Effects of Chemotherapy
Preventing Hair Loss Due to Chemotherapy
Case study:
Nelly, 35 years old, appeared at my office with an impressive reddish long hair. With tears in her eyes she told me her story: "Two years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I underwent a course of Chemotherapy. With the great help and support of my family, I faced the disease quite well. Accept one issue really got me depressed - hair loss."
The tears now flowing freely, she continues in a trembling voice. "After a while, my hair grew and the difficult experience faded. Lately though, after follow up observation, cancer was detected in my other breast. The doctor recommended a new round of Chemotherapy. The thought that my hair will shed again is causing me to cry all day long. Nobody understands. They all think my reaction is exaggerated. But I would rather die than become bold again."
She turned to me in a very assertive tone: "I came to you because you are known as an expert in Hypnosis. I want you to hypnotize me, and as forcefully as you can, command my hair to stay on and not fall away."
As she sensed my hesitation, she reminded me that in one of the articles I published, I described a case of a young man, who recovered from hair loss after being treated with Hypnosis. I explained to Nelli that the cause of his hair loss was entirely different then her case. Here's involved the hair follicles reaction to chemicals introduced into the body while his was a reaction to stress.
Nelly proved to be tenacious. She pressed me and pleaded with me to use any hypnotic method I see fit even if there is the faintest chance that her hair will not fall. I was very honest with her and told her, I never hypnotized anyone for her condition and did not read in the professional literature that it had been done.
"So you'll be the first to do it!" she pleaded with teary eyes. "I have to undergo the Chemo but I refuse to accept that my hair will fall. Please take it as a personal challenge to help me?"
Well, I decided to take the challenge. The next meeting I came prepared. I explained to Nelly that a treatment with hypnosis is essentially a guide to self hypnosis. I act like a driving teacher, teaching her how to drive, not doing the driving for her. If I suggest that she should turn left and if for some reason that suggestion does not sit well with her, she will notify me.
Then I proceeded to guide her into a hypnotic state. When she signaled me, by raising her finger, that she is very relaxed and ready to enter the world of imagination, I continued: "Imagine that you are in the treatment room in the hospital... you trust in the doctors and nurses... the team is relaxed and confident..."
"They know how to treat you... they are injecting the medicine... imagine the medicine advancing through your veins towards your breast and the cancer cells... it is about to attack and destroy each and every cancer cell in your affected breast...
"I will be quite now for a while and let you imagine how the medicine is doing its job... Very effectively destroying all the cancer cells... They shrivel and wither and die... When you are done just raise your finger to let me know..."
After a while Nelly raised her finger and I continued: "The medicine is also circulating to all parts of your body on a mission of Search and Destroy. To find if there are any other cancer cells and eliminate them. Since we know that your hair follicles are sensitive too, I suggest that you spread a protective layer over every one of them. This protective layer is a very sophisticated defense mechanism. It enables all the blood, oxygen, nutrients and everything necessary to pass through, but it is impermeable to the Chemo. Having the Chemo is like having a well trained army of soldiers, patrolling your body and attacking any cancer cell they encounter, while protecting the hair follicle and any healthy viable cell in your body. See in your mind's eye how well this system works and when you are satisfied it works efficiently; open your eyes with a smile."
After a few minutes Nelly opened her eyes with a smile. I instructed her to practice the relaxation exercise daily and practice the imagery process she experienced in my office. We met a few more times where she learned a few more relaxation methods and we reinforced the process.
Nelly finished the course in Chemotherapy to the full satisfaction of herself and her doctors and throughout she had maintained her hair.
My lesson from this experience was, not to shy away from any new course of treatment.
Undoubtedly side-affects, if any, tend to elevate fear and stress. It is very important that, in order to effectively deal with them, one should be exposed to the relaxation exercises outlined on this site. Before practicing for the first time, it is important to read the chapter within "Relaxtion Recordings" - "Instructions for Recordings"
Every person may choose the relaxation exercise that best fits him/her. While in the relaxed state one should imagine the body handling the side-effects in a very positive and effective way. With every exercise one can imagine different way of achieving a positive outcome.