Traditional Acupuncturist (BSc hons, LicAc, MBAcC, Dip Tui na)
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Archive for the ‘General news’ Category
No longer the centrepiece of embarrassing entertainment shows, hypnosis, or more accurately clinical hypnosis is emerging as a particularly potent form of medical treatment for a wide variety of problems and conditions. Already endorsed by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and widely acknowledged in the medical community as a particularly powerful form of pain relief, clinical hypnotherapy can be a valuable method of inducing deep states of relaxation and rapidly shifting the way we think about the problems we can sometimes face in life. In common practice, it’s normal for a clinical hypnotherapist to treat clients for a wide variety of issues ranging from depression and anxiety, to phobias, weight control, exam nerves and much more.
Perhaps more than any other kind of therapy, hypnotherapy is one in which the relationship between the client and the practitioner is of prime importance. It takes trust and a sense of comfort and confidence on the part of the client in the qualities and potentials of the hypnotherapist for the experience to be as fruitful as possible, so good therapists in this modality are like gold dust and best sought out on the back of trusted recommendation.
One such therapist is my friend and colleague Hazel Gale. Hazel’s a clinical hypnotherapist in north east London as well as the two times world kickboxing champion and the current ABA (amateur boxing association) champion. When it comes to sports hypnosis her work is second to none and built on her skills not only as a top athlete herself, but also in her capacity to develop similar skills in her clients. She also however works brilliantly with a wide range of other issues aside from sports performance, and is my recommendation for anybody looking for a clinical hypnotherapist in London.
You can read about the results Hazel achieves with her clients here, or for the main page of her website visit:
You can also reach her by telephone on 07870 180 548, or via her clinic’s facebook page here
An article in today’s Guardian reports the conclusions of recent research showing that patients with lower back pain who had a 12 week course of yoga experienced greater mobility and pain relief than patients on current standard care. Benefits were also maintained even 9 months after the yoga was stopped, which could see yoga being recommended for patients with lower back pain and integrated into conventional care.
In the study, a group of 156 patients with chronic lower back pain were assigned to have the 75-minute yoga classes over 12 weeks, while a control group of 157 just saw their GPs. Participants filled in a 24-point questionnaire on whether their condition prevented them from doing everyday tasks. Those who did the yoga scored on average 2.17 points lower than those who did not. Three and nine months later, their scores were still 1.48 and 1.57 points lower respectively.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is the body in the UK which sets the guidelines on the recommendations for best treatment. Acupuncture for lower back pain is already recommended by NICE, and as a result I’m one of the acupuncturists working in conjunction with the NHS to deliver acupuncture to patients with chronic lower back pain through the Milton Keynes primary care trust pain clinic.
Yoga is something I frequently recommend to patients as an excellent practice for health, mental and physical well being, and physical flexibility, so it’s a great thing to see its benefits being more readily recognised through research.
The full story in The Guardian is here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/oct/31/yoga-lower-back-pain-treatments?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038
In an interesting article published online in the New Scientist, writer Jo Marchant explores the evidence for looking at how our mental and emotional activity affects our physical health. While in Chinese medicine the mind body connection has been long established for thousands of years, it’s only relatively recently that western biomedicine has begun to escape the shackles of Descartes’ mistaken assertion that the two are separate, non interacting entities. Modern disciplines such as psychoneuroimmunology are showing us how our emotional life has distinct physiological correlates that impact not only the quality of our lives, but also their length.
In this brief video, and in the associated article, Jo quotes evidence that shows that optimism and positivity reduces circulating levels of stress hormones like cortisol, and that optimists not only recover better from medical procedures such as coronary bypass surgery but also live longer when suffering from conditions such as cancer, heart disease and kidney failure. In general they are noted to have significantly healthier immune systems.
You’ll also find some interesting facts that people who see themselves in a positive light have lower cardiovascular responses to stress and recover faster as well as having lower baseline cortisol levels. There are also references to some fascinating research that showed that students suffering from exam anxiety showed lower levels of adrenaline in their urine on exam day when they were given creative writing tasks before hand that focussed on their own positive qualities…All fascinating stuff, so read, watch, and perhaps consider for yourself what one thing could you do, that would positively impact how you view yourself and your life. Your organs will thank you for it.
Video: The healing power of the mind
Article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128271.700-heal-thyself-think-positive.html
As the saying in Chinese medicine goes, treating disease when it’s already begun is like rooting for water in a well when one is already thirsty, so where possible prevention of disease is always preferable to treating it when it’s arrived. In a similar vein, an interesting report in todays guardian shows that the conclusions from a 2 year study show that supplementation of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid in medicinal quantities reduced the overall shrinkage of a persons brain by 30%, or at least in elderly patients with already existing cognitive impairment.
In the study 270 men and 70 women with mild cognitive impairment (a diagnosis of which leads 50% of patients to go on to develop Alzheimer’s) were studied. They were given higher than the recommended dosage of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid which are thought to control levels of the amino acid homocysteine which is known to damage blood vessels and contribute to brain atrophy. A 30% reduction in brain shrinkage was observed but in patients who had the highest levels of homocysteine at the beginning of the study, a 50% reduction in shrinkage of the brain was observed.
It’s thought as we age we are less able to absorb B vitamins, and levels of homocysteine levels are also thought to rise with excessive alcohol consumption and poor dietary habits.
While the evidence is encouraging, the researchers warn the elderly against over consumption of supplements since folic acid has some potential to re-activate cancer cells, and to use vitamin supplementation after consultation with a doctor.
Full story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/13/b-vitamins-alzheimers
” Over the years I have experienced a lot of discomfort and pain. I visit an Osteopath regularly and take classes in Pilates which keeps me functioning well. However, after a particularly stressful eighteen months with a family illness and other of life’s drama’s, I was feeling that I was getting worse and feeling continually uncomfortable. Often thinking about, but never having experienced it before, I decided to try acupuncture on the recommendation of a friend.
I found Sean’s website very informative and the testimonials heartening, I felt confident to make contact and book an appointment.
I have just completed a set of treatments and I feel so different, so full of energy and happy. From my first meeting with Sean and the initial medical history chat and treatment, I felt comfortable and at ease. Through that talk I was able to see that I had been carrying a great deal of emotional and physical pain on my poor old shoulders, that I was not quite me, that I had lost some zing.
Throughout, the treatments have been calm and relaxed and well explained. I leave each time feeling happy, and from that very first session I feel that I have got my missing bit of zing back again. I wake each day more comfortable, with a feeling of well being, calmer inside and no longer anxious or too quick to react.
I would like to thank Sean for his expertise, for treating me kindly and with great success, I recommend him highly.”
Andrea Roberts, Berkhamsted, September 2011
To hear from other patients who’ve had treatment with Sean, please click here: http://www.seanheneghan.com/testimonials/
An interesting study has just been published through the Department of Economics at Tilburg University in The Netherlands about the cost effectiveness of complementary approaches to healthcare and the impact of their use on mortality rates.
Data was collected from the years 2006–2009 and 1913 conventional GP’s were compared with data from 79 GP’s using complementary approaches in addition to conventional healthcare. According to the researchers, patients whose GP had additional CAM training have 0-30% lower healthcare costs and mortality rates, depending on age groups and type of complementary medicine used. The lower costs resulted from fewer hospital stays and fewer prescription drugs.
As my previous blog entries have stated, I highlight complementary approaches as being just that – complementary and secondary rather than a primary means of dealing with healthcare, and so studies like this provide interesting reading in highlighting the potential inherent in using a number of different ideological approaches to dealing with patient care.
Full details here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21695547
On Tuesday 28th June Berkhamsted Chiropractic Clinic celebrated it’s 80th year in practice. This makes it the longest running Chiropractic clinic in it’s original premises in the UK.
Myself and the other practitioners had an open evening offering free consultations, in which we collectively saw over 50 patients. So Happy Birthday to the clinic, and well done Lauren and all the staff for all their hard work.
Full details of the clinic, and all the treatments on offer can be found here:
