The Great American Smokeout

It is a busy month already. Just thought I would give you a heads up in case you are not aware that Thursday, November 15, is the Great American Smokeout. For all of us in the smoking cessation business, this may be a great chance to get some free publicity and help the public. For those who are thinking about quiting, this might be a great quit date for you.

This event was started by the American Cancer Society in 1976 in California. Since then it has blossomed. Here is an interesting fact: only one in seven people have tried support (such as hypnosis, nicotine replacement, counseling, etc.) when quitting smoking.

To learn more about the event, visit www.cancer.org. They have some great resources that may help you in your business, as well.

More Positive Numbers for Hypnosis

Last week while looking for information and statistics about hypnosis and breast cancer, I came across another study done in 2004. This one involved children undergoing cancer surgery and their pain levels.

Though I am still trying to find the original study information, including where it was done, this information came from a review by Linda A. Vrooman at thecancer.net taken from Cancer Online in September 2004.

There was research done to substantiate the role of hypnosis in prolonging life of those with cancer. One study specifically looked at how pain was perceived by children and the affects of hypnosis on this perception. Apparently 80 children participated. They were broken up into four groups, two of which consisted of experiencing an anesthetic and hypnosis during various procedures. The other two groups received an an anesthetic and counseling. The groups who used hypnosis experienced much less pain then the other groups, based on their response to how much pain they suffered using a scale of zero to five.

Again, I am still looking for the study this review is from, but thought it would be good to infuse a little good news after the debauchery we suffered yesterday with the showbiz hypnosis. If you know of the source of the cancer study, please share it here.

Hypnosis and Breast Cancer - The Proof

Do you ever have Mondays when you feel like it much surely be Wednesday? I have not been awake for long, but it feels like the middle of the week. More tea for me.

And it is hard to believe that it is October and has been so for a little while. Are any of you out there doing anything specific for Breast Cancer Awareness month? I am still compiling my thoughts on it, and though this is last month's news, if you have not heard about the study on hypnosis and breast cancer, than read on. This is very positive for both hypnosis and those suffering from breast cancer, and going out on a nice sturdy limb, any one who is about to undergo surgery.

On August 28, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute substantiated hypnotists claims that hypnosis, prior to breast cancer surgery has a few benefits. These include reduced amounts of anesthesia needed during the procedures and lessened the amount of pain endured after the procedure, as well as the amount of recovery time and the cost of it. Hypnosis helps the later by also reducing the need for medications after the surgery.

Here are the details:

• Dr. Guy Montgomery of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) and colleagues conducted the clinical trial.
• The trail was to research the effects of hypnosis given within one hour before surgery.
• 200 women participated.
• The control group was given 15 minutes to talk to a psychologist.
• The test group was given 15 minutes of hypnosis.
• The hypnosis consisted of suggestions for relaxation, guided visualization, pain reduction, nausea reduction, and fatigue reduction. These participants also received instruction on self-hypnosis.
• The use of pain medications and sedatives during surgery, as well as pain levels and side effects were monitored.
• Results: The test (hypnosis) group needed less anesthesia and reported less pain and side effects after the procedure. An average of 11 minutes was shaved off of their time in surgery and medical costs were reduced by about $733 per patient (mainly from needing less time in surgery).

Sources
Science Daily

Feeling a little clicky?

Coffee break again.

Looking at my email, I noticed a client has sent me an interesting link and a plea for help. The link is to The Breast Cancer Site. It is a site that creates awareness about breast cancer and also has a very interesting program that provides free mammograms to women in need. If you have been reading any of the hypnosis studies lately, you know then that there has been a study done that verifies that hypnosis is beneficial in the healing process to breast cancer patients (not that we needed verification, but the rest of the world appreciates it). So, it seems like this is a good time to support the awareness site.

Basically, when you go to the site, you click on a link that says "Click Here to Give - It's Free." Here's how it works according to the site:

Your click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button helps fund free mammograms for women in need — low-income, inner-city and minority women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. Your click is paid for by site sponsors, and mammogram funding is provided to clinics throughout the U.S. through the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

What the email I received from my client mentioned is that it takes 45,000 clicks to result in one free mammogram, so feel free to pass this on to anyone you know.