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Cancer: It’s a diagnosis that no one wants to hear. It can leave you feeling frightened, uncertain, and powerless. And yet, in many cases, cancer can be cured, especially when it’s detected early. It is important to know that you have options in addition to standard medical therapies that can safely be used to naturally support your body and mind as you undergo cancer treatments.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to maintain health. Acupuncture can reduce the side effects of conventional cancer treatment by treating imbalances in the body’s Qi, or vital energy, by the use of fine, sterile acupuncture needles at specific acupuncture points. And, according to the National Institutes of Health, acupuncture has been found to be effective in relieving nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and post surgical pain.
It is well known that there is a mind/body connection. In fact, our body is eavesdropping on our thoughts! Therefore our mental state has a significant bearing on our ability to recover from cancer. Acupuncture and/or Hypnosis can help to relieve the stress, depression and anxiety present with cancer, which can greatly improve your quality of life during this challenging time.
Hypnosis finds applications at several levels of cancer care. It is useful as a means of dealing directly with the symptoms of general pain and symptoms related to specific organ systems, as well as nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, and insomnia.
Hypnosis is also useful in the management of the side effects of cancer treatments. Particularly bothersome can be the side effects of chemotherapy. Sometimes a person can become so sensitized by the treatment’s after-effects that even the thought of subsequent sessions brings about great distress. Hypnosis has been well documented to have therapeutic potential for providing a calming state of mind before and after subsequent chemotherapy sessions thus enabling one to continue with treatment.
Confronted by an expanding array of medical tests and complex surgical options, the mind often reacts with bewilderment and apprehension. Hypnosis is used to reduce anxiety and to regulate sleep and other biological rhythms, thus saving the organism's energy reserves. Post-hypnotic suggestions (affirmations designed to actualize themselves at a future time) can express themselves during the operative procedure so as to stabilize physiological parameters, even while anesthesia is administered. Postoperatively, hypnosis aims to accelerate the physical and psychological task of recovery.
Many cancer patients connect their diagnosis of cancer with existing demands of life priorities. A very broad range of emotions is regularly encountered as a psychological response to cancer. Aside from anxiety, which is universal, there can be feelings of helplessness, anger, alienation, aloneness, guilt, low self-esteem, hopelessness, and loss. Hypnosis can assist in releasing these negative emotions.
Finally, and somewhat controversially, hypnosis has been aimed at modifying the course of the disease process itself through the use of imagery and can have far-reaching influence on immune system function.
Hypnotherapy in cancer may be directed to many levels. The physical symptoms of cancer and the effects of its treatment may be alleviated to enhance quality of life. Hypnotherapy can significantly help patients through medical procedures and operations. Hypnosis may also be used to assist in the personal adjustments facing each individual. Self hypnosis allows patients to actively contribute to their treatment. Finally, hypnosis and self-hypnosis may be recruited to stimulate spiritual healing.
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