Category: Clinical Trials

Most overweight people will insist they found it easier to quit smoking (or other bad habits), than to lose weight and keep it off.

There are many weight loss methods out there. Some of them —like going to the gym or cutting back on carbs— produce short term results. But over time the pounds come rushing back… doubled.

Following a study (Foyert, Kennedy, 1971) conducted at Florida State University, researchers insist there is a solution with long-lasting results.

The Science: Aversion Conditioning successfully helps 100% of overweight participants lose weight, and maintain weight loss after 48 weeks

In a scientific study (Foyert, Kennedy, 1971), researchers from Florida State University took a group of overweight persons and used aversion conditioning to help them lose weight.

The researchers wanted to observe what would happen when they paired a pleasurable stimulus (the smell of a favorite food) with an unpleasant one (a noxious smell), and how this would affect eating behavior.

Two groups of participants took part in the experiment. All participants were assessed by a physician and defined as “overweight” i.e. at least 10 per cent above their ideal weight.

The first group —the “aversion” group— were made to hold their favorite foods, smell them and imagine eating them. Immediately afterwards, they were made to inhale noxious odors such as pure skunk oil.

The second group —the “control” group— did not undergo aversion conditioning. However, they were part of the Take-Off-Pounds-Responsibly weight reduction club. They attended the weekly meetings regularly and weight loss was an important goal in their life.

The Results: Aversion Conditioning outperforms Willpower by 13X

While weight loss was an important goal for both groups, their results after just 9 weeks of treatment were DRASTICALLY different.

After 9 weeks, the participants who received aversion conditioning had lost an average of 13.33 lbs.

On the other hand, the members of the “control group” who relied purely on willpower, had lost an average of just 1.00 lbs after 9 weeks.

Aversion conditioning proved to be 13X more effective than willpower alone, even for people who had a clear goal of losing weight, and who received support through weekly Take-Off-Pounds-Responsibly weight reduction club meetings.

Results persisted even after 48 weeks

Even more astonishing, after 48 weeks the “aversion” group had maintained their weight loss results, averaging a loss of 9.17lbs.

The control group? After 48 weeks they had gone up 1.33 lbs!

References

Foreyt, J. P., & Kennedy, W. A. (1971, 12). Treatment of overweight by aversion therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 9(1), 29-34. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(71)90033-7

Shelton Hospital, Shrewsbury, England: Psychiatrists treat group of compulsive gamblers with Electric Jolt Technology — Two years later: NO desire to gamble; life and happiness restored.

Many people enjoy the occasional bet between friends. It’s innocent fun. The lottery too, is a harmless way to feel like you can still dream of a life of big money and luxury.

But there’s a line.

And that line is very easy to cross.

It’s the line where the casual bet makes way for a craving, to play more and more; to chase your losses as they grow disproportionately.

For compulsive gamblers and their loved ones, life is a constant, uphill struggle. Food disappears from the table, and all income is fed into “that machine”, as it grows fatter and fatter.

What’s worse, a compulsive gambler rarely realizes that he or she has a problem, and will not seek help until the situation becomes desperate.

It is a nightmare that is incredibly hard to wake up from.

In fact, “compulsive gambling has been regarded as a progressive illness which can never be cured but can be arrested” (Barker, Miller, 1968).

This is where science and technology step in, bringing hope to victims of compulsive gambling, and their suffering families.

What you didn’t know: Psychiatrists ALREADY successful in treating compulsive gambling with Electric Jolt Technology… 50 YEARS AGO

Psychiatrists (Barker, Miller, 1968) at Shelton Hospital in Shrewsbury, England, hand-picked a group of compulsive gamblers, to find out how treatment via electric jolts would affect their gambling habits.

All participants were compulsive gamblers. Most of them had lost numerous jobs, some even served time in prison, as a result of their addiction. Gambling had caused them considerable emotional distress and left them in serious financial difficulties.

Despite this, and their best intentions to quit gambling, they had always failed to do so successfully.

In the experiment, the participants were asked to take part in a number of gambling-related activities. Some were asked to play their favorite slot machine, brought on loan from the betting shop. Others were asked to watch videos of themselves in the betting shop, placing bets on horses.

During these activities, the participants were given small, harmless electric jolts to the wrist. The jolts did not cause any damage or injury. However, they were sufficiently painful to overcome the participants’ deep-rooted desire to gamble.

More importantly though, the electric jolts were incredibly effective!

100% Success Rate: Electric jolts beats Compulsive Gambling Habit in ALL Participants

Each of the participants underwent between 5 and 12 hours of treatment. At the end of the treatment, 100% reported they had developed an aversion to gambling.

Emotions ranged from disinterest towards gambling, to “being sick of it” and wanting to “throw [the machine] through the window”!

Remember, these were people afflicted with a very strong gambling habit. They had tried and failed numerous times to break this habit, despite the pain, misery, overwhelming debt, and other problems that it had caused them and their loved ones.

Yet, in an incredibly brief period of time —less than 12 hours— their habit was broken for good.

Two Years Later: Still no desire to gamble — they have their lives back

The story for this group of people gets better. All of them returned to a normal life.

When re-assessed two years later, they had repaid their debts and put back together their lives. While some reported a relapse, a brief sequence of “booster” sessions helped them get back on track.

The results and conclusions of the researchers are more than encouraging:

“There is scope for refinements in techniques but we are of the opinion that aversion therapy has much greater clinical potential than is at present realised.” (Barker, Miller, 1968)

References

Barker, J. C., & Miller, M. (1968, 12). Aversion Therapy For Compulsive Gambling. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 146(4), 285-302. doi: 10.1097/00005053-196804000-00002

London Institute of Psychiatry finds 60% of participants quit drinking after electric shock sessions and report “repugnance” towards sight and smell of alcohol even after 4-8 weeks

In a scientific study conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry in London and Maudley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals in Israel, researchers analyzed the effects of electric shock on alcoholism in a group of “primary alcoholics” i.e. people who were practically alcoholics from their very first drink.

These were people for whom alcoholism was a very deeply ingrained habit.

When re-assessed 4-8 weeks after the study, 60% of the participants in the study were categorized as “successes”, with complete abstinence or no serious bouts of drinking.

In other words, 60% had successfully quit their drinking habit.

What’s more, as a result of shock treatment, the participants developed a strong dislike for the taste and smell of alcohol.

Some even found it “repugnant”!

A drink or two… too many?

There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two socially. But when it starts affecting your life, your relationships and your job, even in tiny ways, it’s time for a reality check.

If you feel it’s time to get your drinking habit under control, congratulations, this is the first step towards freedom.

Attitude is crucial.

However, it’s only part of the battle. You need to strengthen it with a proven process that can get you back on track every time you stray!

Treating alcoholism with Aversive Shock Technology

The study mentioned earlier, shows that the strategic use of small electric shocks —such as those administered by the Pavlok wristband— can help you get a grip on your drinking habit before it’s really out of control.

The research was conducted over a number of sessions as follows:

1. Each person was shown a number of slides, including images of bottles, bars and other alcohol-related items. Every time the person reported having a fantasy of drinking, the researchers would give that person a slight shock* to the arm.
2. Each person was asked to taste and smell alcohol. For each of these actions, the researchers would once again give the person a slight shock* to the arm.

*Note that the shock is harmless and does not cause any injury. It is intended to jolt you to attention. And according to this study, its effects are astounding.

The Outcome  Electric shock beats alcoholism in 60% of the lab cases

When reassessed 4-8 weeks after the shock treatment, 60% of the people in the experiment were reported as “successes”, (complete abstinence or no serious drinking) and had come to dislike the taste and smell of alcohol.

In fact, the word “repugnant” kept coming up!

Some reported the smell and taste of alcohol had now become unpleasant. Others found they had become indifferent to alcohol.

For some, even the sight of the images was considered undesirable!

Remember, these were people diagnosed as ”primary alcoholics”; their problem was very deeply ingrained.

They were NOT recreational drinkers simply concerned about the occasional hangover.

The study shows encouraging results, and the researchers’ claims are very clear:

“As far as the conditioning theory is concerned, the development of this taste/smell repulsion, may prove to be a useful starting point — square one.” (Hallam, Rachman, Falkowski, 1972)

Pavlok is your starting point

Maybe you’re just looking to have a little more control over your life. You’ve been pushing your limits a little too far. Your social life, your relationships, your wallet and your job seem to be suffering the consequences, and you want to do something about it.

Or maybe you’re waging a full-blown war against the bottle. You recognize you have a serious problem and that it’s going to take you down sooner or later.

Whichever your case, you owe yourself all the help you can get. So, keep the following in mind:

#1 Willpower is not enough

First of all, willpower is not enough; it never is. You might start out strong and full of determination. But…

• what if you’ve had a horrible day at work?
• what if your toddler has been screaming all day?
• what if an idiot cuts you off on the street as you’re driving home?

For someone with a drinking habit, everyday events like these can be overwhelming triggers.

You need a support system that will keep you in check when your will power takes a plunge. And it needs to be something that is concrete and dependable.

#2 The game is stacked against you. You owe it to yourself to redress the balance.

On top of that, the game is stacked against you.

Everything around you is designed to push you towards failure:

• bars at every corner and junction
• wine lists in restaurants
• whole shelves of alcohol in supermarkets and convenience stores
• commercials on tv and social media.

It’s inescapable.

That’s where Pavlok comes in.

Pavlok keeps you on track

In 2013, Pavlok rediscovered the power of electric shock to break bad habits such as smoking, overeating and drinking.

With Pavlok, you can replicate the results observed in the laboratory study mentioned earlier in this article.

Set a goal for yourself. You may decide to shock yourself every time you open a bottle of liquor, or with every sip you take. You could even shock yourself every time you even THINK about drinking alcohol!

If you have honest friends who REALLY care about you and want you to beat your habit, you can give them access to Pavlok via bluetooth. Agree on a specific behavior you want to avoid. Your friends will be able to use their phones to shock you with Pavlok every time you slip up.

Caution: There is no ‘microwave’ sobriety

Of course, Pavlok is not a substitute for professional help and support. If you feel that your drinking habit might be too much for you to handle on your own, you need to seek professional help.

But Pavlok is your first commitment to yourself. It’s with you, always, as a handy wearable wristband. Users have often reported that the feeling of having Pavlok on your wrist is enough to remind you to “stay away from the habit”.

In 1968, a University of California professor tested whether a small portable shock device could help nail biters quit their habit (spoiler: it worked!).

The professor, Bradley Bucher, knew nail biting was a common problem. His research showed that in a 1948 study by Coleman and McCalley, a group of 1077 college students had 29% of men and 19% of women that bit their nails.

Roughly 24% of college students bite their nails!

And it’s a serious problem. Nail biting isn’t just about ugly hands. It’s about lowered self confidence, risk of infections and frustrating attempts to quit.

But even with the overwhelming numbers, the professor knew a solution was possible. In the 1950s another study using “negative stimulation” found that after 8 to 10 months, 50% of subjects stopped biting their nails or drastically decreased their habit.

That’s huge.

Why Negative Stimulation Is Actually Good For You

Negative stimulation is part of Aversion Science, an 80+ year old science where the negative stimulus is paired with a habit to make it less pleasurable.

Examples include mixing compounds with alcohol to induce vomiting, smelling rotting food when you are eating sweets, or applying electric shock when you smoke or bite your nails.

Imagine if every time you ate a slice of pizza you got an electric shock. After enough shocks you wouldn’t want to eat pizza anymore.

It’s the same with biting your nails.

Study Finds Electric Shock Helps 45% of Nail Biters Quit On First Day

So knowing that nail biting was such a common and painful problem, and knowing that negative stimulation had success rates of 50%+, the UCLA professor setup his experiment: college students, long time nail biting, control procedures for accuracy, and electric shock to cure the habit.

On day one the professor measured the participants’ nails, then gave each one a small, portable electric shock device and taught them how to use it.

For the next few weeks patients would shock themselves whenever they put a finger or nail to their mouth. And when they applied a shock, they would record it in a small journal.

His goal was for study participants to achieve “normal nail growth” and the results were remarkable…

• in 45% of cases no nail biting was reported FROM THE FIRST DAY
• within 4 days that number was up to 65% (and with minor tweaks could have been 15% higher)

The success rates shock had on breaking nail biting habits was inline with other studies — great. But there was a surprising new finding as well.

The professor discovered electric shock led to a change in attention to the habit in almost every case, i.e., instead of doing it subconsciously, subjects immediately became aware of their nail biting.

This was critical, by using electric shock to develop awareness of the habit cues, subjects were able to engage their own self control techniques (self discipline, motivation, etc.) and drastically increase their chance of success.

Basically, shock = increased attention = no more nail biting.

In 2013, Pavlok rediscovered the power of electric shock to break bad habits like nail biting, smoking, overeating and wasting time online.

Since then, we’ve manufactured a wearable electric shock band that our customers use to successfully break their bad habits.

If you are a nail biter and having trouble quitting, it’s worth trying mild electric shock — and you can become one of the 65% that quit in 5 days or less.