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The evidence as presented in this program pointed to running in good shoes, on good surfaces and in the absence of previous knee injury or surgery being beneficial for the knee joints. If you are running and experiencing pain in your knees a thorough consultation including x-rays if necessary can be obtained at Winchester Sports and Spine where chiropractor Mark Kennedy or one of his associates will be able to identify the root cause of your pain and offer a treatment solution. Often the knee is affected by problems in the foot/ankle, hip or lower back, chiropractors are well versed in assessing these joints to ascertain whether there is any relationship between these joints and your painful knee. Treatment options can include orthotics (shaped innersoles for your shoes), manipulation and massage. Your Winchester chiropractor can deliver all of these treatment options. Of course if after your consultation it is determined that chiropractic is not the correct treatment option for you then an appropriate referral to another specialist will be recommended.

Glucosamine is a commonly taken nutritional supplement that is considered to deliver to the body some of the raw materials necessary to make cartilage. Cartilage is the fibrous covering on the outside of your bones where they meet at your joint surfaces. It seems from the research that although it appears logical that the more of the building blocks for cartilage our body has the more it might produce this is not in fact what happens. There is little or no evidence according to today’s radio show that there is any improvement in the growth of new cartilage but they did suggest that patients taking it sometimes reported a reduction in perception of pain.

As a chiropractor in Winchester I have seen many patients over the years who have taken glucosamine, some believe it helps them and others are more sceptical about its benefits. You pay your money and make your choice. One thing I do know is that chiropractic care can help with back pain, neck pain, headaches and sports injuries so if you live in or around Winchester and are suffering muscle and joint pain we are here to help and advise.

Mark Kennedy

Despite huge public awareness that breastfeeding is the best form of nourishment for newborn babies and the government recommendation suggests a six month period is best for the health of the baby and the mother, a huge percentage of women still give up in the early days following birth.

Numbers are much higher in young women and lower socio-economic groups but even in Winchester, the rates of drop-off are high, suggesting that women find it hard to feed and encounter problems that they can’t resolve.  Reasons stated most often are nipple pain and lack of milk for the child.  However, according to the Winchester breastfeeding counsellors, only around 1% of women physiologically can’t breastfeed.  They say that women lack the belief and confidence in their bodies. In addition, peer and family pressure play a major role in women choosing to give up.

Nipple pain can result from many issues, including blocked ducts, engorgement, cracked nipples, mastitis or issues relating to the baby such as tongue-tie or mouth thrush.  More often than not, the problems arise from incorrect attachment of the baby and just a little help and guidance can resolve the problem.

We are so lucky to have the support of counsellors who run a drop-in Wednesday morning group (9.30am – 12.30pm) at Lanterns Centre, Bereweeke Road.  Women can go for help as many times as they need, free of charge, in a caring and supportive environment.

Once mastitis, (painful inflammation of the breast) becomes infective, the common treatment is antibiotics.  However, there are more natural treatments on offer which can stimulate the natural healing potential of the body, bringing about relief from pain and allowing the woman to continue feeding.  A combination of the appropriate remedy and a help with attaching the baby correctly can go a long way to restoring pain-free, enjoyable feeding. The three main homeopathic remedies to try for mastitis are:

Belladonna  200– hot, hard, painful breasts, engorgement, throbbing, fever

Bryonia 200– hard, hot, painful breasts, made worse by the slightest movement, emotionally irritable

Phytolacca  200– inflamed, lumpy breasts due to blocked ducts,  pain during nursing, cracked nipples, pain radiating out from the nipple

In acute pain, suck one pill 2 hourly for 4 doses then twice a day for a few days until relief is gained. If you can’t find the remedies in your pharmacy, try Helios homeopathic pharmacy on 02073797434 for next day delivery.

My clinic runs here every Tuesday, Wednesday and one Saturday per month.  I offer a post-natal one hour consultation which will look at all areas of physical and emotional healing, breastfeeding problems, including milk supply, as well as treating your baby for colic, reflux, thrush etc. If you had a traumatic birth experience and are struggling to cope, a well selected remedy  will help to restore balance and harmony so you can enjoy your baby at this precious time.

Mark Kennedy says, “We see many patients who say that they suffer a “normal” number of headaches and I wonder just how many is a normal number? Research suggests that 20-30% of the population suffer headaches, women 3-4 times more commonly than men. An American consumer report found that the top two conditions for which people were most dissatisfied with their medical care were chronic headaches (24%) and lower back pain (19%). So headaches are common and Winchester residents aren’t happy with the treatment they are getting for them, so if you suffer, what should you do?”

We start with a thorough history of your headaches, where are they, how severe, how frequent, when did they begin? etc… All patients then need an examination of their nervous system, eyes, hearing, balance, facial sensation and function as well as an assessment of joint and muscle condition in the head, neck and shoulders. It is important to remember that the majority of headaches are benign (NOT related to a life threatening condition) and are treatable.

Headaches are commonly triggered by neck joint and muscle dysfunction causing referred pain into the head. These type of tension headache respond well to joint manipulation, massage and exercise, we chiropractors specialise in the use of these techniques. Other triggers include dietary factors such as consumption of caffeine, red wine, chocolate, pickles, cured/smoked meats, aged cheese, sugar/artificial sweeteners and foods containing yeast. Dehydration can play its part as can a change in your sleep patterns. Emotional stress will also trigger an increase in muscle tension in the neck and shoulders likely to provoke headache symptoms in those prone.

Treatment is available for you and at Winchester Sports and Spine. Qualified and experienced chiropractors and physiotherapists will perform all the necessary tests to accurately diagnose your headache condition and either provide the appropriate care or in the rare situations where there is a need for referral to another specialist we will communicate quickly with your GP to expedite this.

The important thing is not to just accept your symptoms as normal. All pain is your body’s way of letting you know it’s not happy, balanced and well. Your headache can probably be treated successfully. To make a diagnosis easy to obtain we are making March our Focus on Headache month and reducing our New Patient consultation fee to £30 (consultation, examination (including x-rays if appropriate). ZERO is the only normal number of headaches, how many do you  suffer?

Call 01962 843242 and speak to our friendly reception staff about a new patient consultation.

The cobra.

This is really good for all of you that sit down at a desk driving a computer all day. Sitting increases the pressure on your spinal discs and this exercise is the antedote. If you suffer sciatica then this is likely to be good for you too.

Start lying flat, face down on the floor. Lift your head first then your chest keeping your elbows in touch with the floor. Keep your shoulders down, your arms should just be supporting you gently not supporting your whole body weight. Done properly you’ll feel some work being done by your lower back muscles. Then return to the floor placing the chest down first followed by the head.

10-12 repetitions should be enough, do them slowly, remember to breathe and do them every evening after work.

For further exercise advice call to speak to the Winchester chiropractor Mark Kennedy on 01962 843242 and don’t forget when you subscribe to our newsletter The Back Page we’ll send you our ‘Exercise of the month’, Low GL recipe of the month and lots of useful health promoting advice.

Just click the link to FREE INFO on to home page to sign up!

Sounds familiar?

Everyone starts off the New Year with resolutions, but how many actually stick to them and follow them through? What is the difference between those that succeed and those that don’t? As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, many people are filled with a wonderful sense of optimism and determination to reach their goals that coming year. Sometimes this enthusiasm lasts for a couple of days, maybe even a week, or a fortnight, but then that determination begins to slip and it becomes so much easier to stick to your old habits.

Often it is the battle between willpower and our emotions that causes the ‘blockage’. In the end emotions always win over willpower and so we can find ourselves stuck.

But there are ways to consistently achieve your aims, ways to reach your goals and resolutions and then exceed them!

I use hypnotherapy with my clients as a life-changing, goal orientated therapy that produces sustained results. I provide a bespoke, professional service in a supportive and caring environment.

I use the following strategies to help my clients reach their goals and complete their resolutions:

1. Identify clearly what you truly want to achieve and keep it simple – if you over-complicate things, they will be much harder to follow!
2. The motivation needs to start with you – so make sure you identify what it is that you want to achieve – not what your partner/friend/children want. You will not be determined enough to make the changes that need to happen in your life if this motivation does not come from deep within.
3. Make your goals and resolutions realistic – do not overwhelm yourself with targets that are too big to reach – break everything down to smaller goals (short-term, mid-term and long term). Reward yourself when you reach your milestones.
4. Write positive affirmations as to why you want to reach your goal – for example – “I am losing weight to feel fit and healthy, I am stopping smoking to lead a longer, more energetic life”. It helps tremendously to focus on the positive benefits of reaching your goals and resolutions.
5. Write your resolutions and goals down, somewhere where you can view them daily. You are making a contract with yourself and this will help to reinforce your actions.
6. Spend a few moments each day visualising how you will look/feel and act when you have reached your goals and resolutions. This is an extremely powerful hypnotherapy technique and the more your sub conscious mind visualises how you will look/feel and act in the future, the quicker it will help you to get there!
7. Get support! My clients truly benefit from my ongoing support and I am fully committed to inspiring, motivating and empowering them with my hypnotherapy sessions and techniques.

Contact me at The Winchester Sports and Spine Clinic on 01962 843242 for a free ½ hour initial consultation.

By Mandy Papas, Hypnotherapist (DIP, Hyp, CP) Cert.SportsHyp (CSH)

Lose Weight, Burn Fat, Feel Great!

These are the claims made by Patrick Holford if you follow his healthy eating plan. The basic idea is that it’s the amount of sugar available to us in the form of glucose which causes our body chemistry to become unbalanced in favour of storing fat and leaving our energy boosting adrenal glands exhausted. The end result of this is weight gain and tiredness, especially after a meal and first thing in the morning when we can experience massive blood sugar lows.

The key to steadily, safely and permenantly losing weight in Holford’s opinion is to balance your blood sugar by eating the right kinds of carbohydrates. For example a whole punnet of strawberries has the same effect on your blood sugar as only half a bannana, both foods we would consider healthy but you can eat considerably more of one than you can the other without destabilising your blood sugar. In his book he describes in detail how to choose the combination of carbohydrates that will keep your blood sugar balanced and how to combine essential proteins and fats for an optimum healthy weight loss and energy boosting diet.

Look at the following check list to see whether you might benefit from changing your eating habits.

Are you:

• Tired most of the time?
• More than 7lbs over your ideal weight?
• Prone to PMS?
• Suffering from poor memory and concentration?
• Quite often low or depressed?
• Plagued by dry skin, in need of daily moisturisers?
• Having difficulty sleeping?
• Often feeling anxious or stressed?
• Prone to indigestion or bloating after food?
• Often constipated – that is, you rarely go twice a day?
• Suffering from dark circles under your eyes?

Holford says that in Britain the average person ticks seven of these boxes and that 30 days on his diet will leave you feeling lighter, leaner and more energetic. Three months of this style of eating could see you shedding 2 stone.

I have decide to give this diet a try, not so much for the weight lose component but to crack my sugar addiction and to protect myself against the western disease of the moment, diabetes. An enormous number of my mothers family died from diabetes related conditions and so I must be careful from a genetic perspective.

I would be delighted to help support you if you’d like to join me and I will certainly feedback to you all how I am doing and feeling. You can find Holford’s book on amazon.

The school year is well under way and already we are plagued by constant runny noses and chesty coughs, worm infestations, sore throats, tummy aches and chronic tiredness causing temper tantrums and general irritability and tearfulness.

This is our first experience of school and it is wonderful to watch Isabella grow and enjoy her new surroundings but as a parent, we weren’t quite prepared for all the things listed above and I have been informed by more experienced parents that this is just the beginning of many years of challenging physical symptoms and behaviour so we shall see what the future holds.

I feel very lucky that I can dip into my bag of homeopathic remedies to help ease the symptoms, so I thought I would share a few tips as most remedies and other natural products are readily available over the counter alongside the more conventional treatments.  In particular I would like to talk more about worms.

This is a very unpleasant condition which can frequently occur in young children causing symptoms including: itchy bottom, threadworms in the stools and around the anus and sometimes, mild colicky pain, irritability and being unsettled.  If there is an outbreak at school and you suspect you child is affected, in addition to the over the counter medication which must be taken by the whole family, good self help measures include:

• Cut down on sugar intake as the worms thrive on it.  Encourage him/her to eat as much raw fruit and veg as possible, particularly apples and carrots.
• Improve on basic hygiene at home, such as using one towel per child and encourage regular hand washing to prevent spread to other family members.
• Put Vaseline round the child’s anus at night as this will deter the worms laying their eggs.
• Consider treating other children in the family preventatively (or in the case of a school outbreak) with homeopathic remedies.

The main homeopathic remedy in the treatment of active worms is Cina (wormseed) and should be the first one to consider particularly if your child is bad tempered and extremely irritable.  Other indications for it include an itchy sore bottom, increased hunger, teeth grinding at night and nose picking.  Give the remedy in the 6 or 30c potency three times a day for up to a week and repeat if necessary with re-infection.  This can also be the preventative treatment for siblings.

Nat phos tissue salts (available in health food shops) can help to alter the acidity of the gut, rendering it unfavourable for threadworms.  These can be given morning and evening for up to a month alongside other treatments.

Silica is a very useful constitutional remedy to consider if the worms keep returning after treatment but at this point it would be wise to book your child in for a full homeopathic assessment where a remedy will be selected specifically for your child.  Their current symptoms, along with their general constitution, emotional state etc will be taken into consideration.  I believe that Homeopathic remedies will gently lift the child’s immune system to another level and bring about physical and emotional health.

My clinic days are Tuesday Wednesday and Saturday.  Please don’t hesitate to call first if you are not sure or would like to ask any questions.

Special offer:  Book your child in for an initial consultation and get two free follow-up appointments included in the price (to be used by the end of January).

Mel Owen-Browne BScRSHom

Chiropractor and dance instructor Francesca Wuytack came from Belgium to the UK to study chiropractic after being so impressed with the care she had received for a back injury sustained through her dancing. This summer she graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic top of her class with the award of highest academic performance.

In addition Francesca was one of 24 runners up (out of 1200 entries) in the 2011 British Council’s International Student Awards; SHINE. This competition celebrates the achievements of international students and the contributions they make to life in the UK.

This month Francesca takes up a position as associate chiropractor at Winchester Sports and Spine, Orams Arbor where she will pursue her particular interest in the care of children and pregnant mothers. She will combine practice life with study for her PhD. in pregnancy and peadiatric care.

Francesca says, “Naturally, I delight in treating adults of all ages too, I absolutely love what I do, striving to deliver the highest standards of care to all my patients. Apart from the dancing that I can thankfully still enjoy now; in my spare time I can often be found enjoying the countryside, riding my bicycle, cooking and generally enjoying everything that Winchester has to offer!”

Mel owen-Browne

Spring is here!! Finally, the daffodils have come up and I have released my two little girls from the dreaded buggy and coats so that they may feel a little happiness and freedom again.  Feeling trapped has got to be a horrible feeling for an 18 month old who still hasn’t spoken her first word so it is lovely to allow her to roam and take her time along the pavements and literally stop to smell the flowers.  She is positively glowing with excitement and it’s a joy to see.

For us mums though, shaking off the winter blues can be hard, particularly after a bad night or at the end of a long day with the kids.  Our energy might still be low and we might be feeling just generally out of sorts and not as healthy as we would like. A good constitutional Homeopathic remedy can sometimes make all the difference and help us to be our best selves again, feeling balanced, positive and at peace with the world. A full consultation will look at all aspects of your health, including not only all your physical symptoms, but also your emotional life, stress levels, anxieties, dreams and sleep patterns.  A remedy chosen specifically for you should kick start the process back to the health and happiness you deserve.  As mums, we give out so much to the little people and a lot less to ourselves.  It’s Mother’s Day this month so treat yourself to something that will make you feel much better.  If you are not sure about Homeopathy as an option, I am offering 15 minute free assessments to help you decide if it might be for you.

In the meantime, take a leaf out of my little girl’s book… walk very slowly and admire the natural beauty around you, say NO to anything you really don’t want to do and take a nice long afternoon nap when you can.  I hope to see you soon.