Traditionally de-cluttering, sorting and reorganising is part of annual Spring-cleaning projects however, the two-week break at Christmas gave me the time and opportunity to de-clutter my surgery and re-decorate. As with most projects preparation is the most important part of the process and if not tackled in a methodical and orderly fashion success may not … Read more

Theoretically, if regular eating habits are good and diet varied and balanced there should not be a need for supplementation. However, when illness occurs, or lifestyle demands of modern living affect eating habits and with the prolific rise in consumption of processed foods it is no surprise that symptoms associated with poor digestion in all … Read more

Part 1. The International Council of Reflexologists ICR held their first face to face conference since covid this September in Athens Greece. The conference theme “Making Reflexology Mainstream” was announced in 2024 with a call for papers (abstract submissions). I submitted my abstract “Providing evidence to support reflexology provision in mainstream healthcare” and was thrilled … Read more

The professional governing associations of which I hold membership stipulate in their terms and conditions that members must provide annual evidence of Continued Professional Development CPD. The number of CPD “points” required varies with each association and how the points are accrued is the responsibility of the individual, however the range of activities worthy of … Read more

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a complex condition whose cause is often referred to as “medically unexplained” psychosomatic or somatisation. Difficult to diagnose, clinical features are what specialists use to identify FND from other neurological conditions with similar symptoms. The clinical features include limb weakness, seizures, tremor, dystonia, gait disorders, facial spasm, tics, twitches, jerks, … Read more

Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome are painful conditions affecting the lower back, buttock, leg and foot that impact on overall mobility and quality of life. Identification of the cause of pain is difficult but necessary to produce effective treatment outcomes. Anatomically, the sciatic nerve originates from the lumbosacral plexus, a network of nerves formed by the … Read more

I was contacted by Mr A who had been referred to me, asking if I might help him manage a complex range of on-going symptoms. Aged in his sixties with a demanding and stressful job and following bereavements he began to experience sudden and fleeting feelings of unwellness and weakness. Following many GP visits and … Read more

The word ‘somatic’ is rooted in the Greek ‘sōmatikos’, meaning ‘of the body” and simply the Somatic Nervous System SNS is a sub-division of the Peripheral Nervous System. The SNS is responsible for voluntary muscle movement and sensory information processing, specifically for smell, sound, taste, and touch. It allows us to consciously control our movements and relay … Read more

I am a keen albeit amateur gardener that derives a great deal of pleasure and dare I say therapeutic benefit from my gardening endeavours. I would like to share the following information that I gathered with the purpose of supporting a GP practice funding application to create a therapeutic space for patients to meet and … Read more

There are many reasons why the digestive system can suddenly start misbehaving and produce a range of unpleasant symptoms. The obvious being a sudden invasion of bacteria normally via ingestion of substances that are infected or by an easily transmitted virus. Both bacterial and viral infections can be diagnosed via the GP and treated accordingly, … Read more