Men and women who are suffering from cancer and other immune-compromising conditions, such as mesothelioma and asbestos disease, may benefit from a new audio self-help product based on the technique known as “guided imagery.”
Designed by psychotherapist and social worker Belleruth Maparstek and composer Steven Kohn, the Healthy Immune System CD use music and soothing voices to create positive mental images and reduce stress in an effort to stimulate healing and immune response in patients fighting cancer, as well as those with viral and bacterial illnesses.
The CD is being marketed by Healthy Journeys, which distributes multiple guided imagery titles, including Fight Cancer, Optimizing Radiation Therapy, and Optimizing Chemotherapy.
Guided imagery is a technique which has been proven to elicit and stimulate immune response in patients facing a wide range of physical ailments. Relying on the mechanism of self-hypnosis, guided imagery has been shown in clinical trials to stimulate the body’s natural defense mechanisms, resulting in heightened production of activated T-cells, which act as the core of the body’s immune defense system.
The Healthy Journeys website defines guided imagery as, “a gentle but powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination. It can be just as simple as an athlete's 10-second reverie, just before leaping off the diving board, imagining how a perfect dive feels when slicing through the water. Or it can be as complex as imagining the busy, focused buzz of thousands of loyal immune cells, scooting out of the thymus gland on a search and destroy mission to wipe out unsuspecting cancer cells. “
Because they are based on passive listening activities, guided imagery can be used by anyone, of any age or background, and can be easily incorporated as an adjunct to more complex treatment program.
According to the Mayo Clinic, which endorses the techniques, “the effect of guided vivid imagery sends a message to the emotional control center of the brain. From there, the message is passed along to the body's endocrine, immune and autonomic nervous systems. These systems influence a wide range of bodily functions, including heart and breathing rates and blood pressure.”
The Healthy Immune System CD, as well as the complete line of Healthy Journey guided imagery CDs, can be found at the company’s website, located at www.healthyjourneys.com.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused by previous exposure to asbestos. This form of cancer has no known cure, so palliative and complementary mesothelioma treatment methods are the only recourse for individuals who suffer from this disease. Many US-based oncologists, including Dr. David Jablons of the University of California San Francisco Mt. Zion Medical Center, continue to study the development of malignant mesothelioma with the hope that they will one day discover a cure. For now, patients rely on anti-cancer drugs like Alimta® and the integration of complementary therapies to control pain and increase the quality of their daily lives.
