The Risk of "Light" Products

Switching from soft drinks containing sugar to drinks sweetened with aspartame can be a bad choice, especially for diabetes sufferers. The brain cannot differentiate between sugar and artificial sweeteners, and therefore activates the same mechanisms: increasing the blood sugar level, thereby causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin. The more "light" soft drinks we consume, the more insulin will be secreted. This can eventually lead to disaster. i.e. insulin resistance and ultimately to diabetes type II. What is worrying is that "light" drinks appear to be even more unhealthy than drinks containing sugar, as a recently published study by the French research institute for medicine INSERM reveals. The medical history data of more than 66,000 women were analysed by the scientists, with regard to their dietary habits. The result: The risk of developling diabetes in women who consumed half a litre of "light" soft drinks per week was increased by 15 per cent. In those who drank one and a half litres per week, the rate of increase was a whopping 59 per cent!

Simply Smile Away Stress

"Turn a smile into an exercise. Breathe in  and simply smile - your tension will disappear and you will feel considerably better," is the recommendation of Thich Nhat Hanh, the famous Vietnamese monk and life coach. A recent study carried out by psychologists confirms that his "mouth yoga" can indeed help to keep your calm in stress situations. "Tensing certain muscles to form a smile can be sufficient to lower the heart rate during and after a short-term stress situation," says Dr. N. Smetak, national chairman of registered cardiologists in Germany. His advice: Give it a try when you are caught in a traffic jam next time :)
(BIO magazine no. 1/2013)

"To Be Strong And Weak"

"To be strong and weak,
both need space,
both belong to you.

Who chooses to be only strong
will never experience
how uplifting it is
to be comforted by the closeness
of a friend,
to be held by reliable words.

Who chooses to be only weak
will never experience
how invigorating it is
to be carried by their own feet,
to find trust
in their own strength."

(A.S. Naegli - You Are Not Alone)

A New Mother's Testimonial

"I first heard of Monika Becker from my friend who had previously gone to Monika for the same reason; to help us get pregnant and keep the baby full term.  My first, a son was conceived the very first month we started trying to get pregnant, had a wonderful pregnancy and labour was perfect.  However, when I wanted to started trying for the second baby, about a year and a half later, it was a different story.  It took three years and three miscarriages (I would lose the baby in the 9^th or 10^th week), with lots of emotional, physical and marital stress, pain and difficulty.  That is why through speaking with my friend after my second miscarriage that she recommended me to Monika Becker. 

I went to Monika soon after my second miscarriage in the beginning of 2011.  I was going once a week for an hour for about three months when I got pregnant.  I could not believe it happened so fast.  I prepared myself for it taking up to six months before I fell pregnant again.  Now the challenge was to keep the baby.  So until I reached the first trimester, every day and every week was journey of waiting, hoping, praying, trying to relax, thinking positive and coming to Monika for an hour of pure relaxation, luxury, pampering, and therapy (she is a great listener).   So while I got acupuncture I was also getting my feet massaged – reflexology, which made you forget completely about the needles she has just poked your body with, which must make you look like a pin cushion.  Plus she has soft relaxing music and incense going on in the background all setting the atmosphere of complete and utter peace, relaxation, harmony, rest and tranquillity. 

I continued going to Monika up to about the 20th week, once I was quite sure this baby was here to stay.  I did return to see her at 34 weeks and 36 weeks, because my baby was breached I was hoping Monika could do something to help her move head down and of course engage.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  A planned caesarean was scheduled for me on Tuesday, 20 March.  However, my waters broke the night before and I had to have an emergency caesarean at the John Radcliffe Hospital.  My baby girl, Athena Conception, entered the world on Monday, 19^th March.  She is now 10 months, a beautiful, smiley, happy, strong, energetic and noisy baby girl.  We are all looking forward to her 1^st birthday, especially her big brother who adores her.  Thank you Monika for helping me achieve one of my life’s dream; to have at least two happy and healthy children – one boy and one girl. 

I am going to take Athena to see Monika, because since she was breach when born Athena’s ball and socket has not developed properly.  In the future, I will continue to seek Monika’s treatments for I truly believe in her; besides the fact that she is kind, gentle, companionate, and a lovely lady."

Thank you, lovely D. XXX

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...