| When most people think about cancer they think | | | | has become the leading complementary treatment |
| about a disease that strikes suddenly and kills quickly. | | | | for cancer. |
| However were you aware that people develop | | | | There are many reasons why someone who is |
| cancerous cells everyday? The reason that this rarely | | | | suffering from cancer may wish to use |
| develops into a full on bout of cancer is because the | | | | hypnotherapy. To begin with hypnotherapy is an |
| immune system effectively attacks the cancer cell(s) | | | | excellent method of relaxation, and with the stresses |
| before they can cause an outbreak. What does this | | | | and strains cancer (and it's treatment) causes this in |
| mean? It means that cancer is caused by a failure in | | | | itself can provide a great relief. Hypnotherapy can |
| the immune system. Why does the immune system | | | | also help a patient think more positively about their |
| fail? Usually because of stress (both mental and | | | | situation and illness. It is a dark period of anybodies |
| physical) or poor nutrition. | | | | life, yet with the proper thoughts and suggestions a |
| Traditional cancer treatment typically consists of | | | | person can still be upbeat and enjoy life. It has also |
| surgery to remove the tumor and either | | | | been proved by many scientific studies that people |
| chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Sometimes a | | | | with a positive outlook heal more quickly and have |
| hormone therapy is also used. The idea behind this | | | | lower mortality rates. |
| approach is to remove the mass of cancer and then | | | | Perhaps the most useful use of hypnotherapy for |
| to completely kill off any cancerous cells that may | | | | cancer patients though is reducing the pain and |
| not have been caught by the surgery. While this is | | | | nausea they may be suffering. Unfortunately pain is |
| the best option we have currently come up with for | | | | to be expected when fighting cancer, and both |
| fighting cancer it comes with several drawbacks. | | | | chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been known to |
| Firstly is causes a lot of stress to the immune | | | | cause severe nausea in some patients. Hypnotherapy |
| system, it's not only cancerous cells which are killed | | | | can reduce both these issues because of the way it |
| but white blood cells too. Secondly it is both physically | | | | directs the subconscious mind. Have you ever had a |
| and psychologically demanding for the person | | | | scratch that you didn't know was there, then when |
| receiving such an intense course of treatment. Thirdly | | | | suddenly you saw it it suddenly started to hurt, even |
| all this treatment inevitably leads to pain, and with the | | | | though it didn't before? That's the power of the |
| immune system weakened the healing process can | | | | mind. In a reversal of this process a hypnotherapist |
| take even longer than it normally would to repair the | | | | can help a patient forget about the pain and nausea |
| damage. These are all good reasons why a cancer | | | | they have been experiencing and greatly reduce any |
| patient may wish to look for a complimentary cancer | | | | discomfort. |
| treatment, one of the most popular options is in fact | | | | Many hospitals and hospices now employ |
| hypnotherapy. | | | | hypnotherapists to help people dealing with cancer as |
| Since the mid to late 1950's where both the British | | | | well as many other serious conditions. I hope that |
| and American Medical Associations' gave their | | | | you have found this article useful. If you, or anybody |
| approval of the medical use of hypnosis (as well as | | | | you know, is currently fighting cancer please consider |
| Pope Pius XII) hypnotherapy has been used | | | | using hypnotherapy as a complimentary treatment. It |
| successfully to help people lose weight, quit smoking, | | | | is not a cure, but it can make the situations much |
| improve their sleep, overcome their fears and much | | | | more bearable. |
| more. In more recent years though hypnotherapy | | | | |