Latest News

Acute injury treatment

It is good to see that more and more people are feeling inspired and motivated  to take up sports and other physical activities. As a result I am being contacted by more people seeking advice and treatment for injuries. Actually, this advice applies whether you injured yourself whilst playing sport or while carrying the shopping.

When the injury has just occurred it requires ACUTE treatment, usually for  the following 24-48 hours.

A strain to a muscle or a tendon is a common type of acute injury. I usually generalise and call it a pulled muscle. This occurs when the tissue fibres become torn or damaged, due to overloading, twisting or stretching. This may result in heat, pain, redness, swelling and loss of function in the area.

A sprain to a ligament is another common type of acute injury. This is when fibres of a ligament, which supports the joints, are torn. This can happen when a joint is forced beyond its normal range of movement. This may result in considerable swelling, bruising and pain with any attempt to move or put pressure on the joint.

Doing the right things as soon as injury occurs will aid quicker recovery and hopefully prevent it from becoming a chronic on-going issue.

I suggest following the RICE procedure. That is Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation for the first 24 48 hours after the injury.

Rest – immediate rest from any movement of the area involved will allow the fibres to start to knit together. Rest will also allow any bleeding to stop naturally. Resist the temptation to try and use the injured part, to see if it still hurts.

Ice – ice should be applied as soon as possible, as this reduces the amount of bleeding and swelling in the tissues. Ice has a pain relieving aspect too, as it numbs the pain receptors. Reducing the pain also reduces the protective spasm around the area. A pack of frozen peas is ideal as it can be moulded to fit the area, put a layer of kitchen roll or a thin cloth between your skin and an icepack. Ice cubes can be wrapped in a wet cloth. Using an anti-inflammatory ointment on the skin whilst moving ice slowly and smoothly over the area, can be an effective combination.
The length of time to leave an icepack on depends on the area but your shouldn’t leave it on for more than twenty minutes at a time. If your skin looks red after the ice is removed, then it was on for too long. Ice the area as often as you can, just make sure that you have given enough time in between sessions for your skin to return to its normal temperature, before re-applying it.

Compression – compression or pressure should be applied over the injured area. This can be applied using a firm pad with a strapping around it to hold it in place. Compression restricts bleeding at the injury site.

Elevation – a leg or arm should be comfortably supported so that it is raised higher than the torso. This will allow gravity to assist in the removal of swelling in the area and so aid recovery.

I can give you general massage using techniques to improve lymphatic drainage which will help to reduce swelling. Massage can be very beneficial and can be given at the same time as the RICE procedure.

All acute injuries should, ideally, be seen by a medical practitioner as soon as possible.

The importance of antioxidants – My story

Today, I would like to talk about the importance, to our health, of antioxidants and tell you how they, powerfully, came to my attention.

You may be hearing more and more about the importance of taking antioxidants in your diet or through supplementation but aren’t sure why you need them or what they are.

I am looking at antioxidants in the context of anti-ageing, in my own personal quest to look and feel as young as possible, for as long as possible and doing it all naturally.

Insufficient antioxidants can lead to premature ageing along with, a weak immune system, low mental clarity, low energy levels and low libido.

Our bodies naturally generate some antioxidants, and certain foods also contain antioxidants, but new research shows that these sources may not provide sufficient antioxidant protection against a growing onslaught of free radical invaders.

Free radical attack is one of seven risk factors for premature ageing. The others are out-of-control blood sugar, sluggish detoxification, chronic inflammation, a declining immune system, prolonged stress and waning hormones.

Bear with me for a moment here, when you cut an apple in half and leave it out in the open for a while, it turns brown as a result of a process known as oxidation. Our bodies undergo a similar process of oxidation, it’s as if our bodies start to rust, as a result of attacks by ‘free radicals’. Free radicals are highly reactive compounds that damage the DNA in our cells, and are produced during our normal daily metabolic processes.

Anti-oxidants help to protect us against free radical attack.

Free radicals are a major cause of premature ageing and ill health, they weaken body tissue such as skin, blood vessels, and the brain.

Free-radical tissue damage can result in damaged DNA which can receive up to 70000 free radical hit’s in a single day, weakens your skins protective barrier, breaking down collagen and making you look older than your age, coronary heart disease, brain damage, cancer and many chronic degenerative disorders including arthritis and dementia.

Free radicals are increased in the body by cigarette smoke including passive smoking, environmental and air pollution, extreme ultraviolet light (including sunbeds), overly strenuous exercise, some prescription medications and ionizing radiation including mobile phones and mobile phone masts, computers and microwaves.

My eyes were opened to the importance of antioxidants two years ago when I was invited to a meeting with a group of scientists and business people who were looking at ageing from a different angle. They were challenging the status-quo on anti-ageing by going right to the source of ageing. As part of the meeting we were all tested on a machine called the Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner which is a cutting edge testing tool that measures and provides immediate evidence of your antioxidant levels. It is safe to say that I was shocked and devastated by my results. In fact, I demanded a re-test, the results were the same! The test showed that my levels of antioxidants, my protection against free radical attack, was at a dangerously low level. My body was open to attack and fairly defenceless, although I had no obvious physical signs of illness, yet. I had always thought that I was a healthy person, I was shocked.

So I started on a comprehensive array of powerful antioxidants, in the form of dietary supplements, then had another test 18 months later. There was a significant improvement in my test score, my antioxidant levels had markedly gone up. I also feel better, my skin looks clearer and tighter, and I have now got bags of energy.

Considering the stresses and environmental exposures of modern day living, those of us who want to stay feeling and looking young as we get older will greatly benefit from having our levels of antioxidants tested and from antioxidant supplementation.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was so impressed with the test and supplements that they provided that I have since become actively involved with the company. The company is called Nuskin.

Achieving perfect health
Getting yourself feeling better or attempting to lose weight without utilising these points into your lifestyle may be a moot point. It is important to create the right bodily environment for you to thrive in. Here is a list of 6 components that I have found to be essential foundation blocks to achieving good health.

1. Oxygen or oxygenation of your system is the primary key that allows all of your cells the capacity to build themselves in the way that they need to be built. Your body needs oxygen.
This can be achieved by deep breathing exercises, going for walks in the fresh air, yogic practice, restful meditation, deep regular breathing, relaxation – so you are not ’panic breathing’ or panting in short ineffective breaths.

2. Correct hydration of your system. Ironically most of us drink things that de-hydrate us! Many ailments in your body are nothing more than symptoms of dehydration. Not enough water in our cells can cause short circuits and cause them to cease to function properly. Also not enough water in the body will not allow your system to flush out toxins, which can lead to many forms of build up, which can cause the immune system amongst other systems to become less effective that leaves the door open for organisms to create disease in your system. Have a go at drinking between 1 and 2.5 litres of water a day, every individual is different.
When your are actually feeling thirsty that is your body’s final signal that you do not have enough water. If you are properly hydrated you will never be thirsty, so, thirst is a good indicator of your water levels.

3. Exercise. Movement allows the muscles to act as pumps to pump the water around the body flushing out the toxins.
Exercise allows strengthening of the skeleton and muscles.
Exercise uses the minerals that are taken in via food or supplementation and allows them to act as building blocks, nutritionally.
*Exercise/movement allows energy to flow through the body rather than allowing it to sit around and build up in your body. The energy in your body must flow or it will convert itself into mass or better said, cause you to put on weight.

4. Reduction of stress in your system. Many of the symptoms that we attribute to the beginning of illness/ailments are side-effects to the undue stress in our lives. It is recommended that you find any way possible to reduce the amount of stress in your life.

5. Detoxing – removing toxins from your system. There are many methods of removing toxins from the body, to allow you to be cleansed from the build up that has occurred over time. And to allow yourself to remove many kinds of heavy metal poisoning, pesticides etc from foodstuffs. Removal of toxins is very important. My Deep Lymphatic Massage is an excellent way to kick-start any detox programme that you may choose.

6. Lightening up your diet – hormone imbalances and toxic substances have been added to a lot of our foodstuff. Lightening up your diet, will at the least assist your body, by ingesting more foods that have a higher amount of water such as vegetables, that are mostly water, like our body’s. Organic and as fresh as possible will assist in lightening up your energy and cleansing your system.
The more natural your food is, the more capable your body will be of delivering the nutrients that you need and energising your system so that you actually need less food.

So, these things will work hand in hand; as you detox your system; give it oxygen, give it water, reduce the stress, exercise your body and lighten up your diet, you will be able to be more receptive to the nutrients that are there in your natural foods. As you feed it more naturally you will find that you are more energised and you will require less food.

These are simply the foundations of health – recognise that these are simple things that can be easily added to your lifestyle.