Mental Decline in Middle Age?

Mental function can begin to decline as early as age 45, according to new research. The brain's capacity for memory, reasoning and comprehension begins to wane much earlier than previously thought, it suggests. While 60 has been cited as the age people experience a difference in their thinking abilities, the new study found decline could actually hit the middle-aged.

Researchers from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London in the UK studied more than 7,000 people over a 10-year period. Published online in the British Medical Journal, their research focused on civil servants aged between 45 and 70 at the start of cognitive testing in 1997 to 1999.

Cognitive function was measured three times over 10 years to assess memory, vocabulary, hearing and visual comprehension skills. Tasks included recalling in writing as many words beginning with the letter S as possible and as many animal names as could be thought of.

All cognitive scores, except vocabulary, declined among all age groups during the study, and there was evidence of faster decline among older people.

In men, there was a 3.6% drop in reasoning after 10 years among those who were aged 45 to 49 at the start of the study and 9.6% among those aged 65 to 70. In women, the decline was 3.6% and 7.4% in the same age groups respectively.

The authors concluded: "Cognitive decline is already evident in middle age (age 45-49)." They added: "Poor cognitive status is perhaps the single most disabling condition in old age."

The researchers said diseases such as dementia were now thought to be the result of long-term changes over at least 20 to 30 years. There is enough evidence already to show the importance of healthy lifestyles and good heart health in impacting on the later risk of dementia.

Dr Anne Corbett, research manager at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This large, important study adds vital information to the debate over when cognitive decline begins. However, the study does not tell us whether any of these people went on to develop dementia, nor how feasible it would be for GPs (doctors) to detect these early changes.

"More research is now needed to help us fully understand how measurable changes in the brain can help us improve diagnosis of dementia. An early diagnosis is essential as it can provide access to support and potential treatments which can vastly improve people's quality of life."

From: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/mental-decline-seen-middle-age-233534243.html

How to Lose Weight With Hypnosis

Weight loss and diet are in everyone's mind and on every person's lips especially this time of year after the excesses of the holiday season, and who can blame them for such a new year's resolution. Generally we put on weight during the winter months, then look at ourselves in the mirror and dread the thought of being on public display in swimwear for the forthcoming summer. What sacrifices must be made to shed those pounds? Weight loss with hypnotherapy is one great method for achieving your goals. Read here for the basics to hypnosis weight loss from a previous post. Hypnosis allows new ideas to be programmed into the deeper part of the brain, and if those ideas are healthy in nature the person in question will automatically begin living a healthier lifestyle and losing weight.

If we are inactive our body learns to burn less fat as if it is in some kind of self induced hibernation mode of limited movement. This is what is known as a 'slow metabolism' the rate at which our body burns its fuel. On the other hand the western obesity crisis is also caused by simply eating too much, and eating far too many unnatural foods. Why is the 'natural' aspect important? As humans we developed as a species eating what we found in nature, be it meat, fruits or vegetables, we were basically eating animals or plants while we spent our days actively hunting or gathering them in. Look at pictures of tribes people from remote jungles, they all have healthy lean bodies with great skin and that is no coincidence, they eat what nature provides them and nothing that has been processed and added to for 'extra' flavours. The 'cave man' diet (also known as the 'Paleo' or 'Paleolithic' diet) uses this basic rule and has worked wonders for people's health who have followed it.

Human civilisation advanced in a way that we were able to harvest huge amounts of crops in the form of grains to make bread and many other variants of it, all high in carbohydrates. Sugar is harvested and is put into our food along with salts and many different types of oil that our bodies essentially are not designed to consume. Feed a dog cheeseburgers everyday and despite him probably enjoying them it wont do his health or hygiene any good at all...a dog is designed to eat flesh and bones and that is what he will be most healthy eating.

So not only are we fed food in high quantity that is unhealthy and unnatural for our bodies, we no longer have to go out and actively hunt or forage our food - leaving us free to sit in front of our laptops or TVs ordering take away to our doors. Is it any wonder that many westerners are fatter than they should be? Is the modern lifestyle suited for our body design? And that's without mentioning huge alcohol intake...

So we've developed these unhealthy habits that are now ingrained into our minds but are really doing our bodies very little good at all. Many people have developed diabetes and similar related disorders due to bad diet and bad lifestyle. But what can we do about it in our own lives today and for the year ahead?

I was a healthy active youngster myself, but after leaving school and having the funds to discover beer and take away, I got lazy and put on around 20 kg and my skin also became more greasy and spotty. Despite reading some fancy books and attempting some overly complicated diets, it took me a long while to actually come to terms with the basics of health and get my head straight on the matter. But as soon as I did the weight fell off consistently and has stayed of ever since. I feel better than ever and importantly full of energy. I never did anything complicated or wasted time measuring calories, portion size or counting carbs. I used common sense as well as consistency and followed these simple rules:

• Drink water predominantly instead of sugar laden juices, sodas or milk.
• Drink a herbal tea with nothing else added instead of milky tea with sugar or coffee (you don't need the caffeine!)
• Eat a couple of pieces of fruit per day as snacks instead of chocolate/crisps/chips/biscuits/cookies
• Eat a large breakfast full of protein (couple of eggs) that satisfies me from the off instead of late night binging. Rather have the fuel inside you to burn off in the day rather than sleeping on that fuel in your stomach where it will turn to fat. Breakfast cereals are a waste of time as they don't satisfy and are high in carbs and sugar.
• Lay off the carbohydrates where possible, but especially in the evenings when it sticks
• If you do eat bread/pasta or such like high carb foods, switch to wholemeal every time.
• Do a short burst of exercise (half hour) most days instead of longer more boring sessions once or twice a week
• Vary exercise to keep it fresh and interesting (sport for me is the best as it never feels like a chore, also activities like roller blading or anything that can be enjoyed)
• Walk where possible instead of using unnecessary transportation

I've joined gyms before but they weren't right for me. The expense is one thing, but generally I'd rather take a jog in the fresh air of the outdoors for free than watch Lycra-clad hairy sweaty men on treadmills. Body weight exercises like press ups are great and can be done in the home without cost the same as many different types of exercise such as Pilates or Yoga.

I don't live like a monk and if there is an occasion like Xmas or a birthday I don't mind eating some things I know probably wont do me any good, I still enjoy a drink every now and again or whenever the situation might arise. But I've got to the stage essentially where I understand how my body works and I simply do not crave the 'treats' in life that used to be a staple part of my old unhealthy diet. I feel better, look better and its made my life better. I reached this level of understanding through continued self-hypnosis (How to do self-hypnosis part one) which has allowed my mind to make long term changes for the better. I used to eat until I felt bloated, then have a desert to fill in the gaps. I don't have that need any more. I don't have cravings for foods that are bad for me and neither do you have to if you control your mind in the right way instead of letting it control you and your behaviour.

If you think you need help with weight loss and think hypnotherapy is the answer, I'd be happy to share my program with you just email for more details. Gastric Band hypnotherapy can be read about here and is another option for hypnosis weight loss. 

Top 10 Most Common Nightmares

The top 10 most common nightmares are listed by Nightmares.com as the following:

• 32% - Being Chased, Attacked
• 7% - Falling or Drowning
• 7% - Being Trapped
• 6% - Partner Leaving Them
• 6% - Being Injured, Ill
• 5% - Teeth Falling Out
• 3% - Being Naked in Public
• 2% - Missing a Plane or Train etc
• 2% - Contacted By the Dead
• 1% - Natural Disasters

I  can certainly relate to having a few of those, especially as a child. But what does this list say about our minds? Does it show a representation of our deepest manifested fears? Coming to physical harm, finding ourselves in danger, being left vulnerable, our appearance being disfigured or experiencing the supernatural all seem reasonable enough things to be afraid of, but then how many people have actually experienced being chased and attacked? Does this make nightmares unreasonable fears? For more on dreams read here and here. Is there something you think should have been on the list and is not there? Or have you had a nightmare you cant explain and want to share? Email me.

Video: The Truth About Pharma Companies and Your Health?

On the whole I trust the advice of doctors but I certainly think twice before taking any medications, prescription or otherwise, because often there is a more natural way to solve a problem that does not involve tampering with the body's chemical make up and the body's immune system is certainly the best healer. Seeing videos like this one and reading other accounts regarding the drug corporations casts real doubt on whether they are actually in the business of helping people or purely making a profit to satisfy shareholders' greed. We live in a world that can unfortunately be very cold and ruthless and I would not be surprised in the slightest if the following was true.

Gwen Olsen is correct when she says we must self-educate and be proactive when it comes to safe guarding the health of both ourselves and our loved ones as blindly following the advice of a money grabbing industry may not be serving our best interests.  

If you are having health problems and are considering long term prescription drugs, why not first at least consider hypnotherapy? Hypnosis tackles issues at their root cause and not the effect like other treatments can, all while working extremely quickly in producing results that are drug free, natural, safe and immensely cost effective in comparison to long standing medications or psychiatric treatments. For more information Email here.

The Placebo Effect

The placebo effect is most interesting in the world of psychology because it proves our minds have a strong control over physical responses in the body as well as psychological ones. We hear the phrase 'it's all in your mind' frequently, and to a large extent that could well be true.

A placebo is a 'dummy' treatment used in experiments for control groups to test the different outcome of one drug against another, say drug 'A' against the placebo - an inert solution such as saline or a sugar. Scientists once believed that the inert solution would have no effect on the test patient but they soon began to discover that often it did, especially if patients were told that the solution would have an effect on them. For example, I could give a harmless mint to someone and tell them it was a strong laxative and so long as they believed me (the critical factor here) they would likely experience a trip to the toilet soon enough. This is what is known as the Placebo effect.

Why is this interesting? Placebos show that if a person believes they are being treated there is a strong likelihood they will perceive a change in their condition, and if this change is positive, i.e. a medicine that will certainly improve their condition, then that perceived positive change can lead to the condition actually improving. This has been seen in cases as serious as cancer with tumours reducing in size by use of placebos alone. On the other hand if a patient has no confidence in their doctor or the medicine they are taking then their condition is less likely to improve. A key factor here is how the mind perceives the situation, not necessarily just how the body reacts to different medicines.

Alternative medicines have been described as placebos, especially practices like faith healing - where somewhat ironically if the patient has faith in the treatment administered it could well work. Hypnotherapy can also been seen along the same lines, the patient has to have a belief in it being able to work as well as a wish for a change to occur - if those two vital ingredients do not exist then there is little chance in the therapy working no matter how many sessions are had. If someone comes to me asking to quit smoking for the only reason that their partner is giving them a hard time about it I would see no use in treating them for this very reason.

So why are placebos not used to treat more conditions in everyday life? The answer to that is that the brain is subjective and so people might not react the same way to the same treatments, and while placebos can be effective with treating certain problems such as pain or depression for example, for other aggressive diseases they would be far less useful.  Administering placebos also requires doctors to lie to their patients, as if patients were made aware of the real medicine they were taking the effect would not be there (although results have surprisingly still been found when the patient has been openly told they were taking a placebo). This would break the ethics of doctor-patient honesty and cause several problems especially legally if treatment did not work as hoped.

Instead we see placebos used in everyday life around us without most of us knowing they are there. Buttons to shut elevator doors or to make traffic light turn red so pedestrians can cross the road have been known to be placebos themselves, sometimes having absolutely no effect other than to make the person pressing the button feel better and less impatient.