Background. There has been lack of reviews of evidence on efficacy, methodology, and/or safety of acupuncture in autism spectrum disorders. This paper examines the emerging evidence of the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of autistic children. Method. A literature review was completed via Medline and three Chinese search engines. A total of 31 studies were evaluated for acupuncture methodology, study design, treatment effects, and tolerability. Results. The acupoints used, the duration of needling, the frequency of treatment, the choice of stimulation, and the course of the treatment were highly variable amongst the studies. Behavioral and/or developmental improvements were reported in all acupuncture treatment studies. All studies reported general tolerability. Weakness of experimental designs was discussed. Conclusions. Vigorously controlled double-blinded clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:679845. Ming X, Chen X, Wang XT, Zhang Z, Kang V, Zimmerman-Bier B. Department of Neurosciences and Neurology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 90 Bergen Street, DOC 8100, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.

Full Title: Hypnosis in pregnancy with intrauterine growth restriction and oligohydramnios: an innovative approach.

The clinical application of hypnosis has been effective in obstetrics. Intrauterine growth restriction and oligohydramnios are dreaded complications of pregnancy that may result in preterm deliveries causing increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. In this longitudinal prospective study, clinical hypnosis was used in addition to the conventional medical management in such pregnancies. The perinatal outcome was compared with the control group wherein hypnosis was not used. The hypnosis group had a significantly shorter preterm delivery rate (p = .004) and fewer incidence of low birth weight babies (p = .009). Significantly reduced operative intervention in terms of lower rate of cesarean section (p = .008) was also observed in the experimental group. Hence, the use of clinical hypnosis as a viable adjunct to medical management is suggested to help to prevent neonatal morbidity and fetal loss. A multicenter randomized, controlled clinical trial is encouraged in this area.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2011 Oct;54(2):116-23. Shah MC, Thakkar SH, Vyas RB. Medical College and SSG Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. chetan1373@hotmail.com

Roxanne Louise is a Certified Hypnotherapist (NJ: Hypnocounselor), Reiki Master, and Dowser, who divides her time between private practice, teaching classes, and writing books. She is one of best hypnosis trainers in America. She has made an outstanding contribution to Reiki by integrating the principles of hypnosis into Reiki for a full Mind-Body Healing approach. She has also made a significant contribution to the field of dowsing in adapting pendulum work to emotional healing. Her mission is to teach the general public powerful and significant ways that they can help themselves, and to train helping professionals to a higher level of thoroughness and excellence. Both in her classes and her books, she is widely respected for her original thinking, and being comprehensive while making the subject matter easy to understand.

For more information visit: www.RoxanneLouise.com

Placebos are an essential tool in randomised clinical trials, where they are used to control for bias and contextual healing effects. Placebos and their effects are also studied from multiple diverse perspectives, but the perspectives of placebo recipients are seldom considered. Research shows that people form cognitive and affective representations of active treatments such as medicines, and that they use these representations to guide their behaviour; it seems reasonable to suggest that people might also think about and develop representations of placebos. We adopted a qualitative approach to examine in detail how participants in one RCT, conducted in the USA, conceptualised placebos. 12 people were interviewed 3 times each, at the start, middle, and end of a trial of placebo effects and acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The interview data were analysed inductively and we identified four ways in which the participants conceptualised placebos: placebos are necessary for research; placebo effects are fake; placebo acupuncture is not real acupuncture; placebos have real effects mediated by psychological mechanisms. Participants' conceptualisations of placebos were dynamic and situated in a broader psychological and socio-cultural context. Seeing placebo effects as legitimate seemed to be facilitated by having more holistic models of healing, viewing IBS as psychological, and seeing treatment as multifactorial. However, some participants maintained a negative view of placebo effects (e.g. as illusions) that was apparently inconsistent with their other beliefs (e.g. in mind-body healing mechanisms). This may indicate a dominance of negative discourses around placebos at a socio-cultural level. Negative views of placebos are inconsistent with evidence that placebo treatments can have positive effects on symptoms. RCT participants should be informed about potential benefits of placebo treatments to avoid misunderstandings and unease. Future work should improve methods of providing participants with full accurate information about placebos and their effects.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soc Sci Med. 2012 Jan 18. Bishop FL, Jacobson EE, Shaw JR, Kaptchuk TJ. University of Southampton School of Medicine, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 5ST, United Kingdom.

Full title: Sham-controlled, randomised, feasibility trial of acupuncture for prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Xerostomia (dry mouth) after head/neck radiation is a common problem among cancer patients. Quality of life (QOL) is impaired, and available treatments are of little benefit. This trial determined the feasibility of conducting a sham-controlled trial of acupuncture and whether acupuncture could prevent xerostomia among head/neck patients undergoing radiotherapy. METHODS: A sham controlled, feasibility trial was conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy. To determine feasibility of a sham procedure, 23 patients were randomised to real acupuncture (N=11) or to sham acupuncture (N=12). Patients were treated three times/week during the course of radiotherapy. Subjective measures were the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) and MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and Neck Cancer (MDASI-HN). Objective measures were unstimulated whole salivary flow rates (UWSFR) and stimulated salivary flow rates (SSFR). Patients were followed for 1 month after radiotherapy. RESULTS: XQ scores for acupuncture were significantly lower than sham controls starting in week 3 and lasted through the 1-month follow-up (all P's <0.001 except for week 3, which was 0.006), with clinically significant differences as follows: week 6 - RR 0.28 [95% confidence interval, 0.10, 0.79]; week 11 - RR 0.17 [95%CI, 0.03, 1.07]. Similar findings were seen for MDASI-HN scores and MDASI-Intrusion scores. Group differences for UWSFR and SSFR were not found. CONCLUSIONS: In this small pilot study, true acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia symptoms and improved QOL when compared with sham acupuncture. Large-scale, multi-centre, randomised and placebo-controlled trials are now needed.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eur J Cancer. 2012 Jan 27. Meng Z, Kay Garcia M, Hu C, Chiang J, Chambers M, Rosenthal DI, Peng H, Wu C, Zhao Q, Zhao G, Liu L, Spelman A, Lynn Palmer J, Wei Q, Cohen L. Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China.

Valerie Cooksley, RN practiced Aromatherapy, Medical Herbalism and Nutritional Healing for over 20 years and specialized in Cancer Wellness along with Environmental Illness and Stress. She has written six books on natural healing. Her latest book is titled Seaweed: Nature's Secret to Balancing Your Metabolism, Fighting Disease and Revitalizing Body and Soul. She now devotes her career to health research and education, through her writing about natural healing, in addition to nationally certifying students through her institute's correspondence course.

The Institute of Integrative Aromatherapy was founded in 1997 offering a nationally recognized certification program in a convenient correspondence format.

For more information visit: www.floramedica.com.

The authors present empirical data on therapeutic hypnosis and brief psychotherapy as a 4-Stage Creative Process of focused attention and positive expectancy in professional training workshops of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the National Institute for the Clinical Applications of Behavioral Medicine, and the Milton H. Erickson Foundation. The authors developed a brief protocol for assessing the 4-Stage Creative Process, which is the core dynamic of the Creative Psychosocial Genomic Healing Experience. They report that the 4-Stage Creative Process for resolving many psychological problems and symptomatic behavior in a satisfactory manner can be learned within 3 trials during 2-day professional workshops. The theory, research, and practice of private problem solving, stress reduction, and mind-body symptom resolution in professional and public settings is discussed. Immediate knowledge of results, positive peer support, and the development of new psychosocial skills in learning how to appropriately communicate live here-and-now novel and numinous experiences is an exhilarating exercise in creating new consciousness that facilitates the confidence and maturation of psychotherapists.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2011 Oct;54(2):133-52. Rossi EL, Cozzolino M, Mortimer J, Atkinson D, Rossi KL. Milton H. Erickson Institute of the California Central Coast, Los Osos, California, USA. Ernest@ErnestRossi.com

BACKGROUND: Nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) is a socially disruptive and stressful condition which affects around 15% to 20% of five year olds, and up to 2% of young adults. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of complementary interventions and others such as surgery or diet on nocturnal enuresis in children, and to compare them with other interventions. SEARCH METHODS: We searched PubMed (1950 to June 2010), EMBASE (1980 to June 2010), the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS) (1984 to June 2010), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) (1975 to June 2010), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1979 to June 2010), VIP database (1989 to June 2010), and the reference lists of relevant articles, all last searched 26 June 2010. No language restriction was used. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or quasi-randomised trials of complementary and other miscellaneous interventions for nocturnal enuresis in children were included except those focused solely on daytime wetting. Comparison interventions could include no treatment, placebo or sham treatment, alarms, simple behavioural treatment, desmopressin, imipramine and miscellaneous other drugs and interventions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of the eligible trials, and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS: In 24 randomised controlled trials, 2334 children were studied, of whom 1283 received a complementary intervention. The quality of the trials was poor: 5 trials were quasi-randomised, 5 showed differences at baseline and 17 lacked follow up data.The outcome was better after hypnosis than imipramine in one trial (relative risk (RR) for failure or relapse after stopping treatment 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23 to 0.78). Psychotherapy appeared to be better in terms of fewer children failing or relapsing than both alarm (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.85) and rewards (RR 0.29, 95%CI 0.09 to 0.90) but this depended on data from only one trial. Medicinal herbs had better results than desmopressin in one trial (RR for failure or relapse after stopping treatment 0.35, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.85). Acupuncture had better results than sham control acupuncture (RR for failure or relapse after stopping treatment 0.67, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.94) in a further trial. Active chiropractic adjustment had better results than sham adjustment (RR for failure to improve 0.76, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.95). However, each of these findings came from small single trials, and must be verified in further trials. The findings for diet and faradization were unreliable, and there were no trials including homeopathy or surgery. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There was weak evidence to support the use of hypnosis, psychotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic and medicinal herbs but it was provided in each case by single small trials, some of dubious methodological rigour. Robust randomised trials are required with efficacy, cost-effectiveness and adverse effects clearly reported.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Dec 7;12:CD005230. Huang T, Shu X, Huang YS, Cheuk DK. Branch of Cooperative Research Center on Evidence-based Medicine of Ministry of Education, Department of Preventive Medicine, Jinggangshan University, 23 Jifu Road, Ji'an, Jiangxi, China, 343000.

Dr Casey Chua brings with him approximately 25 years of experience as a Hypnotherapist. He is also a Certified Hypnotherapist, a Certified Instructor with the world's largest hypnotist organisation, The National Guild of Hypnotists from United States of America. Amongst his achievements, Dr Chua is the first in South East Asia to be accredited to NGH as its Board Certified Hypnotherapist in 2006.

He returned to his main love in hypnotherapy and started Hypnae Center Pte Ltd on his return from Western Australia after pastoring a church in Perth. Trained in Psychology, he first taught psychology at the then University of Coventry (UK) and in various institutions of higher learning in the UK, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore.

Additionally, he is also a successful life coach, trainer, educator for various seminaries and multi-level marketing and multinational companies in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

Dr Chua is also frequently invited as Principal Camp Speaker for various camps in and around the region. The latest of which was for the Australian National Youth Christian Evangelical group in Decemebr 2005 in Adelaide.

He has also successfully coached a few 90-day Pacesetter Leadership Dynamics in the last three years.

Dr Chua has personally utilized the power of hypnosis on himself to attain a myriad of successes in him life from overcoming the fear of water (he now swims twice daily), being able to be calm and relaxed during any doctor or dentist visit, quitting his own addiction (of book buying), and attaining financial success and liberty in a business he truly loves.

For more information visit www.Hypnae.com

Hot flashes are a common complaint among women as they transition through menopause. This article reviews the evidence of lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes including obesity, exercise, smoking, relaxation techniques, and acupuncture. Further randomized controlled trials regarding these lifestyle alterations are needed to determine their full potential benefits regarding hot flashes.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maturitas. 2012 Jan 27. Fisher TE, Chervenak JL. Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D. is Founder and President of Gaynor Integrative Oncology (www.drgaynor.com) and Clinical Assistant, Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College, affiliated with Cornell University and New York Hospital. He has held the position of Director of Medical Oncology at The Strang Cancer Prevention Center where he still serves as a consultant. He is also former Medical Director and Director of Medical Oncology at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. He has served on the Executive Review Panel at the Department of Defense - Alternative Medicine for Breast Cancer Sector and the Smithsonian Institute"s Symposium on New Frontier in Breast Cancer and the Environment. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at hospitals, conferences and universities throughout America and abroad.

Dr. Gaynor has been consecutively listed in The Best Doctors in New York since 1997 and has served on the Board of Advisors for Healthy Living Magazine, the Sass Medical Foundation, as well as the editorial board of Integrative Cancer Therapies. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Texas - Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, he was a clinical fellow in hematology-oncology at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and a post-doctorate fellow in molecular biology at Rockefeller University, New York City. He is board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Physicians, and the New York Academy of Sciences.

For more information visit: www.gaynoroncology.com.

Somatoform disorders among children and adolescents may cause impairment in educational and social functioning and generate a great deal of psychosocial distress. The diagnosis of such disorders is complex due to the fact that they may appear as medical conditions. Hence, most of somatoform patients do not seek psychiatric assistance. The common feature of somatoform disorders as described in DSM-IV-TR is the presence of physical symptoms suggesting an underlying medical condition that is either not found or does not account for the level of functional impairment. The diagnostic criteria for the somatoform disorders were established for adults and are applied to children for lack of child-specific research base and a developmentally appropriate alternative system. The most common somatoform disorders in children and adolescents are recurrent abdominal pain and tension headache. Other disorders in the category include: somatization disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, conversion disorder, hypochondriasis and body dysmorphic disorder Treatment is applied through a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. SSRI'S are effective in somatoform disorders that have co-morbidity with anxiety and depression as well as in body dysmorphic disorder and hypochondriasis. Conversion disorder is usually treated with benzodiazepines and pain disorder with light analgesics, tricyclics and tegretol. In terms of psychotherapy, treatments most effective for somatoform disorders have been found to be cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnosis and biofeedback.

Harefuah. 2011 Feb;150(2):180-4, 203. Konichezky A, Gothelf D. Child Psychiatry Unit, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel. andres_k_il@yahoo.com

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture often find equivalent responses to real and placebo acupuncture despite both appearing superior to no treatment. This raises questions regarding the mechanisms of acupuncture, especially the contribution of patient expectancies. We systematically reviewed previous research assessing the relationship between expectancy and treatment responses following acupuncture, whether real or placebo. To be included, studies needed to assess and/or manipulate expectancies about acupuncture and relate these to at least one health-relevant outcome. Nine such independent studies were identified through systematic searches of Medline, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. The methodology and reporting of these studies were quite heterogeneous, meaning that meta-analysis was not possible. A descriptive review revealed that five studies found statistically significant effects of expectancy on a least one outcome, with three also finding evidence suggestive of an interaction between expectancy and type of acupuncture (real or placebo). While there were some trends in significant effects in terms of study characteristics, their generality is limited by the heterogeneity of study designs. The differences in design across studies highlight some important methodological considerations for future research in this area, particularlyregarding whether to assess or manipulate expectancies and how best to assess expectancies.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:857804. Epub 2011 Nov 14. Colagiuri B, Smith CA. Centre for Complementary Medicine Research, University of Western Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture often find equivalent responses to real and placebo acupuncture despite both appearing superior to no treatment. This raises questions regarding the mechanisms of acupuncture, especially the contribution of patient expectancies. We systematically reviewed previous research assessing the relationship between expectancy and treatment responses following acupuncture, whether real or placebo. To be included, studies needed to assess and/or manipulate expectancies about acupuncture and relate these to at least one health-relevant outcome. Nine such independent studies were identified through systematic searches of Medline, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. The methodology and reporting of these studies were quite heterogeneous, meaning that meta-analysis was not possible. A descriptive review revealed that five studies found statistically significant effects of expectancy on a least one outcome, with three also finding evidence suggestive of an interaction between expectancy and type of acupuncture (real or placebo). While there were some trends in significant effects in terms of study characteristics, their generality is limited by the heterogeneity of study designs. The differences in design across studies highlight some important methodological considerations for future research in this area, particularlyregarding whether to assess or manipulate expectancies and how best to assess expectancies.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:857804. Epub 2011 Nov 14. Colagiuri B, Smith CA. Centre for Complementary Medicine Research, University of Western Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture often find equivalent responses to real and placebo acupuncture despite both appearing superior to no treatment. This raises questions regarding the mechanisms of acupuncture, especially the contribution of patient expectancies. We systematically reviewed previous research assessing the relationship between expectancy and treatment responses following acupuncture, whether real or placebo. To be included, studies needed to assess and/or manipulate expectancies about acupuncture and relate these to at least one health-relevant outcome. Nine such independent studies were identified through systematic searches of Medline, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. The methodology and reporting of these studies were quite heterogeneous, meaning that meta-analysis was not possible. A descriptive review revealed that five studies found statistically significant effects of expectancy on a least one outcome, with three also finding evidence suggestive of an interaction between expectancy and type of acupuncture (real or placebo). While there were some trends in significant effects in terms of study characteristics, their generality is limited by the heterogeneity of study designs. The differences in design across studies highlight some important methodological considerations for future research in this area, particularlyregarding whether to assess or manipulate expectancies and how best to assess expectancies.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:857804. Epub 2011 Nov 14. Colagiuri B, Smith CA. Centre for Complementary Medicine Research, University of Western Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia.

Very highly hypnotizable subjects are rare, easily induced, and able to manifest the whole spectrum of hypnotic phenomena, including post-hypnotic amnesia. The aim of this study was to detect and localize by means of quantitative functional MRI and EEG changes in cortical activity during hypnosis induction and deep "pure hypnosis" in a hypnotic "virtuoso" subject. We focused on areas forming the default mode network (DMN), since previous studies found that very highly suggestible subjects in hypnosis showed decreased activity in anterior DMN. During undisturbed hypnosis, our "virtuoso" subject showed not only detectable changes in DMN, but also peculiar activations of non-DMN areas and hemispheric asymmetries of frontal lobe connectivity. Our findings confirm that hypnosis is associated with significant modulation of connectivity and activity which involve the DMN but are not limited to it, depending on the depth of the hypnotic state, the type of mental content and emotional involvement.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conscious Cogn. 2011 Dec 16. Lipari S, Baglio F, Griffanti L, Mendozzi L, Garegnani M, Motta A, Cecconi P, Pugnetti L. Department of Radiology, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy.

Toni Attell, Emmy nominated Actress and Comedienne is also a Ch.t, Hypnotherapist, trained in many modalities including Time-Line, Parts Therapy, Reiki, Past-Life Regression, Body Parts and Emotional Release Therapy, and has created a new techniques using Hypnosis with Acting. Toni is a world-recognized speaker in the realms of physical movement science, past-life and present-life DNA Memories and mask ceremonies. A versatile and exhilarating lecturer, Toni has for many years held successful teaching tours in Beijing and Japan. She has given sold out workshops at Whole Life Expos, Health Expos and Colleges across the country. She was the host of her own Radio Show on Smart Talk Radio KRLA as "The Romantic Intuitive" and is teaching "The Acting Experience" for writers/directors at the prestigious Lucas Cinema Center at The University of Southern California, Chapman University and has created a new workshop that she will be teaching at UCLA extension called "Hypnosis and Intuition for the Actor in Acting." and " Comedy Boot Camp" Toni also works with individual clients and corporations. Toni is a working actress, mime and comedienne. She was the opening act for Steve Martin, Jay Leno and Robin Williams. Toni has had extensive experience as a creative speaking coach for both adults and children using a wide range of alternative methods. She has just created a book for Teens called "Just Kidding" Stand-Up Comedy for Kids of All Ages. Toni is a member of American Board of Hypnotherapy, International Association of Counselors and Therapists, The International Hypnosis Federation and the National Society of Hypnotherapists. She is also the recipient of "The Angel Award" "The Transpersonal Psychology Award" and "The Award of Excellence" from The International Hypnosis Federation. Ms. Attell is also a member of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and is a member of the "Blue Ribbon Panel" that votes on the Emmys and is a board member of The San Fernando International Film Festival. Her intuition, warmth, and humor consistently inspire and empower.

For more information visit: www.Hypnosis4You.net. If you are interested in acting, one person shows, shaping your speeches or having yourself coached to to www.Alltell.com.

by Joyce-Anne Locking

If you had to name the most valuable thing in your life at this moment, you may come up with all sorts of different answers.

If you had to name the most valuable thing in your life at this moment, what would it be? You may come up with all sorts of different answers. You may name loved ones, friendships or material things such as cars, houses or bank accounts. Perhaps you might think of objects of art, private yachts or glitzy getaways. Some may name pets, pianos or possessions. The truth is, our most valuable possession is our next breath, because without it, nothing else would matter to us at all. There is great power in the momentum of one breath. You can use a breath to begin to fill a balloon, begin to tell a story, or actually, to begin anything at all. It all depends on how you put it to use. The use of your own breath can also hold fantastic healing powers and can be used to eliminate pain in your own body.

By focusing on your breathing you can get yourself into a state of calm. Then by concentrating on aiming the breath into the centre of any pain, you may be experiencing in your body, or your life in general, you can begin to fill the pain pocket with the light of your own breath and, in so doing, push the pain outside of your personal space, thereby eliminating it from the inside out. Breathing can be used to lower blood pressure, create calm, eliminate headaches, remove stress and heal the body. Simply by focusing on your own breathing you can create new things in your own life. Just think: we are nothing without our next breath and we can begin to change anything about our situation with the power of our next breath. Breathing is the most important potential in our lives. Learn to use your inbred, natural power to become the person you were created to be. Then you will possess the greatest wealth available to mankind. To get in tune with your personal potential, begin a daily walking routine wherever you live, work, or spend time regularly. Start with short walks and focus on breathing as you walk. Notice how you regulate your breath by the pace of your step. Get out walking in your natural environment to get in touch with how you feel and what you need to change in your daily routine. Nature will automatically reply to your request by refreshing your mood and replacing any negativity with a generous helping of recreating power. Gradually lengthen walking time to reach deeper personal fulfillment.

by Tim Brunson PhD

This whole issue of gene expression is a very fascinating hypothesis. Although I completed a course with Rossi a couple of years ago and attended a course by another psychologist around the same time, I don't see the idea catching on with other researchers.

A lot of Rossi's ideas on this subject concern altering gene expression based upon environmental inputs. Indeed, stress would be an example of such an input. A stressful situation would result in the generation (or production) of "stress proteins." Such stress proteins can interfere with optimal performance and ultimately produce psychosomatic illnesses.

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Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China Chinese Medicine Department, Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Hong Kong SAR, China Asia Diabetes Foundation, Hong Kong SAR, China Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China Li Ka-shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Obesity is a major health hazard and despite lifestyle modification, many patients frequently regain any lost body weight. The use of western anti-obesity drugs has been limited by side effects including mood changes, suicidal thoughts, and gastrointestinal or cardiovascular complications. The effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture provide an alternative established therapy for this medical challenge. In this systematic review, we used standard methodologies to search, review, analyse and synthesize published data on the efficacy, safety and relapse of weight regain associated with use of CHM and acupuncture. We also examined the rationale, mechanisms and potential utility of these therapies. A total of 12 electronic databases, including Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese, were searched up to 28 February 2010. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for CHM and/or acupuncture with comparative controls were considered. We used the Jadad scale to assess methodological qualities, the random effect model in the pooled analysis of therapeutic efficacy to adjust for heterogeneity and funnel plots to explore publication bias. After screening 2,545 potential articles from the electronic databases, we identified 96 RCTs; comprising of 49 trials on CHM treatment, 44 trials on acupuncture treatment and 3 trials on combined therapy for appraisal. There were 4,861 subjects in the treatment groups and 3,821 in the control groups, with treatment duration ranging from 2 weeks to 4 months. Of the 77 publications written in Chinese, 75 had a Jadad score <3, while 16 of the 19 English publications had a Jadad score of >3. Efficacy was defined as body weight reduction ?2?kg or body mass index (BMI) reduction ?0.5?kg/m(2) . Compared with placebo or lifestyle modification, CHM and acupuncture exhibited respective 'risk ratio' (RR) of 1.84 (95% CI: 1.37-2.46) and 2.14 (95% CI: 1.58-2.90) in favour of body weight reduction, with a mean difference in body weight reduction of 4.03?kg (95% CI: 2.22-5.85) and 2.76?kg (95% CI: 1.61-3.83) and a mean difference in BMI reduction of 1.32?kg?m(-2) (95% CI: 0.78-1.85) and 2.02?kg?m(-2) (95% CI: 0.94-3.10), respectively. Compared with the pharmacological treatments of sibutramine, fenfluramine or orlistat, CHM and acupuncture exhibited an RR of 1.11 (95% CI: 0.96-1.28) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03-1.25) in body weight reduction, mean difference in body weight reduction of 0.08?kg (95% CI: -0.58 to 0.74) and 0.65?kg (95% CI: -0.61 to 1.91), and mean difference in BMI reduction of 0.18?kg?m(-2) (95% CI: -0.39 to 0.75) and 0.83?kg?m(-2) (95% CI: 0.29-1.37), respectively. There were fewer reports of adverse effects and relapses of weight regain in CHM intervention studies conducted in China than studies conducted outside China. CHM and acupuncture were more effective than placebo or lifestyle modification in reducing body weight. They had a similar efficacy as the Western anti-obesity drugs but with fewer reported adverse effects. However, these conclusions were limited by small sample size and low quality of methodologies.

© 2012 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Obes Rev. 2012 Feb 1. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00979.x. Sui Y, Zhao HL, Wong VC, Brown N, Li XL, Kwan AK, Hui HL, Ziea ET, Chan JC.

A book review by Tim Brunson, PhD

The use of self-applied hypnosis as a tool for personal growth and fulfillment is a very valid concept. It provides the core of Self Empowerment through Self Hypnosis: Harnessing the Enormous Potential of the Mind by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke and Joe H. Slate, PhD. They define hypnotic trance as a state of increased receptivity. This allows individuals to influence their future condition. (Their definition seems to somewhat mirror my contention that hypnosis is a process that empowers selective thinking.)

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by Coach Cary Bayer

A couple of years ago, my wife and I flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles, then to Melbourne, Australia, and after that to Singapore. On the way back, we headed from Bangkok to Melbourne, then back to L.A, and from southern California to southern Florida. All these flights were either first class or business class. The remarkable thing about this exotic and long-distance itinerary is that these journeys didn't cost me a penny; they were all "paid" for by American Airlines, or by one of their partner airlines around the world as part of American's frequent flyer program.

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Gabriel Mojay first studied natural medicine in 1978, initially training in Shiatsu Therapy and Oriental Medicine. He later became a registered member of the Shiatsu Society. In 1988 he completed four years of training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, and became a member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC).

Gabriel formally trained in Clinical Aromatherapy and Medical Herbalism in the 1980's, principally with Carlo De Paoli at the Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine. He has also completed courses in scientific Aromatherapy with Piérre Franchomme and Dr. Daniel Pénöel, and with the Natural Oils Research Association (President: Professor Dietrich Wabner). In his private therapy practice, Gabriel specializes in the therapeutic use of essential oils, Western and Chinese herbal medicines, and Aromatic Acupressure and Meridian Massage.

In 1990 Gabriel founded the Register of Qualified Aromatherapists (RQA), and was the first Chairman of the Aromatherapy Organisations Council (AOC). In 1992 he organized an AOC conference entitled Essential Oils and Public Safety, at which experts on toxicology and the essential oil marketing trade addressed important issues of essential oil safety. The conference helped to pave the way for the formation of the Aromatherapy Trade Council (ATC). Gabriel was also instrumental in the formation of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) in April 2002, and has served as its founding Vice-Chairman, Publications Chair and Conference Chair. In 2005 he was awarded Fellowship of IFPA.

For more information visit: www.aromatherapy-studies.com.

Full Title: Experimental Pain Ratings and Reactivity of Cortisol and Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor-? Receptor II Following a Trial of Hypnosis: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Objective.? Current evidence supports the efficacy of hypnosis for reducing the pain associated with experimental stimulation and various acute and chronic conditions; however, the mechanisms explaining how hypnosis exerts its effects remain less clear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines represent potential targets for investigation given their purported roles in the perpetuation of painful conditions; yet, no clinical trials have thus far examined the influence of hypnosis on these mechanisms. Design. Healthy participants, highly susceptible to the effects of hypnosis, were randomized to either a hypnosis intervention or a no-intervention control.Using a cold pressor task, assessments of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness were collected prior to the intervention (Pre) and following the intervention (Post) along with pain-provoked changes in salivary cortisol and the soluble tumor necrosis factor-? receptor II (sTNF?RII). Results.? Compared with the no-intervention control, data analyses revealed that hypnosis significantly reduced pain intensity and pain unpleasantness. Hypnosis was not significantly associated with suppression of cortisol or sTNF?RII reactivity to acute pain from Pre to Post; however, the effect sizes for these associations were medium-sized. Conclusions.? Overall, the findings from this randomized controlled pilot study support the importance of a future large-scale study on the effects of hypnosis for modulating pain-related changes of the HPA axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Pain Med. 2012 Jan;13(1):29-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01293.x. Goodin BR, Quinn NB, Kronfli T, King CD, Page GG, Haythornthwaite JA, Edwards RR, Stapleton LM, McGuire L.

Full title: Acupuncture stimulation alleviates corticosterone-induced impairments of spatial memory and cholinergic neurons in rats.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether acupuncture improves spatial cognitive impairment induced by repeated corticosterone (CORT) administration in rats. The effect of acupuncture on the acetylcholinergic system was also investigated in the hippocampus. Male rats were subcutaneously injected with CORT (5?mg/kg) once daily for 21 days. Acupuncture stimulation was performed at the HT7 (Sinmun) acupoint for 5?min before CORT injection. HT7 acupoint is located at the end of transverse crease of ulnar wrist of forepaw. In CORT-treated rats, reduced spatial cognitive function was associated with significant increases in plasma CORT level (+36%) and hippocampal CORT level (+204%) compared with saline-treated rats. Acupuncture stimulation improved the escape latency for finding the platform in the Morris water maze. Consistently, the acupuncture significantly alleviated memory-associated decreases in cholinergic immunoreactivity and mRNA expression of BDNF and CREB in the hippocampus. These findings demonstrate that stimulation of HT7 acupoint produced significant neuroprotective activity against the neuronal impairment and memory dysfunction. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:670536. Lee B, Sur BJ, Kwon S, Jung E, Shim I, Lee H, Hahm DH. Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.

This study compared the efficacy of 2 psychological treatments for fibromyalgia with each other and with standard care. Ninety-three patients with fibromyalgia (FM) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 experimental conditions: 1) multicomponent cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT); 2) multicomponent CBT with hypnosis; and 3) pharmacological treatment (standard care control group). The outcome measures of pain intensity, catastrophizing, psychological distress, functionality, and sleep disturbances were assessed before treatment, immediately after treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. CBT and CBT with hypnosis participants received the standard pharmacological management plus 14 weekly, 120-minute-long sessions of psychological treatment. All but 1 session followed a group format; the remaining session was individual. The analyses indicated that: 1) patients with FM who received multicomponent CBT alone or multicomponent CBT with hypnosis showed greater improvements than patients who received only standard care; and 2) adding hypnosis enhanced the effectiveness of multicomponent CBT. This study presents new evidence about the efficacy of multicomponent CBT for FM and about the additional effects of hypnosis as a complement to CBT. The relevance and implications of the obtained results are discussed. PERSPECTIVE: This article highlights the beneficial effects of adding hypnosis in a multicomponent cognitive-behavioral group treatment of fibromyalgia patients. Also, this research showed that by adding hypnosis the length of treatment did not increase.

Copyright © 2012 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

J Pain. 2012 Jan 27. Castel A, Cascón R, Padrol A, Sala J, Rull M. Pain Clinic, Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII, Tarragona, Spain; Multidimentional Pain Research Group, IISPV, Tarragona, Spain; Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain.

Maria Kramer Robinson was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. After graduating from college with a specialty in foreign languages and ballet, she joined the Danish Ballet Theater as a member of the Corps de Ballet. In 1982 she immigrated to the United States and became a United States citizen. She later became a sales coordinator and Marketing Director with National Safety Associates and addressed groups as large as 2500 people.

Maria has independently studied alternative healing and nutrition for the last twenty years. She formed her own maintenance company in New Jersey and then became a certified Hypnotist in 1999. She later became an Instructor of Integrated Energy Technique and teaches this unique specialty from our Center. She also became interested and studied EFT, taking the various courses including the Palace of Possibilities and the basic Emotional Freedom Technique courses. She later traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona for an advanced course and seminar with the developer, Gary Craig.

Maria regularly attends the National Guild of Hypnotists national conference which consists of an intensive series of courses on advanced hypnotism and other energy courses. She is also a Reiki Master and is able to attune other Reiki practitioners. She also utilizes soft touch therapy in her work.

For more information visit: www.CenterforInnerHealing.com

Full title: Prediction of gastric ulcers based on the change in electrical resistance of acupuncture points using fuzzy logic decision-making.

Many theories of reflexology use ancient concepts which do not coincide with the modern medical terminology of anatomy, physiology and biophysics. This substantially reduces the trust of physicians in reflexology methods. During this research, several mathematical models for the interaction of the internal and biological active points of meridian structures have been proposed. The analysis of these models allows the specification of a list of gastric diseases for which reflex diagnostics and reflex therapy methods are most effective and also allows increasing the effectiveness of these procedures. It is shown that good results for the prediction and early diagnosis of diseases from the reaction energy of biologically active points (acupuncture points) are obtained using fuzzy logic decision making.

Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin. 2012 Jan 31. Al-Kasasbeh R, Korenevskiy N, Alshamasin M, Ionescou F, Smith A. a Faculty of Engineering Technology, Al-Balqa Applied University , Amman , Jordan.

Karen D. Goodman, Professor, Music is credentialed as a music therapist, a special education teacher and a licensed creative arts therapist. She received her education at University of Wisconsin - Madison, Hunter College-C.U.N.Y., Montclair State College and N.Y.U.

Professor Goodman has spent many years directing the nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate music therapy programs. Her research-based clinical work includes practice in child and adult psychiatry and developmental disabilities at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Creative Arts Rehabilitation Center, Child Development Research Center, Communication Disorders Demonstration Program-MSU, Regional Day School at Morris, child study teams throughout New Jersey,and the Music Therapy Clinic at Montclair State.

Prof. Goodman's extensive national and international lecturing at conferences and other university programs presents issues germane to both clinical techniques (assessment, sensory integration, musical process in schizophrenia, DIR in music therapy, group music therapy, music and poetry) and educating music therapists. She represented the music therapy profession on the Advisory Board of the Creativity Foundation, founded by Dr. Silvano Arieti as well as the Advisory Board of the Child Development Research Center Board, founded by Dr. Judith Kestenberg. Professor Goodman has served as Editor of Music Therapy: The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy.

Previous research has shown that certain interviewer behaviors can evoke inaccurate answers by children. In the current study, we examined the effects of approving and disapproving statements on the accuracy of 3 children's answers to questions in an interview (Experiment 1). We then evaluated 3 questioning techniques that may be used by interviewers during a forensic interview in which a child provides eyewitness testimony (Experiment 2). All participants responded with more inaccurate answers when approving statements followed inaccurate information and disapproving statements followed accurate information in Experiment 1. During Experiment 2, 1 participant responded most inaccurately when she was requestioned after providing an initial answer, whereas the remaining 2 participants responded most inaccurately when the interviewer provided cowitness information and suggestive questions.

J Appl Behav Anal. 2011 Fall;44(3):587-92. Sparling J, Wilder DA, Kondash J, Boyle M, Compton M. Florida Institute of Technology, School of Psychology, Melbourne, Florida 32901, USA. sparlinj@fit.edu