We recently returned from a walking trip in Spain along the Camino de Santiago. Although the trek is about 800 kilometers, we walked only the last 220 kilometers and met some wonderful people along the way. We spent one pleasant evening chatting to a plastic surgeon and a retired banker who were biking across the Camino (no small thing – trust me walking is easier). As is the custom when meeting people in their own homeland, our talk turned to healthcare in Spain. Both were bemoaning what they felt was a growing problem in Spain: obesity.
Although it didn’t appear as bad to us as it is in the U.S., obesity is clearly on the rise in the world, a problem that I’ve recently heard referred to as the “industrial global diet” high in meat, fat and sugar. In other words it’s cheap food. High in calories. Terrible to one’s health.
Italy, the home of the Mediterranean Diet, also has an obesity problem, more the result of rising wealth than worsening poverty as more of the population adopts the industrial diet.
According to Dr. Angelo Pietrobelli, associate professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the University of Verona, “Unfortunately, in particular among adolescents, they try to avoid Mediterranean diet because they try to ‘imitate’ the U.S. diet.”
During the 1940s, physiologist Ancel Keys, noted that the people of the seaside town of Pioppi, were living longer, healthier lives and had a much lower rate of heart disease than their well-fed Northern European counterparts. He ended up studying their diet during the 1940s and ‘50s and the Mediterranean Diet, high in fresh vegetables, fruit and fish and low in meat, was introduced to the rest of the world. Keys himself adopted the diet and died at 101 years of age.
The problem was that the Mediterranean diet was actually a poor man’s diet, “a diet of poverty, not of choice” according to food historian Zachary Nowak of the Umbra Institute of Perugia.
Obesity is not confined to Italy where about 36% of kids aged 12-16 are overweight or obese, but is spreading to Greece as well as Spain where more young people are abandoning the Mediterranean diet in favor of fast food joints.
Too bad this is what kids want to emulate about Americans.
I have been a hypnotist since 2001 and continue to be amazed who quickly clients can shed the emotional burdens of their problems. They walk in my office looking as though their problems define who they are, and leave feeling refreshed and confident.
If you want to experience a rapidly dramatic retake on your perspective of a particular problem or struggle I recommend hypnosis. Clients certainly recall past problems but the overwhelming majority feel completely disconnected and free to move forward.
Once the positive shift is initiated then the process of repetition ensures that it lasts. My clients receive a CD or MP3 of each session for home reinforcement. For decades this aspect of the process was never mentioned in hopes individuals would keep coming back paying for sessions. My philosophy has always involved training clients to become self-practitioners, their success is greater, longer lasting and as a result they do my marketing for me. It’s a win-win situation.
Paul Gustafson RN CH
On May 6th 1954, Roger Bannister had thoughts of running a sub-four minute mile, which had never been done before. Not only did he succeed but he opened the door for 45 other runners to have the same dream and in tern, accomplished the same feat over the course of the next eighteen months. We follow the path of our most dominant thoughts. Hypnosis helps us to powerfully reshape our feelings and expectations which can lead to dramatic life change. I’m sure Roger would agree.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Andrea was a 32 year old professional woman who was referred to me by her primary physician. She had back surgery one year ago to free up a restricted nerve which was causing her a lot of discomfort. Her surgery was successful although she continued to have pain. Although her pain was less than before but she said it still interfered with her sleep and limited her extremely active lifestyle.
Andrea described her job as constant motion; she was a sales rep and did a lot of traveling and was on call 24/7. The financial rewards were enormous but over the last few years she liked it less. Further into our initial conversation I learned that Andrea was brought up in an athletic family; her father was a high school track coach who instilled his militaristic views on fitness to his family. When she wasn’t working she was a long distance competitive runner. In addition to all of this stress, she recently went through a divorce.
We talked a lot about her lifestyle, the surgery and how things are marginally better now compared to before surgery. I then asked her if she was happy. She didn’t understand what that would have to do with the pain so I explained that what we think about most on a day-to-day basis has a significant affect on how we feel physically, emotionally and even the types of situations we attract into our lives. I also added that apparently there was a physical component to her pain which surgery seemed to improve but that there also could be an emotional component still in need of attention.
I told her about a sixteen year old boy, Jeff (not his real name), who had come to me for IBS. He was not progressing as well as I thought he should, so during a session I asked him to look forward in time and see himself free of IBS, after the session he said he couldn’t envision such a scenario. He said everyone knew him as the kid battling IBS. He said it was part of who he was.
In a subsequent session in which we dialoged back and forth I asked him if the healthy Jeff would be able to help the IBS Jeff through this transition, to which he agreed. I then asked IBS Jeff if he thought it was a good idea to take a rest and let healthy Jeff lead the way, which also got a positive response. This is called parts therapy and can be an extremely powerful tool to free up inner conflict creating resolution, freedom and relief. After this session Jeff quickly began experience relief from his IBS symptoms.
Andrea was intrigued and excited to pursue hypnosis. In her first session I helped her learn how to deeply relax and to also stimulate the flow of endorphins which can be extremely comforting. When she came back in two weeks for her next session she was smiling and experiencing some relief but still had some discomfort. She agreed to try dialoging during this session as had I described doing with Jeff.
In hypnosis, I asked Andrea what she thought the source of her remaining discomfort might and she was quick to respond. She said she hated her job and always had. Her father had a sales job and he pushed her into doing the same. She also hated running and maintaining her family’s ridiculous fitness standards. I asked her what changes she might make that could help her with her discomfort and she said her first move was to search out a job that she was passionate about and also starting to listen to her body more rather than punishing it with endless exercise. She also said that because hypnosis has brought her such clarity she would continue practicing self-hypnosis.
At the conclusion of the session Andrea was very emotional. She had been driven for so long by values she couldn’t live with and to experience such immediate and complete freedom from the weight of such a burden can be an amazing experience. So many times I see clients who think they know what their problem is only to learn it was something completely different.
Andrea came back for a couple of more visits. Her pain was gone and she was excited about her future. She, of course, still wasn’t sure what path she might take but she certainly knew that positive healthy change was coming and was very open to consider all possibilities.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation just released the results of their 2012 Food & Health Survey. Their findings show Americans knowledge on nutrition is a bit of a contradiction. While people said their nutrition is important and they want to make improvements, they also said they are unsure of what to eat to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight.
The findings also found men and women flip-flop when it comes to eating healthy and exercise.
Men find it harder to eat right than exercise, while the opposite is true for women. Another interesting finding saw 87 percent pointing to taste as the most important factor in the food they choose, with price as the second determination.
The worst statistic of all, less than 10% could correctly estimate the number of calories they need to maintain their and only three in 10 believe all sources of calories play a role in weight gain. Multiple studies have found calories are the principle cause of weight gain and the premise of this site is to help people stay informed. Spread the word, it’s sad to know so many want to lose weight, are trying hard to, but are simply misinformed.
Caloriecount.com
