Look at antidepressant medications for example: there is not a shred of good clinical evidence that Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors actually work any better than a placebo. 

No, this is not some wild-eyed, whack-job hypnotist rant.  This is the considered opinion of several experts in medicine; and the results of studies.  Click here to learn 'the depressing news about antidepressants.'

My point is this: When a new drug comes out I am very skeptical of its usefulness and safety.

Two drugs in point: Avandia and Actos are diabetes drugs and they are members of a drug family called the thiazolidinediones, abbreviated TZDs.

Now with Actos, years after it has been on the market, the FDA warns of a cancer link with its use.

And with Avandia the lawsuits are coming thick and fast because it seems that it had been known for quite a while that Avandia could cure diabetes - by killing the patient with a heart attack. 

"Patients taking Avandia had 66 percent more heart attacks, 39 percent more strokes and 20 percent more deaths from cardiovascular-related problems." (Quoted from the New York Times report on the study published 5/21/07).

My point?  Well, now (10-13-2011) the FDA has approved a fixed-dose diabetes tablet that combines the diabetes drug sitagliptin (Januvia) with simvastatin (Zocor) and it is marketed under the brand name Juvisync.

It's the first product with drugs for diabetes and high cholesterol in a single pill, the agency noted.  (Uh oh.  The first of its kind.  Who wants to test it first?)

By the way, the diabetes drug Sitagliptin, was first approved in 2006.  Given the track record of the billion dollar selling diabetes drugs developed in the last decade, I would wait another 4 or 5 years before taking it.  There is a high percentage of them that are turning out to be harmful. 

Like Byetta for example - it is now linked to cancer of the pancreas and other problems.  Click here to learn more about the harmful side effects of Byetta (and Januvia.)

So what are the known (or admitted) side-effects of this new drug?  Well, the FDA noted that statins can exacerbate hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.

"This risk appears very small and is outweighed by the benefits of statins for reducing heart disease in diabetes," the agency said.

"However, the prescribing information for Juvisync will inform doctors of this possible side effect. The company will also be required to conduct a post-marketing clinical trial comparing the glucose-lowering ability of sitagliptin alone compared to sitagliptin given with simvastatin."

Common side effects associated with the combination include upper respiratory infections, rhinitis, sore throat, headache, muscle and stomach pain, constipation, and nausea.

What does all this have to do with hypnosis?  First of all, take a moment and ask yourself this question: "What is hypnosis?" 

Before I share with you what hypnosis is, please keep in mind that I have been in the mind coaching business for over 27 years, I have written books on the subject of mind power/hypnosis/NLP and I have travelled around the world teaching.  I mention all this so that you know I have a bit of experience in the field.

With the above in mind: Hypnosis is simply your ability to deeply convince yourself of any belief. 

When you are convinced, in your heart, of a belief, that belief must express itself through your body and behavior because that is how we work.

Therefore, hypnosis is what is behind the Placebo Effect. 

And, it is the Placebo Effect that makes most modern antidepressants work.  Don't believe me?  Read the article: "The Depressing News About Antidepressants" that I recommended earlier.

To make my point short and to the point: Evidence indicates that hypnosis can often help a person to avoid deadly drugs.

Read the article: "A New Health Tool for Diabetes".

And, if you want more information about hypnosis, click here to learn the dangers and lies of hypnosis.

Thanks for taking your time to read this article.

Devin Hastings

President, the Minnesota Institute of Advanced Communication Skills