Hypnosis and Side Effects of Medicines
by/margit cathrine moller

We often hear this and we consider this as a dreaded phrase: side effects. Part of our disease is healed but it causes another illness to occur. A side effect is often understood as an undesirable secondary effect which occurs in addition to the desired therapeutic effect of a drug or medication and it varies depending on the disease state, age, weight, gender, ethnicity and general health of the patient.

Side effects can be very manageable or can be so harmful that it results to death. Other adverse effects are alteration in body weight (extreme loss or extreme gain), levels of enzymes, loss of function, or as a pathological change detected at the microscopic, macroscopic or physiological level. “Adverse effects may cause a reversible or irreversible change, including an increase or decrease in the susceptibility of the individual to other chemicals, foods, or procedures, such as drug interactions”, as quoted from an article on adverse effects in Wikipedia.

As examples, painkillers may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems according to medical research. These concerns prompted Merck to pull its blockbuster drug Vioxx off the market.

The past years, doctors have discovered the role of hypnosis in the treatment of side effects. How does it work:

1. It relaxes the body and the mind, thus it hastens the healing process. This is applicable to the diagnosed disease and to the side effects of the medication as well. 2. Hypnosis helps patients use the power of their mind to quiet down their physical symptoms. 3. Hypnosis helps patients generate more physical energy and mental will to combat the adverse effects of drugs.

I have been telling my clients that hypnosis does not substitute medical care but it is an effective and wonderful supplement.