Has Asthma Got You All Choked Up? Control Attacks With Self-Hypnosis As A Treatment

Allergic reactions are one of the most widespread medical disorders affecting Americans at present. An allergy is an immune system response to a stimulus from the environment. The body incorrectly identifies the stimulus as unsafe, and attempts to fight it, causing the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The universal symptoms are an itching or runny nose, wheezing, coughing and irritated eyes.

One very prevalent type of allergy is asthma. It is a chronic allergy that directly affects the lungs and airways in the body. The airways are easily irritated by allergens which, causes the build up of a thick lining of mucus. Allergens and other stimuli can bring on an asthma attack, including temperature changes, humidity variations, smoke and pollen. Usually, an asthma attack has various respiratory symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Another symptom of asthma is shortness of breath.

Symptoms of an asthma attack are caused by the air passageways reacting to the allergen or trigger. When exposed to a trigger, the air passageways become irritated and narrow, resulting in the respiratory symptoms. These symptoms may range from moderate to ominous, depending on the severity of the allergy. Any asthma symptom can be scary, and should be taken seriously.

Asthma is most often diagnosed in childhood, as symptoms tend to manifest by the age of 5. Currently, it affects around ten to twelve percent of all children, and has been steadily mounting. There is no explicit known reason for the increase, but risk factors include exposure to cigarette smoke, other allergies and a history of other respiratory infections. Besides, the odds of being diagnosed are augmented in males and African Americans.

At present, there are numerous different types of asthma medications and methods of treatment that may effectively reduce symptoms. Two core types of asthma medication are fast-acting medicine to treat symptoms during an attack, and preventing medicine, which is taken on a regular basis to shrink the risk of having an attack. Short-acting Beta-2 Antagonists (SABAs) are bronchodilators, which is a type of fast acting medicine that facilitates opening air passageways and easing the symptoms of an attack, and are generally given through asthma inhalers. This type of medicine doesn't treat the inflammation that causes an attack, but is helpful when taken during an attack, and will last for 3 - 6 hours after it is administered.

Controlling asthma drugs are taken regularly and treats the underlying causes of the asthma attacks. The most widespread types of this medicine are inhalers containing a steroid that reduces inflammation in the air passageways and lungs and Long-Acting Beta-2 Antagonists (LABAs). The effects of long-acting asthma inhalers generally last for twelve hours, and may help reduce the number of attacks that take place during sleep. Various medications have very harsh side effects for some people.

Several types of asthma treatment alternative therapies are presently getting more popular. Some alternative approaches concentrate just on preventative care, like not smoking during pregnancy or around kids, including a selenium-rich diet or removing sources of allergy causing substances in the home. Some other treatments include reducing weight, increasing Omega-3 consumption, decreasing Omega-6 consumption, relaxation techniques, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. It is essential to note that any type of alternative therapy is intended to be used along with medical advice, because fast-acting medications are often required for an acute asthma attack.

One modality that is becoming more popular is self-hypnosis or hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy for asthma has the goal of triggering the relaxation response, which can help to prevent or diminish your symptoms when having an attack. Some other alternative types of asthma treatment also employ relaxation methods as a tool to diminish symptoms, such as with meditation programs.

Using hypnosis, one can treat the emotional elements of an attack, which have the capability to make it much more severe. It is only human nature to become anxious or feel threatened when we feel our air supply being cut off. This instinctual reaction actually may intensify the severity of an attack. Such feelings of fear and dread about having an attack can really bring on an attack. These emotional causes and responses are handled with the asthma treatment method of self-hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy has been proven to be an extremely useful asthma treatment. With a trained hypnotherapist, or using one of the many recorded programs available, you can easily glide into a relaxing state, and start to take charge over breathing and bodily functions. One of the most effective techniques is to learn how to utilize self-hypnosis to actually abort an imminent attack. The self-hypnosis method of asthma treatment is very successful, and may work well for those who cannot take or do not want to take prescription medication regularly. Which asthma treatment you choose depends both on the seriousness of your symptoms and what type of treatment that works well for your symptoms.

Alan B. Densky, CH is certified by the NGH. He has perfected several hypnosis and NLP methods that are efficient asthma treatments. His Neuro-VISION hypnosis website offers a broad range of self-hypnosis programs. Visit to enjoy Free hypnotherapy videos, articles, and newsletters.

Hypnosis with Children

As currently practiced, hypnotherapy most often involves teaching a child how to self-hypnotize in order to control bad habits, physical symptoms and other conditions. The child learns to use relaxation techniques and mental images — similar to a daydream or fantasy — to enter an “altered mental state” (in other words, to induce hypnosis).

Once in this altered state, the therapist makes suggestions aimed at producing the desired change in behavior, anxiety level, or symptom intensity. These may range from recalling times of feeling happy and well in a child with chronic pain, to thinking of the body as a “computer” that the child can “program” with his or her mind.

The child may also receive specific teaching about their problem as a means of helping them learn to exercise control over their body. For example, a child with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) may be taught the basic anatomy and function of the bladder. Ultimately, the child is able to induce self-hypnosis when needed to achieve the desired changes.

What is the history of using hypnosis with children?
Hypnosis of children was first described in 1779 by Mesmer, who reportedly used hypnotherapy to treat a child with visual problems. Historically, hypnotherapy was rarely practiced with children because people thought that children could not be hypnotized. In the 1970's, however, observations suggested that children were easier to hypnotize than adults, and that hypnosis could be used in the treatment of behavioral and physical problems in children.

What are some uses of hypnotherapy in children?
Hypnotherapy has been used to treat hundreds of behavior disorders, chronic diseases, pain control and easing discomfort. Here is a partial list:

Behaviour problems:
- Habits, tic disorders, thumb sucking, trichotillomania (hair-pulling), Tourette's Syndrome.
- Nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)
- Sleep terrors, nightmares and other sleep disturbances
- Swallowing problems, food aversions and choking (not related to anatomic problems or disease)
- Anxiety and stress

Chronic Conditions
Asthma
Case reports suggest that hypnotherapy may reduce episodes of wheezing or shortness of breath, and may decrease reliance on asthma medications.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
A study in adults and children with CF suggests that hypnotherapy can reduce symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, anxiety, and other problems commonly faced by these patients.
Migraine headaches
Cancer
See this summary of medical literature on the uses of hypnotherapy for children with cancer.

Control of pain, treatment and medical procedure discomfort and other symptoms:
Chronic pain in cancer patients
Initial results from small studies showing that hypnotherapy can be used to manage chronic pain in children with cancer; larger studies are likely underway.
Nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy
Several studies comparing hypnotherapy to anti-nausea medications and simple relaxation techniques show that hypnotherapy plus medications was more effective than medications alone in reducing nausea and vomiting. Children treated with hypnotherapy had less pre- and post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting.
Treatments: pill-swallowing, injections, and medical procedures
Hypnosis has been shown to be very effective in helping children through painful procedures like shots, IV pokes, even spinal taps and bone marrow studies.

Source: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/hypnosis.htm Carolyn Lorenz, M.D., Neda Yousif, M.D. and Kyla Boyse, R.N. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan. Updated January 2007.

Antonia Stuart-James is an English Hypnotherapist in Belgium helping people make positive change.