There is no doubt that hypnosis is a very effective  treatment of stress. When an individual feels he does not have the resources to cope with a task he is confronted with stress develops. Hypnosis works by changing perception, belief and ability to cope so the subject feels he is no longer incapable.

90% of diseases are caused by stress, said Dr. Lipton. Persistent stress starves vital organs of nutrients and oxygen. On the odd occasion this is not a problem but when it becomes persistent, diseases are likely.

It is not the situation you confront that is the cause of stress but by the way you perceive this situation and whether you feel you have the coping mechanisms to deal with it. hypnotherapyis a very effective treatment for stress because it changes your perception, expectation and belief.

Following hypnosis treatment, things that trigger extreme stress are converted to easy tasks because, you have the belief that you have the resources to successfully carry out anything you are faced with little effort on your part.

Hypnosis takes you down to a deep relaxed state and to brainwave level theta. At theta brainwave level, the filters that block unwanted messages to enter the Subconscious Mind,ease their tight grip and the hypnotherapist can alter attitude, belief and expectation.

Hypnosis is without doubt a powerful and safe treatment of stress and anxiety. Meditation is an effective tool and recommended for stress. It is, however, very difficult to see how a stressed person can relax, and if he or she cannot relax, meditation becomes very difficult. It is better to have hypnosis as an immediate treatment and then introduce meditation for the long term stress control and overall life enhancement.

Anyone who has experienced stress will tell you stress is an unpleasant thing. The fun goes out of your life and your libido goes away. Anger, rage, anxiety and depression are symptoms you can develop. During stress you become less creative and makes unnecessary mistakes.

Worse of all, because it triggers the fight or flight reaction, it shuts off vital nutrients to some organs of the body while at the same time stimulating the heart. Researchers believe this is the reason it is the underlying cause for 90% of diseases. Annually millions of days are lost in industry through stress and the cost to the health providers is enormous.

Attitude to stress can be changed by hypnosis and it is not just a treatment for your present stress but it gives you belief and coping skills to control stress in the long term.

In a hypnotic session, powerful post hypnotic suggestions are given not just on how to cope with your current situation but generally on all aspects of your life. Things a hypnotist will say are, “You are calm and relaxed. You will confront any situation calmly and know that if it can be done, you are very capable and competent to do it.” Effective post hypnotic suggestion enables you to adopt the attitude, “Now what is the best way to do this?” rather than, “I don’t think I can do this.”

So have hypnotherapy rather than drugs, counselling, CBT or psychotherapy for safe and outstanding results of stress. Bear in mind that hypnosis is simply a state of heightened awareness where your right brain becomes very alert. It does not analyse or filters like the left brain. While remaining in a deep relaxed state, the Subconscious Mind simply accepts positive suggestions.

In recent decades, however, great strides have been made in understanding clinical depression and bipolar disorder. Now it is well-known that these conditions are treatable. But getting help is not always easy. Why? A mood disorder is not diagnosed with a simple blood test or an X-ray. Instead, a person’s behavior, thinking, and judgment are monitored over a period of time. A number of symptoms must be present for a diagnosis to be reached. The problem is that sometimes family members and friends do not realize that what they are observing constitutes evidence of a mood disorder. Furthermore, even when family members feel that the situation is serious, it may be difficult to convince the sufferer that he or she needs medical attention. Or if you are the one who is ailing, you may not be inclined to get help.Of course, everyone feels despondent on occasion, and this does not necessarily indicate a mood disorder. But what if these feelings seem more intense than a mere bout with the blues? And what if they persist for an unusual length of time—perhaps two weeks or more? Furthermore, suppose the depressive moods are preventing you from functioning normally, either at work, at school, or in social situations. In such a case, it might be wise to consult a professional who is qualified to diagnose and treat depressive disorders. This is especially true when considering that a person is already experiencing the different signs of clinical depression.

When a biochemical imbalance is involved, medication may be prescribed. In other cases, a program of counseling might be recommended to help the sufferer learn how to cope with his or her condition. At times, both approaches combined have produced beneficial results. The important thing is to reach out and get help. Many times sufferers are frightened and ashamed of their condition, the real shame, though, is suspecting you have a problem and not seeking the help that you so desperately need.

Hence, as an advice, it is important to heed the suggestion that at the brink of knowing that you are already experiencing the signs of clinical depression, it is important that you consult the experts as soon as possible. Yes, the signs of clinical depression should not be taken for granted as doing so may result to even many serious damages. Through a clinical depression test, you are sire to get the best help you need upon knowing what your case of depression is.

Go here for more about beck anxiety inventory and anxiety attack symptoms

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A Group led by Professor Irving Kirsch, at the Department of Psychology at the University of Hull, looked at 47 clinical trials using data from Freedom of Information rules by the US Food and Drug Administration. They looked at the most commonly used anti-depressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac), venlafaxine (Efexor) and paroxetine (Seroxat).

They found that these anti-depressants had no greater effect than a placebo for mildly depressed patients and the majority of people suffering severe depression.

This new group of anti-depressants are called selective Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. If the blood serotonin level is low, you feel depressed. These drugs improve this. The study confirmed that depression improved with these drugs but patients also improved with dummy pills. In other words depression will improve without chemical intervention.

Prof. Irvine Kirsch said, “Given these data, there seem little evidence to support the prescription of anti-depressant medication to any but the most depressed patients unless alternative treatments have failed to provide benefit.”

Nine out of ten GPs admit that they are forced into dishing out prescriptions because of poor access to treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy. In Chelmsford the waiting time for CBT is very long.

Although there has been numerous side effects linked with these drugs and suicidal tendencies associated with prozac and seroxat, they are an improvement on the older drugs. GPs over prescribe these drugs and this research will change the prescribing habits across the country. It is certainly a step in the right direction if patients are given coping mechanisms to control depression. If and when depression recurs, they will know what to do for themselves rather than expect the magic pill to sort it out.

There are numerous times that I spent over twenty minutes talking to a depressed patient and prescribing the drug they expected from me and when they return for a follow up, they admitted that they did not take their tablets but took on board what I said, changed a few things in their lives, and that felt much better. There are also quite a few elderly patients on these drugs. They get their repeat prescriptions every month and stack them up in their cupboard and show no signs of any change.

This research result will not just save the NHS money in reduced prescriptions, but will change patients expectation. They will know that to get better, they should first heed the statement of two letter words. “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Dr. Phil Hariram.

When I became a General Practitioner in 1977, there were limited options for treating anxiety and depression.

In addition, the nearest Psychiatric Hospital, Severalls, was in Colchester, a distance away. There were huge gaps in the treatment of this group of patients.

Once anxiety or depression was diagnosed, the next step was a prescription of tranquillisers or anti-depressants and these drugs had side effects and other problems.

Barbiturates were still used for anxiety and Valium (diazepam) and Librium (chlordiazepoxide) were the most frequently used drugs. Stress was not a word in common use.

The anti-depressants were tri-cyclics and MAOI group of drugs. They all had terrible side effects. Drugs in this group are amitriptylline and prothiaden.

In time it became clear that tranquillisers and sleeping pills were addictive and some patients were actually taking these drugs just to feed their addiction. With the reduction of tranquilliser use, other forms of treatment were introduced and this created a better understanding and care.

GPs had access to treatment such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Counselling and Psychotherapy.

In addition, the newer anti-depressants, the Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors, SSRI, changed the way we prescribed for depression. These drugs such as Prozac reduced side effects and most importantly significantly lowered the number of deaths from anti-depressant misuse.

Today Prozac, Seroxat and other SSRIs are the first line in the treatment of depression. They are so safe, some feel that they are badly abused and prescribed for minor problems when sound advice was all that was necessary.

These drugs are very good and have made a significant difference to a large amount of people. So many people are now able to live a life of better quality as a result of these drugs.

Treatment for mental health today is very good. Patients now get the quality of care they need and with the introduction of some really effective drugs, they are able to get targeted treatment to get them back on their feet as soon as possible.

Today stress is a word in common use. Your doctor is more likely to say you are stressed rather that suffering anxiety. I intend to spend a lot of time in this blog discussing stress and how it is the underlying cause for as much as 90% of illnesses today. It is simply shocking how stress alters the chemicals circulating in your body.

This blog will show you various ways to reduce stress and minimise the risk of other illnesses. During my time a GP, I trained and practised Hypnotherapy and Acupuncture. I will explain how Hypnotherapy works and how it can alter perception and reduce stress. Subscribe to this blog to get post as it happens.

Stress in every where. Stress can also be as a result of a perception. If you think the resources you can muster to cope does not meet up to the challenge in front of you, you are already on the first step to stress.

Dr. Phil Hariram

Tagamet was introduced when I was a trainee GP or as it is called today, a GP registrar. Before Tagamet and the other anti-ulcer drugs, ulcer patients suffered severely. When antacids were ineffective and a barium meal showed an ulcer, surgery was the next option.

There were procedures such as Vagotomy and pyloroplasty and the scary Bolroth. At the time there was a saying “You are not a successful executive unless you have an ulcer by 35.”

Ranitidine, the second anti-ulcer drug made Glaxo a big player in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Similarly Losec (Omeprazole) , a proton pump inhibitor, changed Astra, the Swedish Drug Company.

These drugs changed the lives of people with dyspepsia. For ulcers and acid reflux surgery became rare. The introduction of fibre optics into medicine meant endoscopies were carries out. Gastroscopies became a routine procedure and biopsies enabled the gastro-enterologists to grade the severily of the condition.

In 1982, the Australian duo and Nobel Prize Winner, Warren and Marshall, discovered a bacteria in the stomach of ulcer patients. The bacteria is Helicobacter pylori. Eradicating this bacteria allowed healing of ulcers. A combination of high dose antibiotics and anti-ulcer drugs for a week or two cured the ulcers.

Today gastric and duodenal ulcers are associated with Helicobacter pylori infection rather than stress, lifestyle or over indulgence.

Dr.Phil Hariram