Sjögren syndrome and nutrition: How hypnosis can help

Where one person may drool briefly every so often, another suffers from dry mouth with all its consequences. Sjögren's syndrome causes your water glands to produce little fluid and this is most noticeable by a dry mouth and dry eyes[1]. Very irritating, because of course you have that fluid for a reason. But what is it? And what about nutrition? And how can you suffer less from this syndrome? I go into that in more detail in this blog.

What is Sjögren's?

Sjögren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes your fluid glands in your mouth and eyes to stop doing their job properly. It affects mostly middle-aged women, but it can also occur in men, children and older people.

Fatigue can also be a symptom of this syndrome[2].

In addition to dry mouth and dry eyes, you can also suffer from lymphoma.

This is because this autoimmune disease also attacks the very connective tissue you need such as your eyes and mouth skin. This is because your B cells and T cells of your immune system no longer respond normally.

To make a diagnosis, they look in your blood for certain antibodies and may take a biopsy of your oral tissues.

The treatments are mainly focused on your tissues and to re-correct your immune system with medication(source 1).

You can tell you suffer from this syndrome by dry eyes and poor vision. Eye drops then often work as a means of reducing this.

In addition, you can get medication such as piloparcin to make your glands work a little harder so you no longer suffer from dry mouth and dry eyes[3].

Sjögren syndrome and nutrition

Only in 54% of cases can family and environment provide an explanation for why the syndrome develops in someone. So there is still much that is not known.

What is already clear is that people who follow a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of developing this syndrome (source 2).

One reason for this is because of the fish in the Mediterranean diet. This in turn contains a lot of omega-3 which can be good for certain molecular reactions if you suffer from this syndrome or want to prevent it.

By the way, the study found that the more fish people ate, the less they suffered from this syndrome. Replacing fish with supplements didn't help. You really had to eat the fish itself (source 2).

Eating plants, fruits, and vegetables is also said to be beneficial for this syndrome. The Mediterranean diet consists mainly of fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Yogurt and cheese play a less significant role than they do, for example, for many Dutch people.

The study also found that the more vegetables eaten, the less likely this syndrome was to occur (source 2).

In addition, this diet has mostly white meat and little red meat. Think chicken and turkey instead of steak, for example.

What's nice is that alcohol is also part of this diet. Literally 1 glass of wine with dinner won't hurt 😉.

The study used people who went to the doctor with symptoms associated with this syndrome. These were followed for quite a while and then it was determined whether or not the syndrome actually progressed.

Hypnosis and Sjögren's

Conditions where making saliva is difficult can also benefit from hypnotherapy. Visualizations, for example, can be used to stimulate saliva production[4].

For example, you visualize peeling a lemon or tangerine and cutting it into pieces to eat. To do this, you are guided by a hypnotherapist who takes you through the process of walking to the refrigerator to grab a fresh lemon or tangerine until the moment you take the first bite.

This works amazingly well for many people to still be able to produce saliva.

In addition, hypnosis can also help you in other ways.

For example, if you find it difficult to eat healthy, hypnosis can help you do so more automatically.

For example, do you now have the habit of eating a cookie every day? Then that habit can be replaced by eating a piece of fruit or cucumber every day to take in more healthy nutrients.

With the SWISH technique, you can very quickly replace one behavior with another. Again, you use visualizations and positive and negative feelings. For example, you visualize the cookie with a negative feeling and eating an apple or cucumber with a positive feeling.

You then alternate this in your mind very quickly, allowing your subconscious to make the right choice quickly, and so you can easily replace eating unhealthy foods with eating healthy foods.

Changing your perspective on healthy eating

If you suddenly suffer from this condition, it can cause your quality of life and well-being to decrease. You may become more troubled by negative thoughts about how your life is now, which often doesn't help you move forward.

In the process, hypnosis can also help you continue to enjoy food, even if it's a little healthier now.

Hypnosis is used, for example, to improve the way you experience vegetables. This can help you move from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one effortlessly.

Guided visualizations such as those that stimulate your saliva production can also be used to change your taste perception of vegetables, making it easier to eat vegetables.

In addition, beliefs that simply block you from eating healthy can be scrutinized while in hypnosis and changed.

Suggestions can help you become more accepting of healthy eating. You can do this with suggestions such as:

"I am worthy of healthy eating."

"Healthy snacking is also snacking."

"Companionship can also be healthy."

These are just examples. Depending on your beliefs, you may receive other suggestions that better suit your blocks to healthy eating.

These steps alone can help you eat healthier.

Changing your view of Sjögren's syndrome

This syndrome can be very serious, as it also often causes people to die earlier than average. Not a fun prospect, but all the more reason to enjoy your life. Only that can sometimes be difficult.

Hypnosis can help you change your view of the problem and how this syndrome affects your life.

For example, if you feel that this syndrome prevents you from achieving certain things, a progression technique can be used to improve your outlook and make you feel that everything is still possible.

You can then also get a post-hypnotic suggestion that you like everything much better after hypnotherapy and that you can still just do what you like despite suffering from this syndrome.

As you read this, you may find this hard to believe. But with hypnosis, you get into a state where your subconscious is more open to these kinds of suggestions and you absorb them more easily so you automatically start living by them.

Sjögren syndrome can have a lot of impact on your life, and it is important to find a medical solution for it. Hypnosis can additionally be used to make life with this syndrome more pleasant and easier. It can help you eat healthier and it helps you to suffer less from this syndrome in your daily life.

Want to know how hypnosis works? Then join the free online masterclass on hypnosis.

Interested in helping people or yourself with hypnosis? Then sign up for one of our trainings, which are conducted online from a professional studio with enough assistance for 1-on-1 attention.

Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:

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