Positive Health Online

Saffron - The New Turmeric!

Mental Health is an ever-present problem within today’s society. We are yet to shift its lingering taboo and many sufferers are still without a diagnosis of their condition, let alone an effective solution. Anti-depressant drugs such as SSRIs have been revolutionary for some, however for others such drugs come with intolerable side effects and so an alternative solution is desperately needed.

 

 

Saffron (Crocus Sativus) has been widely used for thousands of years as a medicinal plant to treat an extensive collection of health conditions. These range from cardiovascular disorders to memory and learning difficulties. Remarkably, it has taken until 2018 for the first double blind placebo controlled trial to be performed in teenagers. The results of the study were exciting showing statistically significant self-reported improvements from the teenagers when using the Saffron.

This research comes at a pivotal time where reported rates of teenage depression are higher than ever. The World Health Organisation reported that between 15-20% of people experience anxiety or have a depressive disorder before they reach the age of 18. Trying to reduce the prevalence of these disorders in teenagers is a public health issue of paramount importance as having depressive symptoms during these formative years is associated with psychiatric illness in adulthood. Depression is also a deeply personal issue and it is likely that either ourselves or people close to us will suffer at some point in our lifetime.

Saffron is an excellent natural source of support, with its effectiveness in teenagers supported by a published clinical trial. It also has the added bonus of being without unfavourable side effects. The current research points to Saffron achieving these results by increasing glutamate and dopamine levels in the brain. Increased levels of these hormones are well known to improve symptoms for people struggling with depression. Notably there is a higher incidence of depression in people who suffer from celiac disease when compared to the general population. Saffron is also an anti-inflammatory and so for celiacs there is a potential dual benefit of Saffron supplementation. Saffron can now be used as a safe, effective, non-addictive, natural, evidence based approach for mood balance and anxiety in both children and adults.

Saffrosun is The Naked Pharmacy’s Saffron supplement. It is fortified with key Vitamins B6, B12 and D3 that all impact positively on energy levels and vitality. Saffrosun and Saffrosun for Children can be purchased from all good independent pharmacies and health stores or directly from The Naked Pharmacy website. International parcels are shipped using Royal Mail’s international service.

Further Information

Please call the Naked Pharmacy on +44 (0)1483 685630; Order via the website www.thenakedpharmacy.com

 

 

Intake Governs Health

There are 5 factors which govern our health: Intake (what goes into the body), Output (what comes out of the body), Movement of, and within the body, Mind (thoughts and feelings and their influence over the body chemically and through frequencies) and Genes. In this short piece I am going to talk about Intake - there are five routes of Intake:

• What we eat.
• What we drink.
• What we breathe.
• What goes in through our skin.
• What frequencies/radiations/non-physical things go in and through our body.

The things that we take in in are either good us or bad for us. Nothing is harmless! It may be that an extremely small quantity of a substance goes in and does not cause any harm because it is such a small quantity; as long as we are able to eliminate it via our Output, no problem. However, if it is a substance that we have difficulty eliminating, either through poor Output or because the substance is inherently difficult to excrete, then we have a problem!

For example, aluminium is the most abundant metal on our planet; we encounter it frequently in our daily lives: aluminium foil (sweet wrapping, cooking and cooking implements), car engines, some OTC medicines contain aluminium hydroxide, aluminium is a very common adjuvant in vaccines, almost all deodorant/anti-perspirants contain aluminium - in fact aluminium is the antiperspirant factor and it achieves this by, literally, plugging up the sweat pores. Aluminium is a very brittle metal - small particles break off very easily. Anyone who has used an aluminium saucepan for some years will notice that the saucepan becomes very thin – years of stirring with metal cooking implements causes small particles to break off and mix with food that is being cooked. The saucepan becomes thinner. These particles are very small, can’t be seen and are unnoticed and are….. swallowed! The particles of aluminium in deodorants are also very small - they plug up the sweat pores and enter the body. Aluminium that we Intake through our digestive system is fairly inert (but not totally inert!) and most of it will simply be excreted in our normal excretory functions. However that which enters our body through some other route (sweat pores, injected, inhaled, etc.) is much more problematic. This exposure is almost impossible to excrete. In my practice I frequently find some measure of aluminium as a toxic factor in my patients. In this way it contributes to the Total Toxic Body Burden and it is the TTBB, ultimately, which makes us ill.

Aluminium is one of thousands of toxic substances to which we are exposed on a daily basis – others include and are not limited to: food colourings/preservatives, fumes from paint/petrol/chemical air fresheners/industrial gases/domestic cleaning products, cosmetics (the skin is NOT an impermeable membrane) etc.  etc. ad nauseam. Our ability to excrete these toxic products is largely unknown; if we want to remain healthy or recover our health we need to look very carefully at our exposure. To achieve minimum exposure:

• Do not eat or drink it unless you know exactly what is in that food or drink;
• Do not breathe anything other than the cleanest air that you can manage;
• Do not put it on your skin unless you would be prepared to eat or drink it;
• Do not expose yourself to any unnecessary radiations/frequencies.

If you take the above steps you will hang onto good health or if your health is already less than perfect, things will improve.

Further Information

Stephen MacAllan may be contacted on Tel: 01270 650336; Fax: 07985 585718; stephen@stephenmacallan.co.uk    www.stephenmacallan.co.uk

 

 

Cyber Crime - Can you Afford not to be Covered?

Did you know, that 46% of UK businesses identified at least one cyber security breach or attack in the last year?*

Since most businesses in the UK now use the internet and technology as an integral part of their day-to-day lives, we have become ever more reliant on IT systems. This increases the vulnerability of each business to electronic security threats. It’s clear that in this ever-evolving century, you need to do everything in your power to protect your business from cybercrime.

What do the Threats Look Like?

• Funds transfer fraud - loss from unauthorised electronic funds transfers because of phishing, vishing or any other social engineering attack that results in the transfer of the funds to an unintended third party;
• Malware theft – the opening of attachments from hackers that automatically installs suspicious software which can allow access to crucial data;
• Telephone hacking - fraudsters crack the password to a phone network and programme the telephone system to repeatedly make calls to a premium rate number;
• Ransomware – companies are ordered to pay in the event a threat is made to prevent access to systems, introduce a virus to systems, or reveal confidential information.

Then of course there are the implications that exposure to these risks can cause such as business interruption, income loss, damage management and repair, and the possibility of reputational damage if IT equipment or systems fail or are interrupted.

GDPR and your Responsibilities

Another rising case of cybercrime, is a data breach. With GDPR now in full force, clients’ personal data is something that every business should be safeguarding.

EXAMPLE: An unencrypted memory stick was stolen along with the owner’s handbag from a public place. It contained personal and sensitive data of their employees including home addresses and bank details. A fine was levied by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and significant costs were incurred.

In this scenario, the insurance policy in place allowed the firm to engage expert data risks or protection lawyers, liaise with the ICO and inform affected employees.

How Vulnerable are You?

If your business holds sensitive customer details, relies on IT and websites to conduct business or regularly processes payment card information, you should be thinking about how robust your data security measures are.

If you think that you could benefit from having more protection around your business, it’s a good idea to consider taking out Cyber & Data insurance, which covers losses relating to damage to or loss of information from, IT systems and networks.

Further Information

If you want to find out more and how Towergate can help you find the right cover for your business, you can call our team on Tel: 01438 735 251 or e-mail caredivision@towergate.co.uk; we will arrange a call with you to discuss your needs further.

Notes

* https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2017   

 

 

Whole Body Vibration Training (WBV) for the Middle-Aged to Elderly

Whole Body Vibration Training (WBV) – aka “Acceleration Training”– enhances the effects of exercise by increasing the efficiency of your workout. The high-profile WBV machines seen in gyms are bulky and expensive. The FlexxiCore Challenger was developed with home users in mind. Its versatility as a tool for exercising, strengthening and toning the whole body was recently tested. A group spanning various fitness levels,  with no previous experience of the product, observed the effects of regular use (at least 3 times a week for 60 days). Twenty three of the 42 participants (aged 39-85; average age: 58) were practitioners in the medical, healthcare and fitness sectors.

Weight Loss and Reduction in Waist, Hip and Thigh Measurements

Within just 60 days more than 50% of participants experienced more than weight loss of 5lb or more, and/or more than a 1-inch reduction in waist, hip and/or thigh measurements. One comment from an active British Horse Society Instructor specialising in Rider Biodynamics reveals something about the quality of the weight loss that can be achieved with use of the Challenger:

 “Have previously struggled to maintain 116 lbs. Now 110 or less. If I have previously got down to 112, weight went from face and I looked gaunt; [now, with Challenger] face is good, fat thighs gone! Have lost cellulite - very exciting - been trying to get rid of them all my adult life!" - Mary Wanless, author of the “Ride with Your Mind” books. 

Broad Range of Physical, Mental & Emotional Benefits were Observed  

Ten categories of physical benefits were observed by at least 10 people, and another 4 by at least 6 people. Here are just 3 examples of trial participants’ comments (for many more see the full report at www.FlexxiCore.com):

• As an example in the “Energy and Stamina” category (noted by 16 people), this 55 year-old male Pilates Instructor saw a significant boost to energy and stamina: “More energy - better sleep, lower stress level throughout the day, less tired in the early afternoon” - Reinhard von Hardenberg, Holland Park Pilates
• A striking illustration of the deep-seated responses of the body to the forces generated by the Challenger is the spontaneous changes in posture that occur (noted by 13 people). This showed up after just 5 sessions for this 46-year old female: “I feel when I am walking that I am using my right [leg] more symmetrically with my left leg.  In about 7 years of trying, I have never been able to achieve this before with other exercise – my strength has [also] improved.” KT, Rhythmical Movement Training Practitioner        
• Improvements in overall fitness and performance in other activities were reported by 16 people. This 60-year old male reported “major benefits in releasing tension in the hamstrings; and in match performance and recovery.” M Hall, Squash & Golf Coach

Further Information

For information about the opportunity to trial the FlexxiCore Challenger for 60 days without obligation, call Tel: 08456 120129 or visit www.FlexxiCore.com

 

 

3 Amazing Stories of Royal Jelly Elixir

Jet Lag

Whether you're going on business trips or holidays, Jet Lag can be a real problem on your return.  Royal Jelly with its vitality and energy giving properties can help to elevate the symptoms of Jet Lag, so you can get on with your day and ease back into the English time zone. Royal Jelly has been found to contain B Complex for energy and trace elements of iron, known to assist with energy release.

When I came back from a trip from the States, I normally suffer badly from Jet Lag, which I can still feel the effects up to 3 weeks later.  By taking the Royal Jelly Elixir this time, I noticed the Jet Lag only lasted just over a week and half, I had more energy to carry on throughout the day and didn’t feel so disorientated.

Hair Loss

My friend called me up just over 2 months ago (June 2018), saying her hair was failing out and nothing seem to be able to stop this from happening.  She was also stressed out and even more stressed because her hair was falling out.  I sent her a bottle of Royal Jelly Elixir in the post and told her to take 1 teaspoon a day for the next 6 weeks and see how she goes. Royal Jelly contains B Complex (which assists with stress and hair growth), Vitamin E, & C, Zinc, Silica and Phosphorus.  All known for assisting with hair growth.  By the end of the 5th week, she told me her hair wasn’t falling out at the same rate and had slowed down considerable and ordered another bottle to be sent to her.

My own hair has improved since I have been taking the Royal Jelly Elixir as the thickness of my hair has improved as well as the length.  It would never grow beyond my shoulders, now it’s about 4 inches past my shoulders and growing strong.

Broken Ankle

Recently I was running down some steps at the local train station (May 2018) and fell down the last step.  My ankle turned underneath me, and I heard a loud crack.  I knew I had broken my ankle and had to go to hospital where it was confirmed I had fractured my ankle.

Royal Jelly contains vitamin and mineral properties known to assist bone to heal.  Now into my seventh week, my ankle is healing very well.  Bone healing needs Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Silica, B6, Copper and Zinc all known to be contained in Royal Jelly.  Bone takes several months to really grow strong and I will continue with the Royal Jelly as well as bone healing foods.

Further Information

Please contact The Royal Jelly Company via info@theroyaljellycompany.co.uk  www.theroyaljellycompany.co.uk

 

 

Study Ayurveda Most Ancient System of Medicine at The College of Ayurveda (UK)

The College of Ayurveda (UK) was established in 1997 under the aegis of the department of AYUSH, New Delhi. Based on the advice of the department of AYUSH, New Delhi under the leadership of Dr Mauroof M Athique, the college offers the most comprehensive curriculum in the field of Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga Therapy in the United Kingdom. Registered as an educational institute at Companies House in 2000 the College developed a collaborative partnership with Middlesex University offering Ayurvedic practitioner-level programmes.

Ayurveda is the most ancient system of medicine known to mankind. It emerged from the Vedic wisdom expounded by the ancient seers of the culture that arose in the Himalayan foothills. It is a science based healthcare approach which promotes wellbeing and treats illness through assessment of the biochemically unique aspects of each patient and individually tailored interventions to restore psychological and physiological imbalances.

As the premier educator of those seeking to make a difference through a career restoring the natural balance of body, mind and spirit, the college has, since its inception pursued its mission of bringing the wisdom of Ayurveda to the West. The college is accredited by the British Complimentary Medicines Association (BCMA) and is also pioneering Ayurvedic education in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Croatia and Japan.

The College pioneers an innovative blended-learning programme of e-learning via the internet and classroom-based tutorials which enables students to learn Ayurveda at a distance whilst receiving credits and enjoying an experience similar to full time education without sacrificing quality There is a one to one relationship with a tutor who guides the student’s education; this helps ensure that completion rates are very high.

Each year’s programme is complete in itself and enables the successful student engage in practice. Awards are as follows: After year one - Certificate of Ayurvedic Massage. Year two – Certificate in Ayurvedic Nutrition and Lifestyle Counselling. Year three – Diploma in Ayurvedic Healthcare (including Yoga and Pancakarma) Year four – Diploma in Higher Education (Ayurvedic Medicine). The complete four year programme includes a 1000 hours of practical/clinical experience, a major part of which is completed in India.

The college recognises that there are many who wish to learn about Ayurveda and how to maintain health and wellbeing without looking to gain any formal qualifications. To this end new weekend courses have been created focussing on particular lifestyles and/or careers. The first of these - ‘Ayurveda for the voice’, designed for singers, speakers and others who use their voice extensively in whatever field will be in Central London on October 20/21.

Further Information

For further details please contact College of Ayurveda UK on Tel: +44 (0)1908 664518; ioneashmore@ayurvedacollege.org       www.ayurvedacollege.org

https://ayurvedacollege.org/s/COA_Prospectus-2017.pdf

 

 

Breaze -  Natural 24-Hour Hay Fever Cover - Essential Oils with Antihistamine Properties

A new natural therapy range - Breaze - has been launched that offers round the clock cover to ease the itchy and stuffy nose associated with hay fever and allergic rhinitis. Breaze is powered by a blend of essential oils known for their antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties. Designed for use alongside conventional hay fever or allergy medicines, Breaze provides extra comfort to people with seasonal allergies when pollen and dust is problematic.

Developed by founder and ex-Boots Product Manager, Sam Fells and her team, Breaze brings together a unique combination of essential oils known for their therapeutic properties. The two products are designed to provide round the clock comfort in easy to use formats.

Breaze Vapour Oil offers daytime relief from symptoms when used on a tissue or hanky and the Breaze Motion Activated Pillowcase picks up where the vapour oil leaves off, offering through the night comfort using motion activated technology which releases soothing vapours as you sleep. Sam Fells said: “Our aim was to create a natural product that everyone could use. In our own research people were telling us that they were interested in a natural approach especially those who find the side effects of antihistamines problematic. They also told us that they often find eye drop and nasal sprays difficult to use when they are out and about. We wanted a range that is both convenient and easy to use, providing comfort during the day and all through the night”.

After 41 people with mild to moderate hay fever trialled the products in 2016, 80% said Breaze helped them to cope better during the hay fever season and 80% said they would recommend Breaze to others. This summer, Breaze is due to be tested in a controlled study by the University of Lincoln School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences to scientifically measure its effectiveness in relieving the symptoms of hay fever. The results from the study are expected in September 2018. The Breaze formulation combines a natural blend of 10 essential oils* known their therapeutic properties including:

• Lavender Oil - known to be a natural antihistamine inhibiting production of histamine and suppressing inflammatory responses in the airways;[1]
• Clove Leaf Oil - known to inhibit allergic responses, reduce inflammation and histamine response;[2]
• Lemon Oil - reduces nasal mucous and throat inflammation and said to be a good alternative to treat seasonal allergic rhinitis;[3] 
• Eucalyptus Oil - a powerful decongestant and natural expectorant which reduces nasal congestion and aids in clear and easy breathing;[4,5]
• Chamomile Oil - Has been shown to reduce inflammation of mucous membranes and to help to calm the respiratory tract.[6]

References

*  1. Life Sci. 2014 Jul 17;108(2):109-15.

    2. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2006 Jan;74(1):23-7.

    3. ISRN Pharmaceutics. Vol. 2012, Article ID 404606, 6 pages,

    2012.

    4. WebMD. Eucalyptus.

    5. Acta Otolaryngol. 1983 Jul-Aug;96(1-2):157-61.

    6. Mol Med Report. 2010 Nov 1; 3(6): 895-901.

Further Information

Breaze will be available mid-June online at www.breazeallergy.com  

 

 

Home Insurance for Health and Wellbeing Practitioners

Many Health and Wellbeing Practitioners chose to run their practice from their own home, particularly when first starting out, to keep costs down; however this will have an impact on their home insurance.  In this short article, we will note some of the issues you will need to consider.

It is vital that your home insurer is informed of the business use in the property, so that they cannot later repudiate a claim (even an unrelated one), on the basis that they were not informed.  At Balens, Specialist Insurance Brokers, we have heard from many therapists that they have had issues with their home insurance when notifying their provider that they will now be working from home.  These include having restrictions put on their practice i.e. a maximum number of clients entering the home per week, loadings on premiums and even being told they cannot continue with their present insurer.  It is therefore worth considering changing your home insurance provider if you are changing your working from home arrangements.    

Whilst many home insurances are similar, if you are seeing clients from home, it is important to ensure you have adequate cover for your legal liability if you damage someone’s property or injure them in your capacity as a householder i.e. if they were to fall on uneven paving whilst arriving or leaving your property, this would be covered by your home insurance rather than your Professional Liability Insurance. 

It is important to check the policy fully, including noting an exclusions or conditions, for example cover for theft may be restricted to forcible or violent entry, or may require you to have certain locks or protections added.  These restriction may be acceptable to you, but they may make the policy less attractive than another without these restrictions, even if the premiums are cheaper. 

Policies may also have benefits including All Risks cover, for items that you take outside of the home, and sections for Legal Expenses Insurance giving criminal defence, contracts and property disputes cover.  Other benefits may include Help Lines, Jury Service cover and tax investigations cover, all benefits that a Health and Wellbeing Professional who is self-employed may find useful.

Further Information 

For further help and advice, including seeing what Balens is able to offer you, please visit our website www.balens.co.uk or contact Personallines@balens.co.uk

 

 

Stretching - Must I?

by Justin Johnson MOst Registered Osteopath, Sports Massage Therapist

It seems to be the least popular aspect of exercise with most people from every day joggers to elite athletes.  Cardio and endurance? Fine.  Strength training? No problem.  But stretching?  Really?

As an osteopath and sports masseur, I talk about stretching a lot.  For me, stretching is one of the three main tenets of fitness along with cardio fitness and strength.  But for most people, it’s something they’ll spend as little time on as possible – usually just a cursory stretch for a few seconds at the end of their work-out.  But we all get stiffer as we get older, so it probably becomes more important to stretch as we age. 

Photo by Justyn Warner on Unsplash

OK I’m biased.  I had a high hyper-mobility score when I was young, which pushed me towards sports like gymnastic and trampolining.  But when I see patients who can barely touch their knees, let alone their toes, I also see the pressure it puts on their lower back, which is usually why they are there. 

Weppler and Magnusson (2010) conducted a review which concluded that in the short term most stretching resulted in modified sensation rather than lengthening of muscles.  But that doesn’t negate the actual increase in range of movement that results.  (For safety’s sake, this article is not relevant to those with hyper-mobility syndromes, for whom increasing range of movement is often not helpful.)

So what are we doing with a stretch?

A frequently over-looked function of our muscles is proprioception – self-awareness or our ability to know, without looking, where our bodies are in space.  A case study by Tuthill and Azim (2018) explains this well.

Proprioception is enabled by stretch receptors within the muscles (muscle spindles) and the tendons (Golgi tendon organs) which, if not stimulated and stretched, have a tendency to restricted muscle and tendon movement (Chalmers, 2004), thereby reducing range of movement. 

So going back to Weppler & Magnusson’s ideas, we are re-calibrating.  We are re-setting to muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs much more than we are lengthening muscle.  And the most effective way to do that seems to be not just with ordinary static stretches, but with Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretches.  (Sharman et al, 2006 – although there are a lot of articles out there about PNF.)

So the message for manual therapists is that, just as you patients have to cajole their stretch receptors into re-setting, we have to cajole our patients into giving it a try.  They’ll thank you for it eventually.

References

Weppler CH, Magnusson EP: “Physical Therapy”90(3):438-49. March 2010.

Tuthill JC, Azim E (2018): “Current Biology” 28(5):R194-R203. March 5 2018.

Chalmers G (2004): “Sports Biomechanics” 3(1):159-83. Jan 2004.

Sharman MJ, Cresswell AG, Riek S. “Sports Medicine” 36(11):929-39. 2006.

Further Information

Justin Johnson MOst is a UK registered osteopath and sports massage therapist.  He also runs Accredited Massage Courses, massage training company in north London. Please contact on Tel: 020 8340 7041; info@accreditedmassagecourses.co.uk  www.accreditedmassagecourses.co.uk

 

Chicory Latte with Lion’s Mane - Brain Boosting Beverage

Instead of reaching for a G&T to help you relax in the evening you’d be much better off sipping on a new kind of latte; which could not only help you unwind, without the detrimental effects of alcohol, but boost your brain power in the process.

Sweet Revolution’s new Chicory Latte with Lion’s Mane might sound a little unusual, but chicory (a flowering plant) root is a popular and natural alternative to coffee. Whilst it has a similar flavour to coffee, chicory lacks caffeine and its side-effects, enabling it to create a latte which can be drunk at any time of day.

It’s not just the absence of caffeine that makes this drink the ultimate relaxer. The latte contains Lion’s Mane, a kind of mushroom that has become famed for its potential brain boosting properties. Alongside a number of studies[1,2]which show the mushroom may be able to boost and protect brain function, research[3] published in 2010 looked at the effect, in thirty women, of eating either ‘placebo’ cookies or those containing Lion’s Mane. They discovered that, after four weeks, those eating the cookies containing Lion’s Mate appeared less anxious and irritated than those on the placebo cookies.

The latte’s also a winner when it comes to flavour. The drink combines Lion’s Mane powder and a chicory mix (malted barley, barley, chicory root, rye and fig) with coconut milk powder, which, when hot water is added, creates a frothy latte that is not only delicious but vegan and organic too.

References

1. Phytother Res. 2009 Mar;23(3):367-72. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2634. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T.
2. J Transl Med. 2016 Mar 18;14:78. doi: 10.1186/s12967-016-0831-y. Hericium erinaceus mycelium and its isolated erinacine A protection from MPTP-induced neurotoxicity through the ER stress, triggering an apoptosis cascade. Kuo HC, Lu CC, Shen CH, Tung SY, Hsieh MC, Lee KC, Lee LY, Chen CC, Teng CC, Huang WS, Chen TC, Lee KF.
3. Biomed Res. 2010 Aug;31(4):231-7. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, Hayashi C, Sato D, Kitagawa K, Ohnuki K.

Further Information

For further details or to buy visit www.sweetrevolution.co.uk where you’ll also find a host of other healthy lattes, including another new addition to their range Beetroot Latte with Ginger.

 

 

Fierce Grace Yoga for Stiff, Old or Broken!

A new yoga class aimed at people who want to strengthen weak or injured areas has been introduced by The Yoga Lounge, Bournemouth. Part of the Fierce Grace Yoga system the S.O.B (Stiff, Old or Broken) class builds stability, core strength and corrects alignment for beginners, injured, or those who just want to improve their general flexibility and level of fitness. 

http://www.fiercegrace.com/blog/the-all-new-sob

New findings and research in the area of Physiotherapy and Pilates have been utilized to develop the exercises used in the class. It incorporates the latest findings which are proven to rehabilitate and strengthen core, lower back, hamstrings and sacrum. No other group yoga class is using the latest findings and research in this way.  

Amber Fidler, Owner of the Yoga Lounge, Bournemouth, said: “We are excited to introduce the Fierce Grace S.O.B class to the Yoga Lounge. We hope that the class will encourage people of all ages from 16 to 80 who are recovering from injury to try an exercise class that will help with their recovery whilst improving their general fitness and flexibility.” 

“There is time allocated within the class to understand how to work safely and effectively, get to know the poses, learn modifications and ask questions. We will show class members how to modify their needs, whilst ensuring they are working towards their individual goals.” 

The class will ensure that people learn to safely work with their injury or body type, prevent aggravation of injuries, start the healing process and learn that their injury need not stop them practising yoga.

Further Information

S.O.B will run on the third Monday of every month at 4pm. To find out more about this and other classes Tel: 01202 390090; visit www.yoga-lounge.co.uk or http://www.fiercegrace.com/blog/the-all-new-sob

 

 

Science-Based Information, Support and Guidance for Health Carers and Cancer Patients

by Dr Peter H Kay PhD

Genetic, biochemical and metabolic factors play an important role in treatment of cancer. While chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain frontline treatments for cancer, many chemotherapeutic drugs, when absorbed into the bloodstream need to be activated by certain enzymes before they can be of help to the patient. In some cases, chemotherapy drugs may be quite dangerous if the patient has inherited a particular form of a drug activating gene that encodes an enzyme that activates a drug either too quickly or too slowly. This course includes information about an excellent genetic typing service that can be used to determine whether the patient has inherited the most beneficial genetic types of chemotherapeutic drug activating enzymes. Importantly, many cancer cells develop multi-drug resistance. When this happens, chemotherapeutic drugs have no effect on cancer cells.

Another important regarding the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy involves the genetic status of a gene called TP53. Around half of all cancer cells have developed a mutant form of the TP53 gene. Recent studies have shown that mutant forms of TP53 reduce the benefits of chemotherapy and radiotherapy; implications of TP53 genetics are discussed in detail in the course.This course provides a wide range of genetic, biochemical, metabolic and immunological information to practitioners, students of science and patients to help understand many aspects of cancer treatments.

Course Synopsis.

1. Summary of cancer causation.
   This includes introduction to many of the body’s defence and repair mechanisms that are relevant to cancer causation and treatment.
2. Factors affecting chemotherapy.
   Different kinds of drugs. Factors affecting their efficacy, genetics and importance of cytochrome P450 enzymes, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, blood factors, genetic considerations, pharmacogenetics. The significance of multi-drug resistance. Cancer stem cells.
3. What can be done to help chemotherapy and radiotherapy work as effectively as possible.
4. Radiotherapy, pros and cons.
   How radiotherapy works. Genetic considerations, radiogenomics. Difficulties with radiotherapy. DNA repair systems. Low dose radiation, benefits.
5. Introduction to immunological aspects.
   Immunological factors. Drug/immune reactions. Monoclonal antibodies. Stem cell transplantation, graft versus host considerations. Dendritic cell therapy.
6. Introduction to photodynamic therapy.
7. Understanding spontaneous remission.
   Oncolytic viral therapy. Infectious agents, Coley’s toxins.
8. Cancer cell specific metabolic pathways.
   How they can be used to develop alternative approaches to cancer treatments.
9. Directions to determine the genetic types of important enzymes.
   Is chemotherapy going to be helpful or harmful? Who to contact for genetic typing of genes that encode CYP2D6 and CYP3A4.
10. Supplementation and dietary considerations.

Further Information

The course is delivered in 2 sections. There are 10 multiple choice questions to be completed at the end of each Section. The answers to the questions at the end of Section 1 must be submitted to Dr. Kay at peterhkay@gmail.com  Participants will receive Section 2 on satisfactory completion of the multiple -choice questions at the end of Section 1. Dr Kay will offer further assistance to participants based on the answers to the multiple-choice questions.