to more social interactions like volunteer work, joining a club or hosting events in your home.  If you feel you are naturally shy or anti-social and want to get motivated to make those changes, hypnotherapy can help you no longer be socially isolated and BE WELL.