How Homeopathy can help with grief and bereavement

This month I have been treating someone suffering from grief and bereavement.

The Problem
A lady had gradually lost several members of her family but the death of her daughter was too much for her to bear. She fell into a deep depression and felt she could hardly carry on.

The Consultation
She came to me for homeopathic treatment and immediately found that having the time and space to tell her whole story was the start of the healing process.

The Treatment
I gave her very strong remedies to tackle the deep roots of despair and within a month she felt significantly lighter. She will need to continue this progress with more remedies but she has begun to make a new life.

The Results
She is going out to socialise again and has noticed that she has been able to reconnect with old friends. Grieving is a long slow process which shouldn't be suppressed but homeopthy can help to make the experience bearable and ultimately transformational.

By Jenny Livingstone M.A.  R.S.Hom.

Jenny Livingstone is a Registered Homeopath with over ten years of experience. Jenny has a special interest in women’s issues, babies and children as well as stress relief, breathing and relaxation. As well as practising homeopathy, Jenny is also a qualified Iyengar yoga teacher with 30 years experience. To contact Jenny, please call 0131 556 8440.

Stroke Rehabilitation with Computer Games!

I recently attended a seminar on Stroke Information and Rehabilitation as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival. There was an amazing turn out of folk from all walks of life, interested in information for themselves, friends, family or patients. There were some intriguing insights from research into the use of 'gaming' such as the Nintendo Wii in upper limb rehabilitation following a stroke. "Computer games?!" I hear you cry! Yes! Apparently these now form a regular part of rehabilitation in centers across the UK.

The thinking behind using computer gaming for rehab is from the new understanding of our brains and how they function and recover. Latest research shows that our brains have the capacity to change (known as neuroplasticity). So when a part is damaged, during a stroke for example, the brain has the capability to re-route connections in order to get all-important messages from the brain to our muscles, senses, organs etc. This 're-routing' requires intensive, repetitive movement and stimulation - so you can perhaps see why computer games might fulfill a niche here!

It is often the inability to achieve a particular movement/activity that drives us to seek help with our body.  When people come for Therapeutic Bodywork, we often discuss movements that are important to the individual, and find ways together to regain a movement that has become painful or restricted. By thinking in new ways we introduce our bodies to new ways of moving thus creating new connections in our brain. This concept inspires me - not only because it is great news for those who are recovering from a stroke - but it also shows the capacity of our brains for change towards more healthy, connected ways of being, moving and living. 

What amazing bodies we have!

Sue Matthews, BSc hons, works from the Centre for Holistic Health providing Therapeutic Bodywork and Reflexology to patients from across Scotland. She is passionate about using the unique motivations of the individual as a basis for their path to health. If you are interested in treatment with Sue, please get in touch on 0131 556 8440.

How Reiki and Massage can help with Overwhelm

Overwhelm and the often associated feelings of helplessness, loneliness and exhaustion can affect anyone. However, there are solutions. Here is how I helped a recent patient to my clinic.

The patient
Female, 40’s – feeling overwhelmed with family issues, including concerns over her elderly Mother.  Feelings of helplessness and loneliness, as, although she has friends and family around, she feels the need to stay/appear strong and can’t open up to anyone, even close relations.  This has resulted in physical tension, emotional exhaustion and energy imbalance.

Therapies used
The client felt the need for safe, comforting and unconditional touch through Massage, which we agreed to combine with Reiki to assist with energy rebalance; the session allowed her to safely and freely release both emotional and physical tension and to talk confidentially around her concerns when these surfaced during the session.

By Douglas Caird - Reiki Practitioner, Holistic and Therapeutic Massage, Hypnotherapy, Reflexology.


How I Work
I offer  individual sessions of each Therapy (Reflexology, Intuitive Therapeutic  Massage, Reiki and Holistic Hypnotherapy) and also encourage, where  appropriate, integrated and intuitive sessions where a combination of  techniques may be adopted and/ or a programme of sessions advised.   My strengths lie in facilitating a state of relaxed awareness where  you can feel safe to recognise and let go of tension and constrictions, and BE YOURSELF.

To book an appointment with Douglas, please call the Centre for Holistic Health on 0131 556 8440.

How Herbs can Help with Menopausal Symptoms

The beauty of herbal medicine is that the mood balancing herbs work really quickly. Here's how herbs relieved one woman's menopausal symptoms.

The Problem
A 52 year old woman presented with a terrible increase in menopausal symptoms.  She had been experiencing mild symptoms for the previous year but suddenly they became more pronounced.  She was having between 10 and 14 flushes a day which were becoming embarrassing at work and had resorted to sleeping in the spare room at home because she was disturbing her husband so much during the night due to night sweats.

Her biggest concern wasn't actually the sweats, but her mood swings.  They were so bad that her husband had urged her to seek help.  She was loosing her temper with her family and friends, but most importantly, had no time at all her her young daughter.

The Consultation
After taking a complete case history and dietary history, I discovered that she had been on the 5:2 diet for five months.  She usually used weight watchers but had decided to give this a go.  This diet is not good for anyone with blood sugar handling problems nor hormonal related problems.  Any level of fasting will completely disrupt hormone function in the body.  We discussed her changing back to the weight watchers program which she was delighted to do because she "hated" and dreaded the two days of fast.

Herbs that helped

I put together a mix of hormone balancing herbs and to help symptomatically until we had addressed the underlying hormonal issues, cooling and drying herbs.  Sometimes it is worth while working symptomatically to give a patient relief in the short term as balancing and supporting organ function can take a longer time.

The beauty of herbal medicine is that the mood balancing herbs work really quickly so I was delighted when I saw her two weeks later that she had responded beautifully.  Whilst she was still experiencing sweats, they were not nearly as extreme, but her mood was dramatically different.  She felt more able to cope, her blood sugar levels were better balanced due to the dietary advice and she generally felt more energised.

Menopausal symptoms by their very nature fluctuate as hormones in the body fluctuate so therefore it is quite normal to have a period of stability for a good few months then for the body to shift a gear and for symptoms to emerge again.  This is why herbal medicine is so successful in working with hormonal issues, because as the body adapts, we adapt the herbal prescription so it's a dynamic, fluid and more natural movement into the "wise woman" years.  I continue to see this lady as we manage her symptoms successfully, and at this moment she is in a good stable position with minimal disruption to her life.


By Jean R Dow B.Sc.(Hons), B.A.(Hons), M.Sc. graduated from the Scottish School of  Herbal Medicine in 2004 and has been practicing in Edinburgh, West Lothian and Glasgow since that time.

Jean works from a vitalistic philosophy and uses herbal medicine in a manner that supports the person’s own innate self healing, self regulating ability.

Jean also works closely with people living with cancer, supporting with herbal medicine and nutrition both during mainstream medical care (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy) and/or after this has finished.  She has completed advanced nutritional qualifications with the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre in Bristol and also runs nutritional workshops teaching about the positive role of food for both the body and the mind with a particular focus on people living with cancer or chronic degenerative disease. To contact Jean, please call 0131 556 8440.

"I love what I do, Herbal Medicine is my passion and I love working with people."
 ~ Jean R Dow

Help for a Sore Shoulder

Life-work balance, or imbalance, can contribute towards physical symptoms such as a sore shoulder. Here's a case relating to a patient who recently visited my clinic and how I was able to help him. 

The Problem

Male, 30’s – initially came for help with a stiff, sore shoulder for which he had also been consulting a physiotherapist. 

Therapies that helped

We worked with Massage combined with Reflexology and Reiki/energy work over several weekly sessions before he went to work abroad for a few months.  This combination of approaches facilitated a gradual freeing-up of the tension, together with an awareness of the potential causes in his life/work balance, on physical and emotional levels, which he felt free and safe to discuss and considered this additional awareness contributed to the effectiveness of the work we did together.

By Douglas Caird - Reiki Practitioner, Holistic and Therapeutic Massage, Hypnotherapy. My interest  in the mental-emotional aspect of physical and energy imbalance, led  me to train in Hypnotherapy in 2003 and further, in 2006.  In 2007,  I undertook training in Hypnosis for Childbirth; and in Past Life and  Reincarnation Therapy.

How I Work
I offer  individual sessions of each Therapy (Reflexology, Intuitive Therapeutic  Massage, Reiki and Holistic Hypnotherapy) and also encourage, where  appropriate, integrated and intuitive sessions where a combination of  techniques may be adopted and/ or a programme of sessions advised.   My strengths lie in facilitating a state of relaxed awareness where  you can feel safe to recognise and let go of tension and constrictions,  and BE YOURSELF. To book an appointment with Douglas, please call the Centre for Holistic Health on 0131 556 8440.

Could you quit sugar for 10 days?

You may want to when you see what sugar is doing to you! The Fed Up Challenge "implicates the excessive intake of refined sugars in the development of many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease." That's in addition to the low mood or mood swings, cravings, joint aches, and weight gain you may already be experiencing.

The problem is, sugar is in almost every processed food, from baked beans to crisps. It's even in healthy foods like most flavoured yogurts and many breakfast cereals. And of course fizzy drinks are full of it.

But I drink diet! you protest.

Diet drinks contain sweeteners such as aspartame, NutraSweet, sucralose or Splenda, acesulfame k, or sugar alcohols such as maltitol, xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol which can impact your blood sugar levels as if you had consumed sugar.

And don't think you're safe with flavoured waters either. Many of them are sweetened with the above mentioned sweeteners!

The best thing you can do is to cut out all fizzy drinks, sugary cakes and sweets and check food labels for hidden sugars.

But beware, sugar often masquerades as:

Agave nectar/syrup Barley malt Beet sugar/grape sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Cane juice crystals/ Cane sugar/juice Carob syrup Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup/sugar Corn sweetener/Corn syrup solids High fructose corn syrup Fructose/Crystalized fructose Date sugar Dextran/dextrose Evaporated cane juice Fruit juice/Fruit juice concentrate Glucose/ Glucose solids Golden sugar/syrup Grape juice concentrate Honey Invert sugar SUGAR in all its Forms Lactose (milk sugar) Malt/maltose Maltodextrin Maple syrup Molasses Raw sugar/sucanat Sorghum syrup Sucrose/Sugar Turbinado sugar.

Phew!

To find out more about the 10 day challenge and what sugar is doing to your body, watch this video below. Then let us know if you are doing the 10 day challenge!



Ready to take the challenge? Then download these tips for success. Good Luck!

Three Tips to Beat Exam Stress

Did You Know?

• Breathing deeply aids the release of endorphins which induces clarity of mind and supports focus. (For an extra endorphin boost, try Reflexology for relaxation during revision in the run-up to exams. Contact Sue at the Centre for Holistic Health for more information.)

• Postural Pain - this can be a major source of discomfort during long hours of revision. When we hold poor postural patterns and combine this with stress, we can quickly develop soft tissue pain and fatigue. Regular movement breaks are key - stretch, wriggle and rotate your limbs to keep blood circulating through your tissues.

• Eye Strain - most of our study now happens for many hours in front of a computer screen. To rest your eyes, cup your eyes with the palms of your hands. This cuts out light stimuli and gives your eye muscles a break, preventing headaches and fatigue.

About Sue Matthews
Sue Matthews, B.Sc. hons Therapeutic Bodywork, N.dip, MICHT, FHT
Sue undertook 3 years of intensive training to become a Bodywork Practitioner (BSc hons in Health Sciences: Therapeutic Bodywork – University of Westminster, London). She is also trained and certified in BodyMassage and Reflexology.

Please get in touch on 0131 556 8440 or email info@centre4holistichealth.co.uk if you have any
questions about how Bodywork can help you. 

Acupressure points for reducing Exam stress

A magic point for improving concentration and relieving fatigue lies between the web of the big toe and the 2^nd toe. It also helps with clarity of thought and focus. Hold onto to this point gently on both the feet for 2 minutes. Repeat this 3 times every day for the best results. It is also valuable for treating exhaustion, headaches and eye problems.

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!
 

Identifying Exam Stress

1. Do you have a hard time getting started studying for a test?
   
2. When studying for a test, do you find you get easily distracted or feel like the class or materials are boring?
3. Do you expect to do poorly on a test no matter how much you study?
4. During tests, do you often experience physical discomfort such as sweaty palms, upset stomach, headache, difficulty breathing or tension in your muscles?
5. Is it often difficult for you to understand test directions and questions?
6. Do you frequently have mental blocks during tests on material you’re sure you’ve studied and learned?
7. After taking tests, do you often discover you completely overlooked one or more test questions?

If this sounds like you, we have a great way to help you reduce your exam anxiety...READ MORE...

 

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health. "I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle,” Charmaine Shepherd.

Overcoming Exam Anxiety?

Most students are probably familiar with exam anxiety – a feeling of unease or butterflies before exams.  For some however, fear can overwhelm leading to lack of concentration which can affect not only academic performance but also self esteem and health.

If you are one of those suffering from exam anxiety, you are not alone. More than 26% of University students are handicapped by exam anxiety often or most of the time.

The anxiety can be rooted in a variety of fears including: fear of failure, lack of self-confidence, fear of blanking out during exams and many more. The resulting emotions can lead to the student feeling overwhelmed, which uses up the mental energy and makes it difficult to perform optimally.

Identifying Exam Anxiety

Take a few minutes with this simple Asset/Deficit Balance Sheet (from HeartMath.com) to track your emotions and thoughts to see where you’re spending your energy.

1. Do you have a hard time getting started studying for a test?
2. When studying for a test, do you find you get easily distracted or feel like the class or materials are boring?
3. Do you expect to do poorly on a test no matter how much you study?
4. During tests, do you often experience physical discomfort such as sweaty palms, upset stomach, headache, difficulty breathing or tension in your muscles?
5. Is it often difficult for you to understand test directions and questions?
6. Do you frequently have mental blocks during tests on material you’re sure you’ve studied and learned?
7. After taking tests, do you often discover you completely overlooked one or more test questions?

If you experience any of the above, it may be useful to spend a few minutes getting the brain into a coherent state before studying and before and during exams.

A very simple technique from HeartMath can often help: Go to Neutral: The next time you feel anxiousness or dread before a exam, or if you’re "totally stressed out" about it, do this simple exercise adapted from the HeartMath Go to Neutral Tool.

• Timeout: Take a timeout to disengage from your stressful thoughts and feelings. Actually say to yourself, "timeout," then step back.
• Heart-Focus: Shift your focus to the area around your heart in the center of your chest and feel your breath coming in through your heart and going out through your solar plexus, right below your heart.
• Heart Breathing: Breathe slowly and gently, in and out – four or five seconds in, four or five seconds out. Remain in this neutral zone until your emotions ease and your perceptions relax.

If exam stress is causing excessive anxiety, find a Heartmath Coherence practitioner that can teach you techniques that will help improve performance.

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health. "I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle,” Charmaine Shepherd.

How Herbs Can Help With Exam Stress

May is here and exams are right around the corner for many students. My patient today was a young 17 year old girl who attended the herbal clinic at the Centre for Holistic Health with her mum after starting to experience extreme anxiety and panic attacks brought on by exam stress.

The problem

She had firstly just experienced a "nervous tummy" which made her feel slightly sick and had made eating difficult.  Over a three week period this has massively accelerated to the point that she was barely keeping any food down, could not be left alone at any time, was only sleeping about three hours a night and having to go into her mums bedroom to get any sleep.  She was very weak and light headed and was having constant palpitations.

Obviously she could not focus on her studying and had fallen behind which was making the anxiety even worse.  Her GP had wanted to prescribe betablockers but both the girl and her mum were very unhappy with this.

The consultation

At the initial consultation we went through a thorough medical history and talked extensively about methods to help her help herself, including breathing exercises, a guided meditation to help her sleep, positive affirmations and definite actions and goal settings with relation to her studies and to keeping things in perspective.

Herbs that helped

I also prescribed a mix of seven different herbs to help nourish her nervous system, calm her mind and support the organs that support her. I also included herbs that switch down the "fight flight" response which was causing her inability to eat and included herbs that increased her ability to focus and concentrate, traditionally called "scholars herbs".

The results

Both she and her mother  returned three weeks later to discuss progress.  Her mother was absolutely delighted, her appetite was back.  Over the first week of taking herbs the nausea reduced and gradually her appetite returned.   She was now eating pretty normally but could still feel a bit sick if studying.  She had been able to rationalise her feelings and distance herself a little from the foreboding feeling that she was experiencing and talk herself out of have anxiety state.  She was faithfully repeating her affirmation which was keeping her focussed on the positive rather than the negative.  The herbs had reduced the anxiety to around 40% of the previous fortnight! and although still there was becoming more manageable.  She was no longer sleeping in her mums room.

I've seen her twice since then and things have continued to improve. She has sat her first higher exam and will be finished the other two by next week.  Although nervous, it is a healthy nervousness and she intends to continue the herbal medicine until these exams are over.  Her mothers comment was that she was delighted to have her happy go lucky, bright and enthusiastic daughter back.


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Jean R Dow B.Sc.(Hons), B.A.(Hons), M.Sc. graduated from the Scottish School of  Herbal Medicine in 2004 and has been practicing in Edinburgh, West Lothian and Glasgow since that time.

Jean works from a vitalistic philosophy and uses herbal medicine in a manner that supports the person’s own innate self healing, self regulating ability.

Jean also works closely with people living with cancer, supporting with herbal medicine and nutrition both during mainstream medical care (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy) and/or after this has finished.  She has completed advanced nutritional qualifications with the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre in Bristol and also runs nutritional workshops teaching about the positive role of food for both the body and the mind with a particular focus on people living with cancer or chronic degenerative disease. To contact Jean, please call 0131 556 8440.

"I love what I do, Herbal Medicine is my passion and I love working with people."
 ~ Jean R Dow