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Licking Sugar Addiction
Elizabeth Bohorquez
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, SRN, CPH
Clinical Medical Hypnotist
President & Program Designer
Sarasota Medical & Sports Hypnosis Institute
No doubt about it, we are a nation of addicts & sugar ranks right at the top
of
the list.
While sugar addiction is the most prevalent, widely practiced & legally
accepted addiction in our society, few of us understand it & fewer still know
how to manage it on a life-long basis. Several books have been published in
recent years addressing this issue, a few even becoming bestsellers,
certainly letting us know that people are very concerned about their health &
nutrition.
This "coming out of the closet" is certainly a good thing for those addicted
to sugar. While many readers have gone on to experience success, just as
many have failed & many questions are still left unanswered relating to the
long-term health aspects of these eating plans, as well as the most asked
question of "how does one go on eating like this forever?"
A reality check tells us that while the idea of "getting in control" is
inviting, few are willing to effort or struggle for long, and once life's
stresses begin mounting, the new eating program is quickly thrown out the
window in exchange for the ever popular immediate gratification, and then
buried along with the other diet books, gym membership cards & plans for
self-improvement. The failure cycle is enhanced one more time.
Although many sugar-addicted people are over-weight, just as many are not.
Sugar is well known as the underlying addiction to all addictions, and can be
seen hiding under alcoholism, caffeine, nicotine & drug addictions of all
varieties from recreational to over-the-counter, as well as prescription
medications. It is usually a part of any compulsive behavior & is well
connected to anxiety, panic disorder, phobia, depression & a host of other
emotional imbalances.
On the physical side it plays havoc with many chronic disease states, the
most popular being hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemia or pre-diabetes, diabetes,
heart & circulatory disorders, certain cancers, gastro-intestinal
disturbances including irritable bowel syndrome, GURD, as well as PMS &
menopause. We can also see it rearing it's head in the area of cognitive
functioning, including memory, focus, concentration, mental flexibility &
levels of creativity.
It is not uncommon for a golfer or tennis player to have a focus issue & find
it related to dietary intake. Another vivid example is a student having test
anxiety with memory recall problems. Sugar addiction and under-nutrition are
usually screaming out for attention. While the management of any addiction is
certainly challenging, the recovery from the sugar pest is particularly so,
as it is so ingrained in our daily lives, as well as the way we socialize.
From our children's day care center asking for freshly baked cookies, to our
office party, it is all there greeting us over and over. We cannot sit down
and watch a television program or pick up a magazine without some sugar
substance staring us in the face. But on the bright side, just as we can be
programmed to fail, we can just as easily program ourselves to succeed. We
just have to know how to do it..
There are certain keys to addiction management and successful people learn to
actively employ all of them.. It is not enough to know what to do as some
books would have us believe. Specialized tools are needed to transfer all
knowledge into action steps, even under high stress situations. Just like in
the field of competitive sports, one works to gain skills, then works to
develop them in practice, then brings them to the competitive arena. As space
allows, lets review some key points about these tools.
KEY # 1
Sound knowledge of sugar addiction is a major key to long-term success & all
important aspects should be planted in the subconscious mind to reinforce the
desired goal images.
As we begin to learn the subtleties of sugar addiction, we can let go of our
guilt & confusion. We see it's physiological connections to our family &
personal medical history, past behaviors, addictions & our lifestyle choices
in general. We no longer see ourselves as lacking willpower or as a
psychological weakling. As we come to accept our birth-body physiology, our
goal is to understand it & provide the highest self- care possible. While we
cannot go back & change our past behaviors, we now have the chance for a
fresh start, to recover & actually benefit from our past mistakes &
indiscretions.
It is important to have a medical professional take a good history, one that
encompasses your family background. Some of the points that need review
include chronic disease states & conditions, addictions, medications, age,
female hormone issues, stress management, diet history behaviors & exercise
history. The emotional medical history can also provide important clues &
help in the design of the self-management plan.
A medical hypnotist would also be interested in knowing a history of your
strengths, weaknesses, success, beliefs and motivational patterns. This
allows for designing and setting sensory goals for health and personal
development in relation to the addiction.
KEY # 2
A healthy, balanced nutritional eating plan needs to be designed and planted
in the library of the mind. This plan must take into consideration the
information gleaned from the history taking. The goal is sufficient protein
for the lean body mass and exercise levels, sufficient fat to meet the body
needs, a balance of low-glycemic and high glycemic carbohydrates to meet the
individual needs. For some this may mean cutting out all refined
carbohydrates for awhile, and for others cutting back on specific foods that
are triggering sugar addiction and related chronic problems such as yeast
and/or IBS. Some common offenders include artificial sweeteners, caffeine,
white flour products, rice, corn and
potatoes.
After clearance from the M.D., the medical hypnotist will often plant
suggestions for enhancing exercise levels, water intake, compulsive and
emotional eating patterns including auto-pilot or "walk-by" eating behaviors.
Programs for individualized problem solving, including work and home eating
issues, as well as inner motivations for change will often be planted.
KEY # 3
Learning the skills of self-hypnosis is a very important key to managing any
addiction, and certainly sugar addiction. Many years ago I designed a method
of practicing self hypnosis "in the moment." I call this "interactive
self-hypnosis." The individual learns to utilize the subconscious mind as an
"inner coach", one who is always ready for either diminishing roadblocks or
enhancing goals. The subconscious mind-coach works to wake the individual
from "auto-pilot" emotions, thoughts and behaviors that may be working
against the goal at hand, in this case sugar-addiction.
New images, motivations and positive thought images are then put in place.
Success is built one image or moment at a time. Each of these moments works
to enhance the next, building a resilient self. There are many other tools
that work to enhance the functioning of the subconscious mind. As the student
of high level health comes to learn, staying healthy affects all other goals
as well. The more one progresses and works on this path, the more positive
outcomes one gets to experience.
On my educational websites http://www.hypnosis-audio.com &
http://www.sugar-addiction.com you will find over 400 pages of information focusing on the management of sugar addiction with high level nutrition, carbohydrate
management and mindbody tools such as interactive self-hypnosis, awareness
meditation & change tools. There are discussion groups & EZboards filled
with tools to help you design plans for healthy change.
There are only two roads to travel. One goes towards disease & the other
towards health. Which one will you take?
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, SRN, CPH is President & Program Designer for
Sarasota Medical & Sports Hypnosis Institute located in Sarasota, FL & online
at the addresses above. She specializes in teaching Interactive
Self-Hypnosis, the food-mood-stress connection & managing sugar addiction in
particular. |
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