Happy Easter to everybody!

Seems to be a quiet week ahead... happy Easter holidays everyone X

Great day today - seems that I prevented a lovely lady from having an operation on her spine!

...ah well

was stood up by a client today - why can't people just phone and say they can't make it for the appointment? :o(

Advertising in Stanford-in-the-Vale and Faringdon

Apparently there are people out there who are looking to get in touch with me, but can't 'find' me... going to put my contact details up in the newsagents' windows, just in case :)

TGIF

...with a view to a weekend off! Just read an article on research on the connection between Crohn's Disease and Vitamin D deficiency. Apparently, people who live in countries where there is less sunlight are more likely to develop the bowel disease. Our bodies are able to produce Vitamin D under the influence of sunlight. So grab your dog and top up your Vit D levels!

Bunions

Happy Feet
Bunions - a thing of the past?

They carry us through life, don’t they? We take them for granted most of the time. We only start to take notice of them when something is wrong with them – our feet. Just a few minutes of attention can help to avoid most common problems. Many of us suffer from heavy and swollen feet and ankles – very often during the summer month, but also after a day’s worth of combat-Christmas-shopping.... In many cases, congestions in the lymphatic system are to blame. A regular routine of “hot-cold-footbaths” (KNEIPP method), where both legs are bathed alternately in vessels containing cold and bearably hot water (finish with the cold bath!). The water should reach mid of the calves. The addition of Dead Sea salt enhances the therapeutic effect. Also regular massages can help.
Patches of hard skin disappear when treated with a pumice stone under the shower or in the bath, when the skin is softened by the water. A nice foot cream afterwards is a real delight!
A more serious problem for some is bunions. Nice strappy sandals look nice with the gorgeous gown for dancing round the Christmas tree but often are only a dream for sufferers, and buying shoes might turn into a challenge. In many cases, bunions can successfully be treated with a course of acupuncture, combined with massages. Depending on the grade of deformation, five to ten sessions can make a big difference! The manual manipulation treatment targets any calcifications in the joints of the big toes and helps to release the excess mineral deposits out of the joints. Tendons and ligaments will be stretched and exercised so that they are able to support the affected joints.
The application of very thin needles in certain acupuncture points along the affected meridian – mainly located on the feet – will help to get rid of any blockages in the Spleen/Pancreas Chi (“life energy”). Some of the points may be a bit sensitive at first, but experience shows that after the first session it will be less niggly and the benefit is already likely to be noticed.
Your feet will thank you.
For more info please contact me under www.monikabecker.co.uk or phone 07742-982757

Depression

Finally, many of us will say, spring is here, with its bright colours, fresh scents and a sense of new life all around us.

However, not everybody can enjoy the beauty of this season, feel the joy and enthusiasm for the days getting longer, the warming rays of the sun.

Au contraire: A frighteningly high number of fellow-humans, and you may be one of them, might wonder "what is the matter with me? Why do I feel as if paralysed, without any drive and totally down?“ A feeling beyond physical tiredness. Especially in spring, with the awakening of nature, the good mood of people all around us, we can feel our own sadness even more and be made painfully aware of. Depression is the number-one-disease of modern civilisation in the 21^st century. One in five Europeans suffer from depression at some stage in their lives. And 20 per cent of the sufferers commit suicide. Some experts see the cause in the tremendous pressure on the modern human being. With an overload of information and lack of time and personal space. They just can‘t keep up anymore. "Married couples talk to each other for an average of eight minutes daily, 40 per cent of employees working in upper management suffer from stress. The speed with which we race through our daily life has doubled during the last 200 years…“ as was recently published in the German magazine DIE ZEIT.

But, what can we do? Of course, depression requires adequate therapy and treatment. Suitable medication can literally be a life-saver. However, emotional support to overcome the feeling of desolation and to heal the soul is required too. Whatever the reason – it is important for the sufferer to realise, and to admit to themselves: "I accept my sadness. I do not have to deny it or to hide it. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of“.

"I can do something myself to make me feel better. I must allow myself to take more time for a person who is there for me, who listens. It doesn‘t matter who: a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a friend who I can confide my problems to. I am also allowed to take time to read a good book which can help me."

We all need some "time out“ – and if it is just a few minutes every day – to charge our batteries and gain new strength.

"Every day on which you can laugh, think and feel, on which you can see, hear, taste and run, on which you are loved, each of these days can be a special day, if you choose to be grateful for these riches.“