Can the Economy Make You Fat? 

Being in debt and worrying about how you are going to make that next credit card and mortgage payment can make you overweight. That’s the word from researchers, who say that “the recent credit crunch will have health implications,” and that “debt can be associated with the probability of being overweight or obese.”

The investigators from the University of Mainz, Germany, studied more than 9,000 people and found that 25 percent of the 949 people in debt were obese, compared to only 11 percent of the remaining 8,318 participants. One of the biggest factors in the relationship between debt and being overweight is stress; another is having to choose less expensive, often sugary and fatty foods.

According to the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” report, 43 percent of people say they overeat or eat unhealthy foods when they are under stress, and worries about work (or the lack thereof) and debt, especially house costs and medical costs, are among the most stressful.

The biology of stress, debt, and being overweight begins with biochemistry. When the body is in a stressful state, it releases large amounts of stress hormones, especially cortisol. The longer cortisol and other stress hormones remain at high levels in the body, the more damage they can cause, including memory problems, insomnia, depression, fatigue, a buildup of fat in the arteries that can lead to heart disease, and accumulation of fat molecules, which can lead to overweight and obesity.

Actually, stress and cortisol work in two ways to promote weight gain: retention of fat molecules and triggering overeating as a way to deal with the stress and depression. High cortisol levels can increase food cravings, especially for sweets and foods high in fat. People in debt may turn to “comfort foods,” such as ice cream, cookies and cake, candy, and other sugar-rich foods because they have a calming effect.

When sugar hits the taste buds, they release endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer. The endorphins tell the body to release the hormone serotonin, which can make you feel good. Eating lots of sugary foods quickly raises the body’s blood sugar levels, giving you a temporary high. The higher you feel, the harder you will fall, causing you to feel down and depressed. The solution: you eat more comfort foods, starting the cycle again and promoting weight gain.

Given the current economic climate, it does not appear that the stress associated with debt and money worries will go away soon. In the meantime, here are some tips on how to avoid overeating and overweight during these trying times:

• Think before you eat. If you’re going to eat something to make you “feel better,” go take a walk, call a friend, read, play a video game, or anything that will distract you.

• Don’t buy sugary and other tempting foods. If they are not in the house, you are less likely to eat them.

• Change your habits. If you typically eat cookies while you’re driving in rush hour traffic, bring a bottle of spring water instead.

• Never grocery shop when you’re hungry.

• Do not engage in other activities while you are eating, such as watching TV or driving. This leads to mindless overeating and overweight.

• Practice stress-reduction methods such as yoga, meditation, exercise, tai chi, or hypnosis.

SOURCES:
American Psychological Association, “Stress in America” report 2007
Munster E et al. BMC Public Health August 2009; 9:286

 Jim' Commentary: this is further confirmation of something many of us have known all along, that unhealthy stress has both direct and indirect consequences. Quite often a major component of a healthy weight loss program is bringing down chronic tension levels. Your certified hypnosis professional knows how to help you with this.

Hypnosis May Boost Sales Goals
Karen Dybis / Special to The Detroit News

Hypnotherapist Dr. Hena Husain has used her training to help hundreds of Metro Detroiters quit smoking and lose weight. Now, she is marketing to a new group: small business owners.

It may sound unconventional, but business people may find techniques like hypnotherapy could break down the mental barriers hindering their success, said Husain, owner of Balance 4 Life in Sterling Heights and Farmington Hills.

Just as people struggle with personal problems -- like stress, anxieties, fears and phobias -- they also have professional struggles, Husain said. She said her techniques allow small business owners to reach the next level in their business, such as boosting their sales or finding new clients.

"We all have blocks in achieving our goals," Husain said. "I help (business owners) remove their blocks and change negative thoughts into positive ones.

So far, she has worked with a variety of professionals, like financial advisors, health insurance agents, business coaches, salespeople and business people such as Stan Broyles, owner of Hot Room Cold Room Solutions in Waterford.

Broyles said he went to Husain initially to assist him with pain management, but he also learned how to manage his mind and attitude.

"I was hurting. But then I went to a one-hour session with Hena," Broyles said. "I got more relief in that one session than I did from three days in the hospital and $11,000 in hospital bills."

Husain said her long-term goal is to become an internationally recognized public speaker and work with larger companies such as General Motors Corp., helping their employees with stress management and the like.

Husain is certified in three areas: Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP, Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT and hypnotherapy. NLP is the branch of linguistics that explores how the brain encodes language, and EFT has been described as an emotional version of acupuncture.

A typical client pays a per-session fee or can receive a discounted rate if they sign up for multiple sessions. Costs are similar to going to a massage therapist, Husain said. During these sessions, the client learns self-hypnosis, NLP and EFT to become self-sufficient in managing their targeted issues.

Husain grew up in Vancouver, Canada, and received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Simon Fraizer University. She earned her doctorate in behavior science from Alpha University in Louisiana. She received her hypnotherapy training from Institute of Transformational Hypnotherapy in Lansing.

For those who worry about what they will say or do during a session, Husain said they need not worry. She is very professional, Broyles said, and she is bounded by privacy rules.

Jim's Commentary- Hats off to Dr. Hena for showing that hypnosis can help people in ways they may have never imagined!

Knee Surgery Under Self Hypnosis 
 
  
LONDON, July 16--A knee operation has been performed on a 67 year-old woman during which she was in a state of self-induced hypnosis.

Bernadine Coady was awake and aware of what is happening during the surgery but did not feel the pain thanks to three weeks of preparations prior to the operation.

Bernadine, a trained hypnotist for 15 years, says she knew in advance what type of operation was to be performed so to prepare she placed two blocks of ice on either side of her knee to freeze the area.

The operation was held in the private Orthopedics and Spine Hospital in Peterborough. That was the third time that surgeon Ahmed Shair has operated on Bernadette while she is in a state of hypnosis.

Coady, from March, Cambridgeshire underwent an operation which involved a surgeon sawing into the bone of her foot ten years ago, using only hypnosis.

At the time she said: "I said to myself that if I had any pain I was going to liken it to waves lashing against a sea wall. Every time it happened, I thought it was the pain going away, like the tide. I always thought that it was possible and I am proof that it is. ''

Coady, originally from Belize, moved to Britain to train as a nurse more than 40 years ago.

The surgery involved an arthroscopy (a piece of medical equipment used to help in arthroscopic or knee surgery) being inserted into Bernadine's knee so that the surgeon can see the damage and repair it.

Bernadette is a trained hypnotherapist and is confident in the power of her mind over that of her body. 
     
   
Link to original story 

Jim's Commentary- this is a truly inspiring story about a hypnosis professional who truly "walks the talk" when it comes to the power of the mind!

Healing Through Hypnosis
March 2, 2008-Times of India

Sheena (name changed) suffered from a host of personal and professional problems and was desperate for a solution. "I had relationship issues and irritable spells," she says. In the course of her search, she tried hypnotherapy. After a few sessions, Sheena says she felt she had a better handle on her situation. Life seemed a bigger, broader picture.

The relationship bothering her was no more, her health improved and she found she could cope better with situations. "I think it made me look at life more positively," she says.

Sheena, like others, is one of many turning to hypnotherapy as an alternative therapy. "Hypnotherapy is trying to activate your subconscious mind by switching your conscious mind off," says Bina Bakshi, a hypnotherapist.

"Normally, the conscious mind makes decisions and resists ideas. The first thing you need to know is that hypnosis is a very natural state. People go into hypnosis regularly without even realising it. If you were to listen to positive suggestions while in these naturally occurring trance states they would have an effect on you."

Clinical psychologist Shrimant Patil explains that psychologists use hypnosis to establish rapport with their patients and evolve a line of treatment. Says Dhansingh Chowdhury, a practising hypnotherapist, "If there is a problem, one should have sessions for the subconscious as the personality is locked in it. You have to put to sleep the conscious to reach the subconscious."

Almost 80% of problems in life are related to psychological problmes, says Patil. Techniques involve making the person comfortable, slowing down their breathing, making them stare at a spot and concentrate on feeling relaxed.

For Neha, hypnotherapy helped her deal with claustrophobia. "I had been through a number of surgeries and had become claustrophobic. After treatment, there has been a marked improvement, though I am not completely cured."

There’s a growing curiosity about this form of therapy. "Almost 60 per cent of my patients come from outside Pune," says Bakshi. Hypnotherapy has proven effective in dealing with issues like adjustment problems, divorce, financial worries and obsessive compulsive disorders, she says.

There have always been misconceptions about hypnotherapy, however. Says Bakshi, "Hypnosis is often misunderstood. Many people believe it can force you to act and react in whatever way the hypnotherapist instructs. Hypnosis cannot make a person into someone different and cannot control a person's mind. It can only act upon what is within the person."

Sheena herself was hesitant about starting hypnotherapy. "Initially, I had fears. In reality, though, you are not unconscious, this is a common misconception. I never had much trouble with it. But it’s still not an ‘acceptable’ thing to do. My family does not know about it."

Jim's commentary: it is interesting how public awareness of the benefits of hypnosis is increasing around the globe and hopefully will continue to grow.