by Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, APN, MA, BCH, CMI
New Medicine – PBS catching up to Ron Eslinger, CRNA
On March 27th, 2006 PBS – TV aired their new show New Medicine. The program highlighted a process that Ron Eslinger, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) owner of Healthy Visions Wellness Center started over 20 years.
New Medicine stated that Blue Shield of California saved an average of $2000.00 per patient undergoing surgery by simply having them listen to a guided imagery – hypnosis CD prior to surgery. The results were less pain, less nausea and vomiting, and faster healing than those who did not listen to the CD. So why doesn’t every surgeon and every hospital offer their patients the same opportunity to have less pain and faster healing? Only they know.
You can also listen to CDs during surgery. A high percentage of surgery patients hear during surgery, but do not remember what they heard. This is called implicit memory. Implicit memory can be very good, very bad or have no significance at all. The following is an example of a very bad implicit memory uncovered with hypnosis by the author.
She was a 34-year old lady with a two-year history of painful chronic cystitis (bladder pain) following an abdominal hysterectomy. Hypnosis was considered only after all other treatments had failed. Her history stated that she woke up after surgery in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) screaming in pain and that her pain had lasted for two years with no relief. She was addicted to narcotics, which required she be admitted to the hospital three days prior to her hypnosis for detoxification. Her pain went away at the first hypnosis session and she said, “My pain is gone Why didn’t they send me to you two years ago?” She was asked if she was willing to use hypnosis to uncover the cause of the pain? She said “yes.” In hypnosis it was learned that during her surgery she heard some one say as they were separating the uterus from the bladder, “her bladder is going to hurt when she wakes up and it did.” She was in excruciating pain for two years.
Patients are reporting phenomenal results with wonderful Memories to the hundreds of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who are placing CDs created by Ron Eslinger thousands of their surgical patients. So take control of how you do after surgery by making your on CDs or tapes or buying them commercially. Just think. Your entire post surgery recovery can be good or bad depending on what you hear during surgery. What if instead of hearing about how bad the pain would be on awaking that you would hear suggestions like the ones listed below which were created by the author for his patients to listen to during surgery. The words are recorded over soothing biorhythmic music.
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You will wake up feeling better that you thought you would.
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You will be pleasantly hungry.
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Your surgery is going well
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Your immune system is keeping you healthy
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You should be comfortable – if not let us know
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You may have a pleasantly warm and hungry feeling in your stomach.
If the hospital staff tells you your CD player is not allowed in the OR. You tell them to read their Patient Bill of Rights, which will include “your right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care…”
Florence Nightingale in her book Notes on Nursing published in 1859 states, “Volumes are now written and spoken upon the effect of the mind upon the body.” She discussed in detail the suggestibility of children and that nurses should help patients to vary their thoughts. Florence Nightingale was more in tune with complementary therapy in 1859 than most nurses and physicians of today. She speaks at length in her book on music, color, aroma, physical activity, fresh air and exercise just as hypnosis was hitting its popularity zenith and other alternative therapies had even been thought of.
