I don't have a problem with my digestion

Just because you don't have any obvious digestive symptoms does not mean digestion is a ok.

One startling statistic that highlights this point, is that 1 in 8 people who are diagnosed with Celiac disease do not have any digestive symptoms. In my practice I would also apply this to people who are non-celiac gluten sensitive. These people just like the celiacs can have a plethora of non-digestive symptoms such as:

• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Autoimmune Disease
• Brain Fog
• Canker Sores
• Cold Intolerance
• Depression
• Dry Skin
• Joint Pain
• Menstrual problems
• Neck and Back Pain
• Tiredness

However despite the lack their lack of digestive symptoms I know that gluten is giving their digestive tract all number of issues including:

• Intestinal Permeability or Leaky Gut
• Intestinal Dysbiosis or Bacterial Imbalance
• Poor nutritional absorption

And it does not stop there..

You may not be aware that upto 85% of your immune system can be found in your small intestine. If that is the case then if you have any problem with your health then there is a very high probability that your digestion is in trouble.

And is not only gluten that is giving your digestion the run around...

There are many other factors that can be effecting your digestion including:

• Chlorine
• Foods which cross react with gluten
• Genetically modified Foods
• Molds
• Pesticides
• Prescription medication

All these factors could be silently damaging your gut and immune system.

Finally

I hope you found these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.

Coffee tastes good but what does your body think

A chiropractor friend of mine referred me a client who she had been treating for chronic long term neck pain. Her symptoms had improved considerably since her initial visit over a year ago however she required regular maintenance treatments every 2 weeks to keep her symptoms at a manageable level.

Where new clients have been receiving physical treatment already I am more inclined to look for other underlying reasons for clients pain issues. Chiropractic care is very effective but once you stop having regular adjustments the problem soon re-emerges.

One of the standard assessments I do with any new client is to test their individual muscles. I can then see which ones are not working as well as they should be. This does not mean they are weak and you need to get the client to work on those muscles. These muscles lack stamina or they give way quickly when tested. As an Applied Kinesiologist, I am able to isolate individual muscles to test their function.

 In Applied Kinesiology, each muscle is associated with different organs, nutrition, meridians and spinal levels. They are are also prone to effects of different food intolerances. Clients with neck pain often have weak Sternocleidomastoid muscles (found in the front of your neck). These muscles, in my experience, are particularly prone to the effects of caffeine in coffee by reducing it's function or stamina. When this occurs other muscles in the neck have to compensate and eventually they become tired themselves and go into spasm.

During her initial consultation, the client mentioned that she regularly drank 4 cups of coffee per day,

which immediately caught my attention. During her examination, I tested to see if her body's muscle's reacted to coffee by getting her to hold a vial containing caffeine and seeing if one of her shoulder muscles (which was strong on initial testing) weakened to testing. It did, and so this was a good indication to myself and the client that caffeine may be playing a role in her neck issues.

At the end of the consultation I advised the client that to get lasting resolution of her neck pain she needed to cut out coffee. This is no easy ask for most clients but this lady was keen to find a solution to he longstanding and somewhat debilitating neck pain. She totally cut out all coffee and promptly suffered with a headache over the next four days. This was a normal withdrawal symptom of caffeine. The headache disappeared and by the time she came for her follow up treatment the following week her neck pain was 90% better. Within 3 weeks, the pain had disappeared. As well as suffering from neck pain she had also mentioned she was often constipated, her energy was low, she was sleeping better, and her lower back and knees were no longer sore.

What do osteopaths treat?

Osteopaths are generally known to treat musculoskeletal pain conditions such as:

• headaches
• neck pain
• back pain
• hip pain
• knee pain
• ankle and foot pain
• General muscle pain such as Fibromyalgia
• Joint problems caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

As well as musculoskeltal pain osteopaths also can help with physiological conditions such as:

• Digestive issues such as Coeliac Disease, Crohns, heartburn, indigestion, IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome), Ulcerative colitis.
• Menstruation and menopausal symptoms.
• Respiratory conditions such as asthma, recurrent sinus and throat infections.
• Skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema.

Osteopaths also use a technique called Cranial Osteopathy, which is similar to craniosacral therapy, that is excellent for babies and children. Conditions that can be helped include:

• Croup
• Digestive issues
• Feeding problems
• Hyperactivity
• Trauma from long birth/labour

These are just a few of the many conditions osteopaths treat.