Mariella Stewart, a CNHC registered Hypnotherapist, writes about her work with diabetic patients and the important role that complementary practitioners play in influencing the nation’s health...
The challenges facing the nation’s health today remain deep rooted and severe, and improving it is going to be essential to reducing the burden on our healthcare system. According to Public Health England, if current trends continue, 1 in 3 people will be obese and 1 in 10 will develop Type 2 Diabetes by 2034. Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes accounts for nearly 9% of the annual NHS budget, which accounts for £8.8 million a year. As complementary health practitioners, we are well placed to have healthy conversations with our clients and positively influence their health and wellbeing – as highlighted in the RSPH / PSA report ‘Untapped Resources: Accredited Registers in the Wider Workforce’.
In my work as a Hypnotherapist, I have come across many clients with persistent health problems, including Type 2 Diabetes. I have held many important conversations about overall health and wellbeing over the years, but there is more that can be done. By taking the time to encourage our clients to consider positive changes to their lifestyle and health overall, we can all play a larger role in helping improve the health of the nation.
When discussing the management of diabetes or other long-term conditions, you must always liaise with the patient’s GP, diabetic nurse or other health professional, to ensure properly integrated treatment and care for the patient.
Many people with Type 2 Diabetes are able to manage their condition through a variety of methods such as reducing excess weight, changing their diet, embarking on daily exercise, managing stress and minimising alcohol intake. Hypnotherapy may help with these positive changes in a variety of ways, including learning the art of deep relaxation or teaching someone self –hypnosis, which enables them to reach a calm, relaxed state relatively quickly. Recordings of the ‘live’ hypnotherapy sessions given to the client to relax with at home have proven very popular and extremely helpful.
For patients looking to make changes to their amount of physical activity, a personalised targeted treatment plan is important to help someone embark on an exercise regime when they haven’t exercised for years. For many clients, boosting their confidence and self-belief can help them feel they want to help themselves, and understand that they have the most to gain when investing time and effort into their health. Finding the motivation and feeling the motivation one needs to make those changes is very important and feeling positive with an increased sense of confidence and self -belief is a recipe for success.
Comments such as: “I feel pleasantly surprised at how calm and comfortable I feel, making the changes I needed to make to improve my health” are frequently heard. The fact the client is feeling positive with an increased sense of confidence and self -belief is a recipe for success.