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Adjusting to this new stuck-at-home lifestyle isn’t always easy. Often our new, relaxed routines include a lot of delicious food, horizontal bingeing, and restricted physical activity, which can quickly negatively affect our bodies.  Here is some advice on how to fix a few common quarantine head, neck and back pains.

LOWER BACK AND HIPS PAIN

Complaints of lower back pain and hip tightness are on the rise, due to our less than active lives. The lower back is naturally curved inward; when it takes on an unnatural position for an extended amount of time, it can cause fatigue of the muscular tissues, leading to lower back pain. Sitting on a couch or bed working all day or just watching TV for weeks or months will eventually overload the hips, causing them to become tighter and less mobile.

The best ways to release tension and relax those muscles is to move often and take advantage of our daily walking to stretch and release muscle tightness. Yoga is a great way to remove lower back tension; the upward dog pose is perfect in releasing the hips of our weight and giving the lower and upper back a deep stretch.

TECH PAINS

The idea of working from home seemed like a great change, especially for those working in crowded offices. Unfortunately, the reality of working from home can be more challenging than expected. From sharing small apartments to hectic home-schooling days, finding a quiet room equipped to work can be difficult.

Many have been using their couches or chairs as desks, hunching over their computers and neglecting their spinal health. If a desk at a proper height is not available, or a chair with good back support is missing from the house, practice some hip-flexor stretches. Hip-flexor stretches release lower back tension, while regular standing breaks improve overall circulation.

HEADACHES

We look at our phones and technology every day. Still, over the past weeks if not months, the average screen time has increased for almost everybody. The combination of collective stress and anxiety, with increased screen time and a lack of movement has caused many to experience headaches and neck/shoulder tightness. The more our heads strain down to read from a phone or computer screen, the more weight our necks needs to support. This can cause tension-type headaches and neck pain.

To strengthen the neck muscles, stand with your back and head against a wall, tucking in the chin and gently pushing the head back, using the wall for resistance. Hold for three seconds, then release for three seconds. Repeat 15 times.

Try some easy at-home stretches and vary your posture and position every hour. Take advantage of daily walks to breath in fresh oxygen and get the legs moving. Small but targeted changes to our daily routine can help us stay away from at home muscle pains.

The news has recently reported many stories regarding COVID-19, including symptoms related to the virus. Many people report experiencing shortness of breath, low oxygen levels, high temperatures/fever and fatigue. We can all easily identify three of the symptoms just mentioned, but what precisely is blood oxygen level?

Blood oxygen level refers to the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood. The oxygen is carried by red blood cells, which collect oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to the entire body.

Blood oxygen level is an indicator of how well the body distributes oxygen from the lungs to the cells. A normal level varies between 75 and 100 mm Hg while if oxygen levels are below 60 mm Hg, it is considered low and medical attention might be required, depending on the individual’s medical history.

There are many ways to measure blood oxygenations; one of the most widely accessible is via a pulse oximeter. There are no proven ways to self-assess oxygen levels without a blood test or oximeter, but by paying attention to the following symptoms, it is possible to identify an imbalance.

Low blood oxygen levels can result in abnormal circulation and cause dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, headache and visual disorders. Low levels can be caused by environmental and physical factors and can be aggravated if the patient suffers from respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

Here are some self-care measures to help reduce shortness of breath, and improve blood circulation and oxygenation.

1. Exercise. Any physical activity will help to improve our respiratory ability, letting our lungs expand and increase oxygenation.
2. Bring the outside oxygen in. Open your windows daily to bring in new fresh air. Dress your room with some plants, so they take-in carbon dioxide and release oxygen—the more plants you have, the more oxygen and overall better environment.
3. Quit smoking and vaping. This one is simple: smoking negatively impacts the lungs and the lungs of those around you.
4. Eat green and raw foods. Eating vegetables and uncooked fruit preserves all the vitamins and minerals they supply. Fresh juices and smoothies are a great way to implement raw foods into our diet.

Maintaining good oxygen levels and blood circulation is essential at any age. Most people will not experience many oxygen imbalances in their life, but if you have found yourself experiencing shortness of breath and heightened fatigue, consult with a doctor.

Most of us are aware of the importance of calcium for our health – especially for our bones. But magnesium is another vital mineral for our bones, as well as for our muscles and nerves; it can actually be more difficult to get enough of this mineral in our diet than to get enough calcium.

Magnesium is needed for normal muscle and nerve function. Without magnesium, our muscle fibres wouldn’t be able to relax after they have contracted, and nerve impulses wouldn’t be able to travel around our body properly.”

Magnesium is vital for strong bones and teeth too. If you’re trying to improve or maintain your bone strength, it’s essential to include lots of magnesium-rich foods as well as calcium-rich foods. Magnesium is also necessary for our cells to convert the food we eat into usable energy, and also for healthy ‘psychological function’ including mood and how we deal with stress.

For these reasons, symptoms of not getting enough magnesium may include muscle cramping, tight or weak muscles, increased pain, and loss of bone strength, as well as lack of energy, low mood, greater susceptibility to stress, and even poor sleep or insomnia. The main sources of magnesium in our diet are plant foods, particularly green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach as well as seeds and nuts, particularly pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.

The general adult recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 375mg. Like any nutrient, our requirements can vary and the amount of magnesium present in foods can also vary. But as a general rule, we need to eat four to five servings of one of these foods a day to get enough of this mineral. (One serving is about 80 grams or one handful green leafy veg, or two tablespoons of seeds, for example.)

Remember that drinking milk or eating cheese to get your calcium is not enough on its own to maintain strong bones – make sure you get plenty of those plant foods too! Also, don’t forget that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most important things to maintain bone strength.

Week beginning Monday 25th May 2020

Bank Holiday Monday 25th May 2020 CLOSED

Tuesday 26th May 2020 08:00 – 20:00hrs Alex Newton, Troy Magowan, Lucy Honychurch.

Wednesday 27th May 11:00 – 20:00 hrs ( may be subject to change) Troy Magowan, Lucy Honychurch

Thursday 28th May 08:00 – 20:00 hrs ( may be subject to change), Alex Newton, Troy Magowan, Lucy Honychurch

Friday 29th May 2020 08:00 – 17:00hrs Alex Newton, Lucy Honychurch

Saturday 30th May 2020 08:30 – 12:00 Lucy Honychurch

New clinic hours from Monday June 1st 2020

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 11:00 – 20:00 hrs

Thursday and Friday 08:00- 17:00 hrs

Saturdays 0800- 12:00hrs

As from Monday 18th May 2020 we are please to inform you that the clinic will be open with a full team of chiropractors and front desk support.

Monday 18th May 08:00 -20:00 hrs Troy Magowan and Alex Newton

Tuesday 19th May 08:00 – 20:00 hrs Alex Newton Troy Magowan Lucy Honychurch

Wednesday 20th May 11:00- 20:20 Troy Magowan

Thursday 21st May 08:00-20:00 Troy Magowan Lucy Honychurch Alex Newton

Friday 22nd May 08:00-17:00 Alex Newton Lucy Honychurch

Saturday 23rd May 08:00-12:00 Alex Newton Troy Magowan

We have implemented careful procedures following a full risk assessment and staff training as advised by the British Chiropractic Association. After a few days of trialling these procedures, we are comfortable that we are able to deliver a safe environment and treatment for patients who are in need of our support.

We would like to encourage those patients who are in the high risk groups to delay as long as they can, but would like to reassure them that we are here for them in other ways. If they are unable to come in to the clinic we can offer Telehealth consultations and we are satisfied with the support that these can offer to them. Please ask for details or check the online booking system for an appointment.

There is a specific procedure to follow once you arrive on site and so far we are very grateful that the patients who have attended, have respected this and supported us in ensuring the safety of themselves our team and other patients. Thank you.

1. Please stay in your car once parked. The clinic entrance door will be locked. If you can check in online please do or scan the code reader on the door. You do not need to knock on the door or ring the clinic phone to notify us you are here we will come and find you. There may be a short delay in collecting you to protect other patients.
2. Please bring your own gloves and masks if you have them. We do have supplies so don’t worry if you don’t.
3. We will ask you to sanitise your hands, sign a consent form, take your temperature and get you changed. ALL patient will be expected to undress to their underwear and wear a clinic gown, gloves and a mask throughout their time in the clinic.
4. Please pay by contactless cards and dispose of your PPE carefully

We are sorry to inform you that the other therapists still do not have a start date.

Remember appointments can be booked on line via our new booking facility.

There will be further changes which will be announced in the June Newsletter about future changes to the clinic opening hours.

Opening hours:

Monday 11th May 2020 11 :00 hrs- 20:00 hrs Alex Newton

Tuesday 12th May 2020 08:00 hrs – 18:00 hrs Alex Newton and Lucy Honychurch

Wednesday 13th May CLOSED

Thursday 14th May 2020 09:00hrs – 19:00hrs Lucy Honychurch and Alex Newton

Friday 15th May 2020 08:00hrs – 17:00hrs Alex Newton and Lucy Honychurch

Saturday 16th May 2020 CLOSED due to Team Training

Troy Magowan will be resuming her clinical practice from Monday 18th May 2020

Front Desk Receptionists returning Tuesday 26th May 2020

Ruth Taylor, Jenny Flowers and Anne Etherton – still awaiting authorisation – start date TBA

Please go to our Appointment Button ABOVE to book online or call during these times to talk to us. We still do not have any front desk receptionists for a little while longer, so please leave a message and we will call you as soon as we are free.

If you have an appointment please wait in your car in the carpark and the chiropractor will come and fetch you when it is safe for you to enter the clinic

Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to helping you out soon.

We would also like to thank all the patients who have ventured in through the door for our acute care service for their understanding and cooperation abiding by our Covid-19 policy to deliver safe and effective treatment.

Best wishes and stay safe From All The Team @ BCC

Alex and Lucy will be taking the leap of faith on Friday 1st May and opening the clinic doors to support patients in acute pain. All being well there will be a further two sessions offered Monday 4th, and Thursday 7th May from 8am to 5 pm. They will be doing half a day each while the other is covering reception. **** THESE WILL BE INCREASED IF THE DEMAND IS THERE*** please keep viewing the website for updates.

These appointments must be pre-booked either online through JANEAPP or by phone. If we have your email address you should have by now been sent a welcome email from our new system JANEAPP. This allows you to log in and register yourself, amend your personal details and also book an appointment.

If you are new to the clinic or if you have not had the email because either you do not have an email address or it is incorrect on the system please ring the clinic and select no.2 to talk to Alex who can find you an appointment or email Alex directly: alex@beestonchiropractic.co.uk and she will update your records and get you into the system.

You will be able to view any up and coming appointments for all practitioners and will be able to alter these if you need to.

SOME APPOINTMENTS IN MAY HAVE BEEN ALTERED SLIGHTLY, PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK YOUR BOOKINGS. We have had to alter some to allow for our staggered social distancing appointments during this time.

If you cannot attend the clinic and really need help and advice we are offering TELEHEALTH appointments. This is where we talk to you through your computer and we can ask you questions, get you to do certain things to assess what is wrong and provide appropriate advice and support.

These are for the AT RISK GROUPS:

Pregnant,

Over 70,

Have long term health conditions,

Have a weak immune system,

Have recently returned from abroad (last 2 weeks). 

These can also be booked and paid for online or via Alex – call the clinic and key 2.

The following protective measures have been put in place at the clinic:

1. Please do not arrive TOO early for your appointment. Appointments have been spaced out to protect YOU! Please notify reception when you have arrived and WAIT IN YOUR CAR. We will ring you when we are ready for you to come in.
2. Please use the hand sanitiser and sign the consent to be treated form.
3. Please change into a clinic gown – gentlemen you will need to keep this on throughout the appointment.
4. Your chiropractor will be masked and gloved for your session and the beds, tables and door handles will be cleaned in-between EVERY PATIENT. 
5. If you need to use the toilet facilities please wash your hands properly and use a single towel then place it in the laundry basket provided.
6. Subsequent appointments can be booked at reception and payments can be made by contactless (the contactless limit has been raised to £45). NO CASH PLEASE.

Stock is available to EVERYONE for purchase on these days – please email Alex or call in advance during the opening hours so that we can get your goods ready for immediate collection and payment.

The extended appointments will continue throughout May, maybe into June and beyond – who knows. We will continue to strive to protect you and ourselves as much as possible.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS.

PLEASE NOTE : Appointments with Troy, Ruth, Jenny and Anne are all supsended at the moment – we will notify you by text or phone call if your booked appointment is cancelled. You can view your appointments with them online through JANEAPP the same as the chiropractic ones but you cannot book new ones at the moment – sorry.

We often talk about the immune system and how strong or weak it is; but what is it? Our body relies on our immune system to defend us from viruses, bacteria and anything that it considers to be a pathogen. Developing a strong immune system is vital not only to maintain good health but also to support our body in functioning to its full potential.

Our lifestyle plays a huge role in whether or not we stay healthy. It can be hard to assimilate the right nutrients to boost our immune system only through a healthy diet. One way to maintain our immune system is to introduce food supplements like vitamin C, D and B, key nutrients into our diets. The two most proven supplements that aid the immune system are vitamin D, which comes from the sun and with increased time spent indoors is now more important to help supplement. The other is the mineral zinc which plays an important role in making the cells within the immune system.

Our immune system is made up of proteins, tissues, organs and cells (white blood cells) and all of these work together to keep us healthy. Its main role is to protect and fight against harmful organisms, pathogens, and neutralise them whenever they come into contact with them.

Another great way to help support the immune system is gentle low-grade exercise. Research has shown that exercise improves defence activity and improves metabolic health. However, in intense training periods athletes had an increased illness risk. Therefor exercising within your limits will be the best for your immune system.

And it’s important to note that sleep is important for your health. Getting the right amount of sleep helps your body heal and produce enough cells to keep your immune system strong and healthy. 

While much of chiropractic treatment focuses on muscle, joint and bone pain, chiropractic adjustments can aid the overall health.

One of the main causes of immune system problems comes from the compression of nerve pathways. Musculo-skeletal adjustment can improve our overall health by keeping us mobile and reducing the risk of getting chronic diseases.

Contact your chiropractor if you have muscle or joint pain, or if your mobility feels restricted.

Every day our lungs automatically expand and contract up to 20,000 times, allowing us to breathe and oxygenate our body. Our breaths can be short or long, and can be affected by respiratory disease, momentary distress or simply breathing in an incorrect manner. All those breathing variables affect our body, from the immune system to our posture and spinal alignment.

Chiropractic care is a proven and natural way of helping to reduce and relieve the symptoms and side effects of specific breathing problems.  Chiropractic adjustments help with improving movement in the ribs and restoring strength to the intercostal muscles.

Contributing factors to breathing issues are problems with the spine and the thoracic nerves. Thoracic nerves are found in the chest as an extension of the spinal nerves branching from the vertebrae carrying vital signals between the spinal cord, the body and lungs. Misalignment of a vertebra or the spine can result in pain and reduce range of motion, and can ultimately cause breathing issues.

Are you breathing correctly? One way to assess your breathing pattern is to take a deep breath. Is your stomach going in or out? If your stomach went out, you are most likely breathing correctly. If your stomach caved inwards, you are probably breathing incorrectly and not taking full advantage of your lung capacity.

The movement of your stomach is reflecting the way your diaphragm is working. The diaphragm is a large sheet of muscle that separates the lungs and abdomen, which plays an integral part in the ability of the lungs to function. When the thoracic nerves and surrounding muscles are in distress, the diaphragm will not function properly, limiting oxygen intake and reducing lung capacity.

Ultimately, breathing incorrectly or fatigued breathing drives overworks neck and shoulder muscle, which try to compensate and become stiff and sore. The higher the level of back and neck pain, the more the body is prone to adjust its posture to an incorrect hunching position, which can lead to further breathing problems. Similarly, breathing problems can affect the posture by bringing the pelvis, the abdomen and diaphragm out of balance.

Here are some tips to improve breathing:

• Avoid sitting for an extended period of time
• Control the upper back posture
• Practice deep breathing techniques focusing on abdominal and diaphragm movements
• Take 5-10 minutes of the day to focus on your breathing, and assess it

Chiropractic treatment can help with neck pain and back pain, which can improve your overall spinal health and your breathing.

These days doctors often ‘prescribe’ exercise as a way to maintain good health and with good reason. Being active not only makes us feel better, it can also help ease various symptoms and cut risk of disease.

Studies have shown that people in their late 70s who undertake at least 20 minutes of exercise per day need fewer prescriptions and are ess likely to be admitted to hospital than those who don’t.  Exercise has been shown to be as effective at lowering blood pressure as certain medication, as well as being shown to improve heart and gut health, memory and balance. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends exercise 3 times per week between 45min to an hour, for 3 months for those with mild or moderate depression. The physical activity also stimulates our brains and helps prevent anxiety and stress, as well as increasing the lifespan and improving the quality of life.

1. For Living Longer – Jogging

A US study showed that adults over 65 who ran or jogged for at least 30 minutes 3 times per week were as healthy as young adults in their 20s. This might not sound important, but your walking style is a key indicator of mortality, so the longer you can stay spritely on your feet, the longer and healthier your life should be. Meanwhile, another study found that light jogging (between 70-120 minutes per week) was linked to the lowest mortality rate compared to sedentary people and heavy runners – so little and often is key here.

2. For Improving Memory – Dancing

A study from 2017 found that all exercise can help reverse the signs of ageing in the brain, but dancing more than any other sport. The study, which focused on adults in their late 60s who took part in a weekly dance class, found that all participants showed an increase in the hippocampus region of the brain, which can be affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as more general age-related decline.

3. For Back Pain – Active Therapies

Many GP appointments are connected to muscle and nerve problems- and these are often based in the back. If you suffer with back pain, you will know that it can affect your movement and sleep and leave you feeling quite low. Luckily, help is at hand in the form of gentle stretching.  Also, research shows that active therapies, such as chiropractic treatment, are a great option for managing back pain and to create optimal alignment, balance and symmetry.

4. For Depression and Anxiety – Walking

  Science agrees – walking outdoors has been linked to a reduction in stress and a boost in mood, particularly for those who have just been through a negative life event such as serious illness or loss of a loved one. Brisk walks have also been shown to help women deal with the anxiety and stress that’s sometimes associated with menopause. Movement helps your brain to release endorphins, feel-good hormones that can reduce the perception of pain as well as depression or stress.

5. For Bone and Muscle Health – Weight Training

Experts are increasingly suggesting a bit of strength training goes a long way when it comes to better bone and muscle health. As we get older, we start to lose muscle mass, which can leave us prone to falls, as well as making it easier to gain weight. So think of strength training as insurance for your later life. While this could mean leading to lift lightweights, it can also mean strength exercises using your own body weight – such as sit-ups or squats. It’s really never too late to start. A study of 90-year-olds found that 12 weeks of strength training improved their muscle tone, ability to balance, general power and walking speed.

Don’t forget 150 minutes (just over 21 mins daily) is the minimum moderate exercise the NHS recommends for adults to stay healthy! And the best part is, it’s freely available to most of us, small things make a big difference. Movement is the new medicine!