Christmas survival guide for your back!

Christmas survival guide for your back! 


One in five people get stressed over the Christmas period and suffer ill-health as a result. At the Fitzwilliam Health Clinic we see a significant rise in demand for Chiropractic treatment early in the New Year as a result of Christmas related stress.


Back and neck problems occur over the Christmas Holidays because people are under pressure to provide the perfect Christmas. We often spend the week leading up to Christmas rushing around doing last minute shopping and preparations. We are then so exhausted we spend much of the following week sitting around on the couch watching TV – something we are not that used to doing!


The result is often sore and uncomfortable backs, so here are some handy tips to keep your spine healthy this Christmas:

• Keep it simple! Ensure that your expectations of Christmas are realistic. Keep the atmosphere relaxed and get people to help out as much as possible to share the load.

• Keep Active – As much as we all deserve our well earned Christmas brake (especially this year!) make sure you get some activity each day – however a word of caution...don’t get too excited playing your kids latest Wii games, they can be dangerous; we see a lot of Wii related injuries in the clinic!

To avoid undue strain on your spine when shopping you should:
• Warm up before you start with stretches
• Balance the weight of shopping bags evenly in each hand or use a shopping trolley
• Have a break regularly and keep hydrated
• Use mail-order or home delivery services where possible
• Where sensible, flat, supportive shoes
• Do several small trips rather than one large over-loaded trip

Wishing you a Happy Christmas & Best Wishes for 2012 from Gemma & Patrick!

Chinese Herbal Medicine is more effective that western medicine for female infertility

Researchers find Chinese Herbal Medicine more effective than modern medicine for female infertility

In an Australian Government-funded study, Ried and Stuart of Adelaide University reviewed 8 RCT’s and 22 smaller studies involving a total of 1851 women with poor fertility. Meta-analysis of studies involving over 1000 women found roughly double the likelihood of achieving pregnancy with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) than with western drug therapy. Over a 4 month period pregnancy rates were 60% for CHM verses 32% for drug treatment 9n=1005, odds ratio = 3.5, 95% confidence interval 2.3-5-2, p < 0.0001).

Other studies, involving over 600 women, compared CHM with IVF and revealed a mean pregnancy rate for CHM of 50% compared with 30% for IVF. The Adelaide study also provided evidence indicating that herbal treatment tailored to the specific traditional diagnosis of what was wrong with each individual’s reproductive health was a key factor in successful treatment.

The authors write: “Our meta-analyses suggest Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine to be more effective in the treatment of female infertility achieving on average a 60% pregnancy rate over 4 months compared with 30% achieved with standard western drug treatment, or IVF over 12 months.”

It will be interesting to see if these findings provoke the usual backlash from the powerful medi-business lobby who, according to past form, will wheel out an “expert” to rubbish the findings and suggest that CHM treatment is unproven and dangerous.

Efficacy of Traditional CHM in the Management of Female Infertility: A Systematic Review.
K Ried, K Stuart
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Vol 19 issue 6 Dec. 2011

© 2011 The Journal of Chinese Medicine

Amanda Hughes

Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner

Lic.Ac (adv) Beijing, I.C.T.C.M., IRChHMed

Stretches at Work!

Stretches at Work!

Over the past few weeks I have discussed the importance of correct posture, at work, at home and when you are sleeping.
Unfortunately no matter how good your posture is you could still be susceptible to tight muscles, due to stresses and strains we face on a daily basis at work.
The solution.....regular stretching!
Stretching helps to warm up your muscles and keeps them relaxed, preventing them from becoming chronically tight!

Before you start!
1. If you are in pain please consult with your Chiropractor before you perform these stretches
2. Stretching should be pain free. If you experience any pain while stretching stop immediately.
3. Never try and push a stretch too far – you can easily damage a muscle
4. If your muscle shakes while performing a stretch reduce the stretch down
5. Start with holding a stretch for 10 seconds and build up to 30 seconds
Pease click on the link below to get your FREE animated stretching workout for sedentary workers

http://www.ergoergo.info/exercise-sheet.html

Dr Gemma Bailey
BSc Hons Chiro