'Alternative' therapies not so unusual today - delawareonline

Article in US newspaper about the rise in people using complementary therapies and how they are being increasingly used alongside conventional medicine.

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Few jobs' for physio graduates

As a therapist I often see people who are paying for my services because they are on a long waiting list for physiotherapy on the NHS. Physiotherapy can make such a difference when people are injured and we all know that the earlier you start the process the better result you get, I don't want to join the Government bashing lobby but it does seem like a stupid situation when trained physiotherapists can't find work in the NHS.

The Sleep Apnoea Trust, supporting Sleep Apnoea patients and their families

Sleep Apnoea is becoming more common but lots of people still don't know anything about this condition. This Website is a useful resource for anybody interested on knowing more.

Questions and Answers about Shoulder Problems

Another very useful resource, clearly written and illustrated, this one is about problems of the Shoulder.

Handout on Health: Sports Injuries

Excellent handout on Sports Injuries, how to treat them and how to prevent them. Very clearly written with illustrations and ideal for therapist or lay person.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin: Lessons From the Study - Washington Post

This study suggests that Glucosamine/Chondroitin isn't useful fro people with mild arthritis although it may be helpful for more severe symptoms.

I'm suprised as I've seen studies which show that it is beneficial if taken in the correct doses. Many of the commercial preparations available are actually doses too low to have any effect.

If I can find any of the other study results I'll post them here to give a balanced view.

GM pea causes allergic damage in mice - New Scientist

Fuel for the anti-GM lobby, I think that studies on animals are used too often to validate/invalidate drugs for human use but it does seem obvious that moving a specific gene from one organism to another may cause it to be expressed differently.

Homeopathy 'does boost health' - DeHavilland

Article about some studies done at Bristol Homeopathic Hostital which shows/claims that the remedies helped 70% of their patients with chronic conditions. The debate over the efficiency or otherwise of homeopathic remedies seems set to continue for some time to come.

Skin Cancer - An Overview

Useful and interesting online leaflet about skin cancer.

Osteoporosis and bone physiology

Interesting and detailed site on Osteoperosis, this is quite technical although it is intended for the educated lay person as well as practicing doctors. Based on the USA it has lots of interesting figures.

Lumbar Spine Pain in Athletics

This is very technical and clearly not written for the layman but it contains so much good infoemation for anybody working with people who have lower back pain I thought it worth blogging.

Crackdown on drug firm promotion - BBC NEWS - Health |

I believe that most thinking patients will welcome this move to limit the perks that drug companies can provide to doctors. While I don't believe for one minute that doctors would prescribe a drug because of these perks, they are human beings and their judgment might be influenced, besides surely this sort of thing pushes up the price which we pay for either directly or by taxes.

Decaf coffee linked to heart risk - BBC News - Health

Another health scare; but before you give up coffee completely I should stress that this study was done on people who drink 3 to 6 cups of coffee a day. I cup a day (caffeinated or not) won't have this effect.

Meditation builds up the brain - New Scientist Breaking News

Very small study but this seems to show that long term meditation actualy improves some brain functions, even short term mediatation showed effects on alertness.

Mistaking hunger - WorldwiseHealth.com

I'm not a great believer of diets, you always seem to put more weight on afterwards than you lost during the diet. This article does have soem good tips though.

Autonomic Nervous System Disorders - MedlinePlus

A collection of resources from medline about disorders of the autonomic nervous system. Suitable for the therapist or informed layperson who wants to know more about any of these disorders.

Craniosacral Therapy - Worldwide Health

I really like gentle non-invasive therapies, I've become a big fan since doing the Neuro-skeletal Re-alignment course and this is an interesting article about CranioSacral Therapy.

Pain requires comprehensive approach - Health Matters

Article about the use of a broader perspective to pain management and relief.

Bach Flower Remedies

This is a useful little article giving a brief overview of the 38 Bach flower remedies.

Research: Third of Study Results Don't Hold Up - DOTmed.com

Complementary therapies are often dismissed by the mainstream medical establishment becasue there is little experimental evidence of their effectiveness.

Given that many therapies are hands-on it's difficult to devise double blind trails and the money isn't available for large scale studies because much conventional medical research is funded by the big drug companies.

Interesting then to see that in this recent study it appears that nearly one third of research studies published in majot medical journals may have been flawed.

Warning over pain in the necks at work | the Daily Mail

If you have back, shoulder or neck pain it could be well worth your time to check your desk setup at work and take more frequent breaks from your computer screen. You'll get just as much work done and be able to enjoy your evenings and weekends more.

Is this test the cure for stress? | the Daily Mail

Here a stress test for you to try, just don't get stressed out about the result, everyone can handle different amounts of stress.

BBC NEWS | Health | Acupuncture 'more than a placebo'

Interesting that this was on the BBC website, then days later we find anothe BBC article stating the exact opposite.

BBC NEWS | Health | 10 million Britons suffering pain

1 in 5 people suffer pain daily, I'm saddened by this statistic but not suprised. As an alternative to painkillers and surgey complementary therapies must surely start to be recognised as a capable of making a major contribution to reducing these figures.

Effect of acupressure on nausea, vomiting, anxiety and pain among post-cesarean section women in Taiwan.

Effect of acupressure on nausea, vomiting, anxiety and pain among post-cesarean section women in Taiwan.

Medical study on the effects of Accupressure, it's good to see this sort of study being done on complementary therapies

Ease pain by taking a good look at yourself - New Scientist

This is an interesting illustration of how much the mind affects the body.