Meridian Clinic Blog

Where do's all the time go!....

2010-03-12T18:34:00.000Z

Friday 12th March and nearly 1/4 throught the year. I trust you are all keeping healthy and enjoying the brighter mornings and extra daylight on the way home. The clinic has been steadily busy and many new and interesting patients. I am keeping this short tonight, promise more later. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Pain relief and 'quick fix'

2009-12-10T13:03:00.000Z

Increasingly seeing patients in the clinic who have pain, often acute but has been off and on for several months. This situation is a chronic problem which has been agravated into an acute pain, which if ordinarily left alone would decrease with time, not be noticed until the next 'flare up'.
The flare up or trigger is a reminder to the patient of the problem, which has never gone away. Our body has adapted because it is not life threatening.
The trigger could be lifting incorrectly or rapid movement of the head, often some acion or movement similar to the original cause and which brings the problem from chronic to the acute, 'aware of it now' scenario.
It is very well and helpful to reduce the immediate 'aware of it now' problem but the reason for the acute pain is a chronic problem. Identification and treatment of the chronic cause will result in an improved pain free patient, for many month or years to come.
Unfortunately more and more people want the quick fix, probably because in today's environment of buy now pay later, instant messaging and fast foods we are not prepared or have the patience to allow healing naturally. The end result is often the chronic diseases affecting many of us and which reduce our quality of life.
It doesn't have to be this way, there is guidance and help available.

Getting older and Baby Boomers....

2009-11-14T15:34:00.003Z

So according to Saturdays (14/11/09) newspapers those of us born after the war, so called baby boomers are now entering into their 60's with more illnesses and bad diet. Lets stop there. Ageing is a failure to repair and our diets since the 1960's have changed dramatically. We no longer purchase food on a daily basis or seek seasonal foods because they are readily available in the supermarkets. The need to work longer and grab meals 'on the go', most often ready made and processed foods which do not fulfil our nutritional values. Deficient in these essential nutrients, it is no wonder we have developed the adaptions with our lifestyles but unfortunately for some they have reached the checkout, while the rest of us are waiting in the queue developing the pains, aching joints, poor memory etc. etc. which are the modern day conditions.
(Excuse the veiled reference to the supermarket checkout and analogy with death...)
A little while ago I was watching some archive films of The Beatles concerts from the early 1960's, the audience were predominently females, possibly between late teens to early twenties but what struck me was how slim the majority of them were. Compare the audiences of today and their waistline and size is considerably different.
Prior to the 1960's we did not have the fast food restuarants, the big meal deals and so on. The result of this is what we are seeing and experiencing now with poor health. If we do not get the correct amount of nutrients in our diet the body craves for those missing nutrients and so we eat more trying to find them, resulting in excess weight and mal nutrition.
The problem is not confined only to the baby boomers, if we continue this poor nutritional rollercoaster it can only be indicative for the future. The generation following us will adapt to their surroundings and eating regimes and experiencing the same medical conditions we are seeing now.
Ageing, as I have already stated, is a failure to repair and we need to start repairing our bodies and give it the respect it deserves and it will serve us very well into 'old age'.
By the way in our clinic, the phrase "what do you expect it is your age" is banned from use!

Meridian Clinic and Michael Wickham's first blog

2009-11-13T08:24:00.001Z

Welcome to the blog of Michael Wickham, osteopath and naturopath hoping to keep you informed of advances in natural medicine to help enjoy our lives to the maximum.