Natural Health

Dr Andrew Taylor Still, an American doctor based in Missouri, founded osteopathy in the 1870s. A doctor’s son, he trained at medical school then went into a rural practice where he noticed how his patients’ state of health seemed to relate to the way they used their bodies. He developed the theory that if the structure of the body is properly adjusted, then it is likely to function healthily and be able to heal itself. He observed that things such as bad posture, injuries and psychological stresses, such as anger and depression, put strain on the muscles and bones. Read the rest of this entry »

Bad Breath

Bad breath can result from gum disease, tooth decay, blocked sinuses, a throat infection, illness, digestive disorders, or fasting.

Often, however, it is caused by food debris stuck between teeth, by the build-up of plaque or by particularly smelly foods, alcohol or tobacco.

Good dental hygiene and minor changes to your eating and drinking habits are often enough to correct the problem. Read the rest of this entry »

Backache

An estimated 80% of us suffer from backache at some time during our life. For some it causes niggling pain, for others it results in major disability. There are numerous types and causes of backache. Most back pain is caused by a mechanical problem in the muscles and ligaments, but there may also be a problem with the joints of the spine, the spinal discs, or the internal organs. Injury, poor posture, pregnancy, excess weight, tension and infection can all contribute to backache. Although there are many ways to ease the pain at home, any unexplained recurring or persistent pain should be investigated by a doctor. Read the rest of this entry »

Think about how you feel when you’re watching a really scary film. You’re tense, your jaw and fists are clenched, your heart is racing, you’re sweating and your mouth is dry. Your body is reacting physically to what you see and hear, and although you are not in any danger the power of your imagination is so strong that your body is tricked into believing that it is.

But now think about how you might feel if you were watching a film on dolphins. You are much more likely to feel relaxed, happy and contented. So the messages we receive exert an effect on our state of mind. In the same way, if you continually tell yourself you are no good at something, it is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. All these examples demonstrate the power of the mind. Read the rest of this entry »

Acupressure is similar to shiatsu in that it involves applying pressure to key points on the body’s energy system. It is based on the same theory of traditional Chinese medicine as acupuncture, which claims good health is maintained by regulating the flow of energy through invisible channels in the body called meridians.

Practitioners use mostly fingers and thumbs to apply pressure to the same points used by acupuncturists. Often acupressure is not practiced as a separate discipline, but is used to complement acupuncture or incorporated into traditional Chinese massage, which is called tuina. Acupuncturists may also teach patients some acupressure techniques to use at home. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have ever rubbed and pressed a sore spot on your body, you have performed a type of shiatsu. Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy, whose name literally means ‘finger pressure’. In practice therapists use their fingers, thumbs, palms, elbows, arms, knees and feet to apply pressure to hundreds of pressure points called tsubos. Working on these points is believed to influence the body’s flow of energy along invisible channels called meridians. Although a relatively modern therapy, shiatsu is based on an ancient oriental type of massage called ‘amma’, which involved rubbing and pressing on the body to treat common physical and emotional problems. Modern practitioners combine traditional oriental body­work techniques with a knowledge of physiology and anatomy gleaned from Western medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Although feng shui was first used as a way of divining the right sites for the family tomb, the Chinese soon spotted its potential for helping them design homes, communities and even cities.

But what on earth does the way you decorate and arrange your house have to do with your health and wellbeing? Read the rest of this entry »