Debilitating Back Pain

A young man came into my practice yesterday. He could hardly walk. His mum had to bring him in as he couldn't drive either. He'd been signed off work as a handyman for almost two months because of "sciatica" by the doctors. He is on heavy pain killers and has seen a chiropractor, but the pain got gradually worse. Another client of mine recommended him to come and see me as I "had sorted him out".
Looking at the poor man when he came into reception I could see that he was all lop-sided which means that his pelvis was "imbalanced". This happens when the head of the thigh bone has jumped out of the hip socket and thus pushes the whole leg down and makes the leg appear longer than the other one.
This oblique pelvic position very often leads to a compression of the sciatic nerve and causes hellish pain.
First, I freed up the sciatic nerve by gently massaging the area where the nerve passes out of the spinal column and made sure that the iliac bones are in line, which already brought some relief.
As he still felt a little bit of discomfort, I inserted four acupuncture needles in the lower back, back of the knee, ankle area of the foot and base of the thumb.
After 20 minutes he was practically pain free and just felt a little tightness in the calf. He said that he hasn't felt that good for the past six months.
I asked him to do the "towel exercise" at home to strengthen the muscles in the lower back and the hip and to prevent the leg from "jumping out" of the hip socket.

I got a huge thumbs-up from his mum when she came to pick him up and saw him walking without pain  ...

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Vitamin D

It is no secret how important Vitamin D is for our health and well-being. This "sunshine vitamin" has not only a positive impact on our immune system and our bones, but can also be a valuable help for those who suffer from depression  (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120625152358.htm).
Scientists have now come to the conclusion that Vitamin D might also help with the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Dr. med. Hans-Eckhard Langer at the Evangelisches Krankenhaus in Düsseldorf has tested blood samples from 641 patients who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. The tests revealed that two thirds of the sufferers were severely deficient in Vitamin D. Specialists have concluded that Vitamin D should be given more significance in prevention and healing of inflammatory and rheumatic illnesses, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Treatment of Fears and Anxiety – Another Case Study

Not too long ago, a young man came into my practice and he did not look too well.

He said he was having panic attacks, suffering from depression, hadn’t eaten properly for weeks and he couldn’t even bear the thought of having a haircut or going out with his mates.

He was having a course of acupuncture, but after four sessions he had agreed with the acupuncturist he did not feel any different, so acupuncture did not appear to be the most appropriate therapy.

We had a long chat about what situations made him feel most anxious.

The fear of “fitting and fainting” was most prevalent.

He had a past of taking class ‘A’ drugs and too much booze, which, in combination with being dehydrated and not eating, had made him faint on one or two occasions. This fear has stayed with him ever since, although he has been teetotal and hasn’t taken any drugs for several months.

Of course, the first thing of utmost priority for him to do was to stay clear of drugs and also the slightest temptation. He swore that he would, as the last time he took drugs he felt very, very ill and he had stayed clear of them ever since.

The second step, of course, was to persuade him to eat something substantial (unfortunately, pork knuckle – the Bavarian remedy for everything, is not much available here in this corner of the world J).

He told me that Chinese takeaway was a favourite but he was afraid of it making him faint again.

So many fears ...

Anyway, I suggested using some Psychological Kinesiology for a start. Checking the status of his organs’ energy, we found a weakness in the “Emotional Heart” area, which is connected with an unpleasant event, often experienced as shock and also abandonment.

Further testing revealed a connection to his mother. She left him and his dad when he was about 10 years old, and he remembered a situation where somebody was being sick.

With his hand on the corresponding area, I tapped the “disconnecting” acupressure points on his head. After 3 applications he started to feel very relaxed and “cottony”, which is a sign to stop.

At the end of this first session, he told me that he was feeling hungry now and wanted to book a second session four days later, just to be sure.

When he came through my door that day, he looked different – he had his hair cut nicely and had had several good meals. He smiled a lot and confessed that he had not believed that my approach would make any difference.

He told me that after the first session, he felt rather “lousy” that day and doubted that seeing me again would help him. But the following day he noticed a change for the better.

He asked a mate of his to come with him to have his hair cut as he did not yet feel confident enough to go on his own – but, still he managed to go out.

After this first outing, he went to visit friends and family for the first time in ages and even managed to go back to work, which he hadn’t been able to face for the past 2 or 3 months!

During our second session together, we “removed” that little bit of fear that was still left, as well as giving him some “Detox” ear acupuncture, for his past drug taking.

Before he left, he thanked me and told me that he was a little bit worried now as he can’t feel the panic and anxiety anymore!

Sometimes you just can’t win...

Eat Your Greens To Prevent Brittle Bones

Fruit and Vegetables are rich in potassium as well as magnesium which are essential to protect against the loss of calcium. Leafy greens and vegetable oils contain vitamin K which can reduce the risk of hip fracture by 80%.
Avoid processed food and be careful with adding salt in general as salt (sodium) can leach calcium out of the bones. Processed food often has a high content of salt!

Vitamin D is important for the “over-sixty-fives”

Endocrinologists recommend that everybody over 65 should supplement their diet with vitamin D. 

Research has revealed that many of us do not produce enough of the so-called “sun vitamin”, which can have serious implications as vitamin D is important for the bones and memory.

Moreover, a deficiency increases the danger of developing Parkinson’s Disease, bone fractures and depression.

The skin of older people tends to be thinner; many elderly do not, or cannot, go out as much as they used to and also absorb fewer vitamins through food, therefore experts recommend they supplement their diet with at least 800 iu (International Units) of vitamin D daily.

"Sour" Can Be Harmful

Think again before adding extra salt and consuming processed food - salt or sodium can extract calcium from bones. Processed food often contains a high content of salt. This, together with coffee, tea, refined sugar and alcohol can cause the body to become excessively "acidous" which leads to a calcium deficiency.

From The Secret Daily Teachings

"Today, be grateful. Be grateful for your favorite music, for movies that make you feel good, for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, and for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think. Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe. Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You!

Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" - Rhonda Byrne - THE SECRET

From The Secret Daily Teachings

"Giving opens up the door to receiving. You have so many opportunities to give every day.

Give kind words. Give a smile. Give appreciation and love. Give compliments. You can give courtesy to other motorists while you are driving. You can give a smile to the car parking attendant. You can give a warm greeting to the newspaper stand person or the person who makes your coffee. You can give by allowing a stranger to go ahead of you into an elevator, and you can give by asking which floor they are going to and pressing the button for them. If someone drops something you can give a helping hand and pick it up for them. You can give warm embraces to those you love. And you can give appreciation and encouragement to everyone.

There are so many opportunities for you to give and thereby open the door to receiving." - Rhonda Byrne THE SECRET

The Therapeutic Benefits of Honey

Honey is a healthy alternative to sugar, it tastes delicious, it is a versatile ingredient in many cuisines and the favourite dish of a certain bear. However, we have almost forgotten about the use of honey in modern medicine.

In ancient times, honey was a valuable therapeutic remedy in Egypt and China. Famous physicians, like Hippocrates and Paracelsus used it to cure their patients. Yet, hardly any medical research has been carried out to prove its healing properties on a scientific basis.

Before the discovery of antibiotics, honey was used to treat wounds and burns. Now, since many bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, honey is having a renaissance in the world of conventional medicine.

It has significant antibacterial properties and aids the healing as well as the cleansing of wounds, so there are no unpleasant smells. Its anti-inflammatory properties can reduce pain, swellings and discharge. Research has shown that honey can reduce scarring, which appears to be due to its positive impact on the production of collagen.

In 2004, a study was carried out with 40 patients suffering from therapy-resistant leg-ulcerations. Previous conventional treatments hadn’t shown any improvements. After honey was applied on the wounds for 12 weeks, the size of the ulcerations as well as the unpleasant smells were reduced significantly, and the patients confirmed that their general well-being had improved.

Another report describes the successful treatment of a patient with a significantly suppressed immune system who suffered from a large wound on one of his legs. The wound was infested with MRSA. With the continuous application of honey, the wound healed completely.

The use of honey in radiotherapy ...

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of malignous tumours. In most cases, the side effects (e.g. inflammations) are serious when the radiotherapy is applied to mucous membranes. In order to find a less damaging approach, a very interesting study has been carried out on a total of 40 patients suffering with malignous head-throat tumours. They were separated into two groups. One group who volunteered for the research was given 20ml honey 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after as well as another 6 hours after the radiotherapy. The other group did not take any honey and was only monitored. Only 20% of the patients from the group taking honey suffered from serious inflammations of the mucous membranes, whereas 75% of the other group was affected. As a result, many patients from the second group (without honey) suffered from significant weight loss because they had difficulty eating, whereas the overall weight proved to be not significantly affected in the “Honey”-group. A different study came to the conclusion that the number of pathogenic (infective) germs in patients undergoing radiotherapy can be reduced significantly with the use of honey.

... and skin conditions

A mixture of honey, olive oil and bees wax (at a ratio 1:1:1) has been successfully tested in studies carried out on patients suffering from diverse skin conditions due to fungal infections, neurodermatitis (eczema) and psoriasis.

You see, the benefits of honey are manifold. In addition to its valuable properties when it comes to healing wounds and protecting mucous membranes, regular use of honey can lower “bad” cholesterol, protect the stomach from alcohol and the dreaded Helicobacter Pylori, and even can help to cure inflammatory intestinal diseases, such as colitis ulcerosa.

Of course, delicious honey is not a miracle cure and it cannot replace the conventional approach to serious illnesses by a doctor. However, enjoying good-quality honey as a valuable supplement to our daily diet and using it to heal nasty wounds might be worth giving a try.

Last but not least – some people are allergic to bees and honey. Also, pure honey should not be given to children under 12 months as there is the danger of “baby botulism”. Pure honey might contain traces of Chlostridium botulinum, a natural toxic bacterium which can be destroyed with heat. A baby’s intestinal flora is not strong enough to defend itself against this bacterium which can cause paralysis of the respiratory muscle system. Baby food and biscuits containing honey do not cause any risks as they have been heated adequately during the manufacturing process.

From The Secret Daily Teachings

"Your life is a learning process - you can only become wiser from learning. Sometimes you might have to attract making a painful mistake to learn something important, but after the mistake you have far greater wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought with money - it can only be acquired through living life. With wisdom comes strength, courage, knowing, and an ever-increasing peace."

Rhonda Byrne - The Secret