Do you Believe in Magic? THE POWER OF SUGGESTION: How guided imagery helped this author decrease outbreaks of herpes simplex or fever blisters.
Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers: it comes from being open to all the questions (Earl Gray Stevens)
We will never really understand the full potential of our minds. The way we think and how fully mindful we are have a huge effect on how we react to things. The first time guided imagery was suggested to me was during active heavy labor with my first child 12 years ago. The nurse pointed to a sign that said “breast-feeding” and told me to focus on it, not my pain. I opted for an epidural. That nurse meant well but I was not in a very receptive mood nor was it the time or place to learn a new technique. The prenatal classes I attended touched base on guided imagery and breathing techniques but I was not prepared for the seriousness of those techniques. Being prepared and practicing mindful imagery can be a great deal of help in certain situations.
I am a big supporter of integrative medicine. The power of suggestion is intriguing. Dr. Andrew Weil, director of The program in Integrative Medicine and clinical professor of internal medicine at the University Of Arizona in Tucson , highly recommends it for a variety of problems. It can be used in the treatment of pain management, heart disease, skin & digestive disorders, sexual & genitourinary problems, labor, viruses, & asthma, nausea, preparation for surgery to decrease post-op complications. Guided imagery and breathing are often recommended to be very useful forms of non-invasive treatments. Keep an open mind and try it…you have nothing to lose and everything to gain including maintaining control over your own health & well-being.
Afterall, we all have experienced reactions to our mind’s eye when we daydream, have sexual fantasies, reminisce about the past, or worry about the future. We just need to take this a step further to benefit our general health.
As a nurse, I appreciate holistic care. Instead of zeroing in on a symptom or an isolated problem the whole person is taken into account: lifestyle, diet, job, family, spirituality, etc.. These things can greatly effect the outcome of treatment. Holistic healthcare focuses on the root of the ailment and not just a symptom. Many times, the outcome is a better quality of life with these treatments.
I have suffered with herpes simplex for many years. In other words, I get a lot of fever blisters. They always appear on my lower middle lip or my upper left lip. I hate them. They are ugly, painful, itchy and ruin my lipstick line. Once you have herpes simplex it never goes away…it lies dormant in your body until it is triggered and forms a blister. Most times this appears on the lips. It can occur on the facial area around the lips and nose. It also can be transferred to the genital areas during oral sex.
I have been given many suggestions by traditional doctors:
Acyclovir ointment
Acyclovir tablets
Famvir tablets
eliminate stress
camphophinque ointment
I have found other treatments by reading and researching remedies.
exercise
l-lysine supplement
green tea
mushrooms (large variety)
general nutritious diet
decrease trigger foods: nuts, some cheeses.
Be mindful of trigger times & increase helpful approaches during those times (increase stress, illness, premenstrual days)
yoga
suggestive meditation
They all work in some capacity. The most helpful are decreasing stress (my occurrences decreased greatly when I closed a stressful business), a better diet, Famvir (for unavoidable breakouts) (I take: 1 tablet, 1000mg/1 g, one time a day for 2-3 days.) and mindful suggestion/yoga/meditation.
The guided imagery is a fairly new way for me to get rid of this blistering. I sit with my eyes closed as I tell the virus that it is allowed to live in my body only if it stays dormant. I picture the little viruses running away from my lip to a manhole in a basement or dark dungeon, it opens it up, jumps in and then closes the lid.. I believe this works…
