Weight Loss Through Hypnosis
Why weight loss through hypnosis?
The escalation of obesity rates in this country has sparked a flurry of activity amongst both serious researchers and charlatans to discover the perfect weight loss method. Hypnosis represents one of the more appealing methods dangled before the eyes of those who are hungry for a seemingly easy solution to a complex problem.
Unfortunately, hypnosis suffers from frequent misrepresentation by those with a penchant for profits who capitalize on the widespread ignorance regarding its mechanisms of action. A careful review of the scientific literatures exposes many of the claims about weight loss through hypnosis on the intemet as overly optimistic at best and openly fraudulent
…show more content…
Dr. Mike highlights the natural side of hypnosis since it does not involve drugs and Guarantees his clients will lose weight (http,://www.drmike-hypnosis.com/setindex.html). One unidentified hypnosis source claims that hypnosis will reprogram people and that no documented case of anyone being hurt by hypnosis exists (http://www.sodre.net/cello/hypno4.html). Hypnosis can be a potentially dangerous thing for people who are not trained in its workings to utilize. Dr. David Spiegel expressed concern on a recent episode of Dateline NBC that a fraudulent hypnotist was supposedly hypnotizing large groups of people without asking them how they felt after bringing them out of the hypnotic state. One should approach any claims that hypnosis can naturally alter the inherent workings of the mind with extreme …show more content…
Internet advertisers who claim weight loss will occur following a single hypnotic session, especially a group hypnotic session, are frauds selling dreams to desperate customers. Allison and Faith (1996) underscore that "there is currently no panacea for the treatment of obesity and hypnosis is no exception". Treatment using hypnosis then is not a quick and easy way out of weight troubles. In order to achieve any benefits from its use, hypnosis must be practiced on a regular basis for a significant period of
“…So many people want to know about diets because so many people are going to try them, but they don’t work … some weight will be lost temporarily.” Harvey Diamond, author, was speaking. “But let me ask you something – do you want to be healthy temporarily? No. But you want to lose weight temporarily. They’re – They have failures built right into them.”
Imagine that it is a Friday night and you are up having a little midnight snack and watching some television. Feeling guilty for eating at such a late hour, you begin to flip through the stations when something catches your eye. It is an infomercial, and usually you just flip right through these, but for odd some reason you decide to watch this one. How could you possibly resist not watching? The commercial begins by showing gorgeous blondes in bikinis, and buff studs in speedos stuffing their faces with hamburgers, pizza, chips and everything that you know should not be eaten in quantity (if at all)! The amazing thing is that these “people” all have society’s ideal bodies. They are toned, tan, and thin in all of the right places. The commercial proceeds to boast how these women and men never exercise. They don’t need to because they take Enforma’s Exercise in a Bottle! Well now they have gotten your attention--look great, eat what you want and never exercise? It sounds way too good to be true! This is what miracle product, Exercise in a Bottle, will promise its potential buyers. But the questions, how does it work, what are they and how do its ingredients work, does it work, and are there any side effects are all key questions to be explored before taking Exercise in a Bottle. After I saw the commercial one night when I was up late snacking with my best friend, I admit that I was definitely tempted to pick up the phone and place an order. I even came close to falling into all of the hype and excitement surrounding this new product when I began my research, but after seeing a more scientific approach to the product, I have changed my mind.
For the 71 years that the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was in power, Mexico saw great political, social and economic upheaval. This can be seen in the evolution of the PRI party, whose reign over Mexican society came at the expense of true democracy. “A party designed for power, the PRI's mechanisms for success involved a combination of repressive measures. The party professed no specific ideology, enabling it to adapt to changing social, economic and political forces over time. It attached itself virtually all aspects of civil society, and in this way, it become the political extension and tool of the government.” In 2000, however, the PRI’s loss of its monopoly on political power and institutional corruption gave rise to inter-cartel violence that was created in the political void left after the PAN won the national presidential election. These conditions gave rise to the Zetas: a new type of cartel that changed the operational structure of previous drug cartels. The Zetas operate in a new militant structure associated with a higher brand of violence, which has led it to branch out beyond a traditional drug smuggling enterprise common under the PRI government. Simply put, the electoral defeat of the PRI in 2000 was supposed to usher in a more democratic era in Mexican politics. Instead, the PRI party’s defeat created a state of chaos that gave rise to inter-cartel violence and the birth of the Zetas cartel.
Obesity doctor Alwin Lewis’ “Five Bite” diet promises that it will help people to lose up to 15 pounds in a single week. Dr. Lewis’ diet requires the patient/person to skip breakfast and only eat five bites of whatever food they are eating for lunch and dinner. The person may not drink beverages with calories, the person must consume a multivitamin, and also ensure that there is protein in the 10 bite a day diet. The main appeal of the diet is that the person is allowed to eat any food she or he desires, as long as it's strictly five bites per meal. The Five Bite Diet’s origins can be found in the assigned meal regimens of gastric bypass patients post surgery. Dr. Lewis observed gastric bypass patients’ post surgery diets that limited them to five bites per meal. Lewis tried this on himself and saw positive results and then tried it on patients and saw positive results. This diet is extremely casual and convenient, it can be marketed towards various different groups of people. The trade off that comes with the Five Bite diet being easily marketable is that it is also easily mistaken as scientifically proven or backed. Dr. Lewis’ diet gained a lot of publicity after he appeared on the Doctor Oz show to discuss it.
Obesity remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight and obesity that will help everyone (CDC, 2009).
Although Science and Pseudoscience are evidently two completely different topics, what is considered to be classified as a Science or Pseudoscience is a controversy topic that’s still being debated today. While science builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the world through the scientific method, pseudoscience is a claim, belief or practice which is presented as science, but lacks support of evidence and cannot be reliably tested. Hypnosis is one topic several psychologists and those in the field of science are seemingly still debating today, in result to its several different uses. Although hypnosis is shown to work when dealing with certain phenomena’s like stress, there are several uses it is considered to be very ineffective and simply not a science.
The controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) lies in the lack of acceptable research on the topic. While numerous studies and experiment have been conducted, unbiased results have yet to be published. On one hand, bioengineers claim their GMOs and GMO products are not harmful and may even be beneficial, while on the other hand, scientists and agriculturists claim they are terrified about the uncertainty surrounding these unnatural products. This paper will explain what GMOs are, then analyze positive and negative claims and determine if they have any validity.
Some people do not know all that much about exercise and dieting. They do not know healthy ways to eat, and they don’t realize that one can’t get the “Perfect Body” in just a few days. These people are possibly victims of Fitness Myths. “In 2002, the Federal Trade Commission released a report that shared a review of 300 weight-loss ads promoting 218 different products. They found the rampant use of false or misleading claims” (FTC, 2003) Misleading fitness products can be particularly damaging. If one is mislead into purchasing a product and the product doesn’t work as it was advertised, not only have you wasted your money, but also the product may have physically hurt your body. FTC chairman Timothy Muris talks about the advertising and promotion tactics of the fitness industry “ads that make claims and promises that are clearly implausible and patently false run in all forms of media, with the notable exception of network TV” (FTC, 2003). Misleading advertisements are common among all forms of media. Although TV commercials may be more powerful in their persuasion, an obvious reason for this is that TV advertisements show more misleading commercials. A technique frequently used in commercials to make them seem credible is that “many deceptive ads run in highly respected publications and they are perceived to be credible”(FTC, 2003). Therefore if the TV program you are watching, while the commercial is being played, seems credible, consumers tend to believe that the products advertised during the episode are also trustworthy.
Hypnosis has many practical uses, and these days it is becoming increasingly popular as a method of behavior modification. The Internet contains many advertisements for self-help programs that use hypnosis to reduce stress, quit smoking, or lose weight. In the area of hypnosis and weight loss, there are many web sites for both products and services for sale that promise to help anyone lose weight. Hypnosis uses suggestions to change a person's behavior and eating habits in order to facilitate weight loss. What are the expected outcomes? There are many different outcomes expected from this type of hypnotic treatment. Most vendors of hypnosis specify that it's purpose is not only lose weight but to also maintain that ideal weight. Some companies also promise that hypnosis will stop cravings for unhealthy foods, such as foods high in salt or fat and also fried foods. http://www.clauser.com/announce3.html Through hypnotic suggestion, the person will learn how to eat healthy and may also become physically fit. Basically, the person becomes subconsciously motivated to eat better food and to become physically active. http://www.biocentrix.com/hypnosis/wghtplan.htm How Does Hypnosis work? There are many different forms of hypnosis used to control weight. A very popular method is the use of hypnotizing tapes. DreamLab, a web site selling these tapes, describes the procedure, and advises customers to start the tape when they go to bed. They claim that the tape contains both music and instructions that "lull you into the right mood." http://www.dream-lab.com/noweight.html While a person is in this mood, they are open to changes in their attitudes about eating habits and exercise through the suggestion of dream i...
After reading this article, I discovered that occupational therapists have the ability to help the client loose his excess weight, in a way that enables the client to make the choice of how he would like to specifically go about doing it. I feel that this “client-centered approach” is extremely effective because everyone’s body is different and it is therefore very important to understand what is really the best way for that specific person to loose weight, because not every intervention will work for everyone. For example, some sugar-free diets are found to have adverse effects on some people. With this in mind, we are all different and our bodies react differently to different foods and fitness...
Abraham and Mira warnes in 1988 that health educators and health professionals should weigh up carefully the benefits of weight loss against the risks of inducing psychological disturbances such as eating disorders and adverse physiological side effects such as dieting and severe weight loss…(37)(ajn).
Although some of these material claim to be helpful but most of them have not been tested for its validity. These materials are promoted excessively to convince buyers about its benefit. In any case that if these treatments does not work, often consumers blame themselves for not being diligent with the instruction. Its time for consumers to realize the misconception of self-help product and start believing in themselves and their own ability to overcome what life has placed for them as a challenge. After all, breaking the habit, coping with stress and wanting success is all part and parcel of life. Self-help books, aromatherapy and subliminal tapes are all just a gimmick to get as many consumers as possible to believe in the unexplainable and non credible fact of self-help product.
...research and decide for themselves whether genetically modifying crops was wrong, the issue would be a much smaller ratio of pros versus against. Referring back to the statement above from “The Good, Bad and Ugly about GMOs”, it would be fairly hard to have something on the shelves of every grocery store if it were not safe or beneficiary to the health of the people. “Corn, rice, canola oil, and soy beans were all among the first to become FDA-approved GMOs during the mid 1990s.” (Hennessey, 2012). Hennessey (2012) then goes on to say, “Today the FDA has approved over 40 seeds and plants for genetic modification.” Whether “The Good, Bad and Ugly about GMO” or the article written by Rachel Hennessey is true, it is evident that not all genetically modified foods are evaluated, researched, or tested properly due to how much controversy there is over one single issue.
Weight loss, in the perspective of medicine, health, or physical fitness, is a decrease in the total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other connective tissue. It can occur unintentionally due to an underlying disease or can arise from a conscious effort to improve an actual or perceived overweight or obese state. The search for the ideal weight loss operation began more than 50 years ago because exercise and diet alone are apparently ineffective in treating people with extreme and excessive obesity. Surgical pioneers expanded modern procedures that at first produced malabsorption, then constrained volume intake, and finally combined both systems. Discrepancies, adjustments, and revisions of these innovative procedures, combined with concentrated efforts to go after and file results, have led to the growth and progress of modern bariatric surgery.
... about the practical and useful ways to lose weight rather than believing all the words mentioned in advertisements.