Prozac is 25 years old this year.  When it first arrived on the scene it was regarded as a wonder drug for the treatment of depression, but increasingly opinions about relying solely on medication to treat such a complex illness are changing towards a more holistic approach.

Maybe this is partly due to the fact that 25 years later the number of depressed people has been increasing rather than decreasing, suggesting that it’s not all chemical, but psychological too.

Some people remain on medication for years without any improvements but they still take it just in case they get worse. We must be missing something if people are not getting better with medication alone. Should we then look for a complimentary approach addressing the mind in the same way we are already addressing the chemical imbalance?

Talking therapies make for an effective complimentary treatment which can help establish if the medication is still performing effectively and address the problem of dependency.  Because although not addictive, even if a drug isn’t working any more people become psychologically reliant on it and won’t feel confident about changing over to another treatment.  

Minimising any side effects of medication can also be important. For example, in some people, taking antidepressants can cause weight gain which may prove distressing but talking this over and advising they see a GP about an adjustment of dosage can reduce this effect and make a big difference to that person’s wellbeing.

www.birminghamhypnotherapyclinic.com

Hypnotherapy helped one man lose 100 pounds, one lady kick her smoking habit after 25 years & one sports team overcome a big losing streak. We speak with users & a renowned expert about how & why hypnotherapy works for certain people but not others.

Nonpharmacologic interventions such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, and meditation can offer significant benefits to patients with dermatologic conditions including psoriasis, eczema, and urticaria, according to Dr. Richard G. Fried.

While the use of nonpharmacologic interventions may seem counterintuitive, these therapies have been shown to improve psychosocial function and reduce the negative emotional states that can exacerbate or even elicit skin disease, said Dr. Fried of Yardley (Pa.) Dermatology Associates. Dr. Fried detailed several strategies and options for managing the mental aspect of skin disorders in an article in the June issue of Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.

"Clinical studies have demonstrated that psychological stress disrupts skin barrier function and increases the severity of cutaneous infections, and down-regulates antimicrobial peptide expression, resulting in more severe skin infections in mice," Dr. Fried wrote.

"This self-perpetuating negative interaction between stress and impaired skin function has been well-described and often underlies the so-called ‘vicious cycle’ that exists between skin and negative emotional states," he said.

Dr. Fried proposed three broad categories of ‘psychocutaneous’ patients. First, there are individuals with skin manifestations associated a psychiatric diagnosis such as depression, anxiety, or body dysmorphic disorder.

The second category includes patients with psych-derm conditions such as acne excoriée, neurotic excoriations, dermatitis artefacta, and trichotillomania. The third category covers patients with common skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, and urticaria that are known to be impacted by emotional factors.

Dr. Fried suggested that even patients dealing with the dermatologic effects of aging may be at risk for negative emotional sequelae and may benefit from nonpharmacologic interventions.

Hypnosis is one intervention that has been shown to benefit some patients. For example, long-lasting effects of hypnosis (particularly in highly hypnotizable patients) may include reduced scratching in eczema, and can aid resolution of acne excoriée.

"Recent studies in patients with alopecia areata (including several with ophiasis distribution) demonstrated that hypnosis promotes excellent regrowth in approximately 50% of treated patients and improvements in depression and anxiety in almost all patients," Dr. Fried reported.

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is one of several common psychotherapy interventions used to treat the psychological aspects of skin disorders. Data from a 6-week study of cognitive-behavioral therapy in psoriasis patients showed improvements in anxiety, depression, and psoriasis-related stress, compared with patients who didn’t receive the therapy. In addition, the psychotherapy intervention group showed three times the clinical improvement, compared those undergoing conventional treatment without therapy.

Group psychotherapy has also been associated with symptom reduction, decreased pruritus, fewer eczema relapses, and decreased steroid use in patients with eczema who used it to supplement to their regular medication.

But nonpharmacologic interventions can also be practiced in a less formal manner by dermatologists themselves, Dr. Fried said.

"The power to heal by words, manner, and touch cannot be overstated. Gentle, compassionate, and optimistic comments and gestures can affect the physiology, emotional well-being, and compliance of our patients," he said.

Dr. Fried said referral to a psychodermatologist or mental health professional with an interest in dermatologic manifestations may help some patients, but sometimes treatment can be as simple as a patient’s regular dermatologist offering reassuring words to, "assuage some of the ‘terror of chronicity and progression’ that haunts our patients," he said.

Dr. Fried stated that he has received compensation for the development of educational papers from Ranbaxy, Bayer, Valeant, and Promius.

WASHINGTON- April 28, 2013- “Hypnosis seems helpful in treating addictions and the depression and anxiety associated with them”- Psychology Today

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy has been rooted in science with evidence based results reported for many years. Although the American Medical Association (AMA) currently has no clear position on the effectiveness of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, in 1958, the AMA reported hypnotherapy has a recognized place in the medical armamentarium and is a useful technique in the treatment of certain illnesses.

Hypnotherapy is considered an effective adjunct in psychotherapy for many issues, and more are being studied. On its own, hypnotherapy is reported to be beneficial: In 2001, the British Psychological Society commissioned a group of expert psychologists and published a report that declared hypnosis a proven therapeutic medium and valid for study.

The report went on to say hypnotherapy is beneficial for a wide range of issues encountered in medicine, psychology and psychiatry with regard to stress, anxiety, pain, and psychosomatic illnesses. Some illnesses described are insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and migraines, asthma and a variety of skin maladies. Weight reduction was also cited as benefiting from hypnotherapy.

A comparison study reported in 2007 by American Health Magazine indicates some psychological issues benefit more from hypnotherapy than psychoanalysis and behavior therapy.  A German university meta-analysis of 444 studies supported this claim, concluding a 64 percent success rate with hypnotherapy for stress, anxiety and chronic pain.

According to Sanjay Paul, A psychology instructor at several universities, hypnosis is a heightened sense of suggestibility for accessing the subconscious mind which is responsible for up to 90 to 95 percent of our thoughts and actions. No one can be made to do anything they do not wish to under hypnosis. That old, inaccurate reputation stems from night club acts.

Paul goes on to say hypnosis can provide lasting change by “cleaning the bottom of the mental fish tank” and it is the sub-conscious that helps to maintain ones self-image and record all memory via sensor input as a 24 hour mental tape recorder.


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