One little-thought-of application for hypnosis is to help people stop their nail biting habit. While this may not be on par with splitting the atom, it is a serious problem for people who always seem to find themselves gnawing their nails.

The problem with nail biting, unlike some other compulsions solved by hypnosis, is that one needn't make any effort to have the tools at hand. Smokers need to pull out a cigarette. People who have trouble dieting need to actually go to the fridge to get food. If you will excuse the pun, fingernails are on hand all the time. One merely move their hand near their mouth and nail biting will almost instantly ensue.

People who bite their nails often try to quit. Unfortunately, it is not so much a question of will as it is a question of habit. The person bites their nails because they've always bitten their nails. So, when they are not thinking about the fact they are trying to quit their nail biting habit, they start right back into it. It becomes an unconscious activity. This is where hypnosis comes in. The purpose of hypnosis is to reprogram the unconscious -- or, more properly, subconscious -- mind.

Many hypnotists will provide help for your nail biting. Along with weight management and quitting smoking, nail biting is the most common reason for people to visit hypnotists. Ask at your local alternative health stores or book shops for their recommendations.

If you are nervous about seeing a hypnotist (I promise you they won't make you leave thinking you're a glass of orange juice), there are a few other options available. There are self-hypnosis books and subliminal tapes you can buy that will help you with your nail biting habit. These will probably not be quite as immediately effective as an actual, qualified hypnotist, but they will help nonetheless.

So for those of you out there who are tired of worn down nails and sore, bleeding fingertips, there is hope. Through hypnosis, you can finally quit that nail biting habit that you find so tiresome. No longer will you have to hear, "Oh gross," from some aspiring med student who is "only trying to help." No longer will you have to hear another speech about how much dirt and bacteria gets under your fingernails. No longer will you have to hear that speech from your mother, again, about how you should just quit doing that. Hypnosis can help you kick that nail biting habit that has plagued you for longer than you care to remember.