Bulletins

Older people often say they have trouble sleeping, and approximately 50% reporting sleep disturbance or have insomnia. Commonly two main difficulties are stated: falling asleep at the start of the night, waking up too early and finding it impossible to get back to sleep. Occasionally, medical conditions exacerbate sleep difficulties. However, many people find that even without any physical symptoms, sleep still eludes them for parts of the night. A lack of good quality sleep not only impacts on our sense of well-being but also affects our immune system, causes daytime sleepiness and increases our risk of accidents. While [...]

The number of vegans in the UK has risen dramatically, quadrupling* in the last 5 years and many others are adopting a largely meat-free diet. This sudden growth hasn’t come out of nowhere and is part of a steady progression towards a less animal-reliant regime. The transition to becoming a vegan can be challenging, and we often feel very restricted when we stop the consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs. We tend to fall back on the foods that we know and find convenient. BUT unfortunately, you can be vegan and still have a very poor diet. Your diet [...]

A study by Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry recently found that exercising outdoors can provide more mental health benefits than indoor exercise. The study was based on results of indoor and outdoor exercise trials. It did find that the wellbeing outcomes of both types of exercise showed an improvement. However, on average, the following benefits were reportedly even stronger after exercising outdoors than they were after indoor activities: Revitalisation, Increased energy, Positive engagement, Enjoyment and satisfaction. Similarly, it seems exercising outdoors decreased the following sensations even further than indoor exercise did: Tension, Confusion, Anger, Depression. The evidence suggests [...]

A healthy meal suggestion from our family nutritionalist, Sophie Crosswaite. I discovered this recipe recently and realised it was a winner because it includes everything my rather fussy 8 year-old loves: cucumber; edamame beans; noodles and salmon. It is a great nutritious back to school recipe and it is really quick and easy to make. As a nutritionist I feel I’m always telling people to eat more oily fish because of it’s many health benefits. It is needed for heart health, brain function and bone health and is therefore really beneficial for children who need to concentrate at school [...]

The concept of eating seasonally is actually really simple. It involves eating foods that are grown at the same time as you want, or need, to eat them. As most fruits and vegetables are being grown somewhere in the world at any one time, eating seasonally more specifically, concerns eating produce that’s being grown right now – locally. One of the biggest advantages is the health benefits that eating seasonally can bring but the taste is so much better too which has huge bonuses for your diet. Seasonal, local eating, includes eating fresh fruits and vegetables that haven't been processed [...]

We often hear it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and trying to put a healthy cereal in front of our children is something we invest our time and energy into achieving. But how easy is it to put a healthy (and appealing) breakfast in front of our children or even ourselves? Breakfast cereal manufacturers were called to action after a survey by Which! in 2009, that found there were excessive levels of sugar in the cereals marketed specifically towards children. Fast forward a decade and we find ourselves still having to decipher what [...]

Lactation consultants around the world have been extensively studying the process of muscle movement, (biomechanics) used during sucking, in babies from birth through to weaning. Lactation consultants are trained to assess difficulties, correct positioning, provide emotional support to the mothers, and help babies express their ‘behavioural sequence’ leading to breastfeeding from birth. These professionals however, often feel helpless when the sucking motion continues to produce difficulties in infants despite their advice being given and followed. Osteopathy has been used to help babies improve their sucking technique. In practice the approach appears to be promising and has led to a [...]

Courtesey of our nutritional therapist, Sophie Crosswaite. This is a recipe that I’ve adapted from one my Mum used to make as soon as it was warm enough to get the BBQ out. It is now a firm favourite with my three girls and a great summer recipe for getting the whole family round the table. This is especially crucial right now with my eldest revising hard for GCSEs. In fact as I’ve just read today, a study by the university of Michigan has concluded that the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores is frequency of and duration [...]

As the wonder of Spring starts to emerge with blossoms and seeds creating a new cycle of life with re-awakenings and renewals abounding among the Flora and Fauna, for some individuals it can be the beginning of torment and suffering. This is commonly known as Hay Fever Season. Homeopathy has many remedies that can help a sufferer, either by lessening the attacks or decreasing the intensity. The best time to tackle hay fever for a Homeopath is outside the hay fever season. But mostly people come to homeopathy when an attack starts and the over the counter medications have ceased [...]

One of the most frequent complaints during pregnancy is lower back pains and up to 80% of women will at some point in their pregnancy experience back problems. During a pregnancy in a healthy woman, the overall body weight gain and posture changes are clear to see. However, other subtle changes such as the softening of ligaments and internal pressures of a growing baby also add stress to the mother's joints, pelvis and spine. These combined factors can result in insomnia, swelling, high blood pressure, exhaustion as well as more severe conditions such as sciatica and pelvic girdle pains.Pain is [...]