Pillows: Goldilocks Pillows Ltd

Good quality mattress and pillows are very important:

1/ to maintain a good/neutral alignment for your back (neck, thoracic/mid back and lumbar spine/low back)

2/ to prevent further issues

3/ to maintain all the good work between your osteopathic sessions

If you are sleeping on your back you won’t need the same size/height of pillows than the height required for an optimal spinal position if you are sleeping on your side…

Most people change position during the night, however after few osteopathic sessions some people usually get more comfortable in one position which was not before starting osteopathic sessions.

As restrictions in the body, imbalances, accumulation of strains, tightness, asymetries accumulate, the body starts to get tired of compensating and/or adaptating which is then leading to pain/inflammation at different areas and dysfunctions.

Checking simple things such as mattress quality (firm enough) and good supporting pillow can make a big difference, helping you sleeping better (in term of quality and quantity), helping you to integrate the good changes from osteopathic sessions and giving a chance to your body to recover.

I am not affiliated with Goldilocks Pillows Ltd, I just like these products because I have good experiences with them privately and professionally, and I enjoy giving you information so you can take your health into your own hands.

http://goldilockspillows.co.uk/

Power Yoga Studio in London

Home

Meditation App Anamaya: “An empowering self-development and meditation resource for life on the go.”, Graham Doke

As an osteopath, I recommend meditation for many reasons.

By experience, I found it very helpful for some patients in between osteopathic sessions, it helps regulating stress, anxiety, being more positive, improving emotional awareness, helps to focus to perform better, being just less worried, or more relaxed, it can help to improve your motivation as well.

I like to give to my patients advice / tools that they can use in between osteopathic sessions to improve their lifestyle, and meditation is one of them.

One very common comment I hear is “where can I go to meditate?”, or “I don’t have the time to go somewhere for this”.

I think that the Anamaya App is an excellent idea, as it gives more people the chance to create space in their “me time” for meditation sessions, at home, travelling, or outdoors.

http://anamaya.co/

Essential baby remedies, by Ingefleur Homeopathy

“If you purchased the Childbirth Kit from Helios for the birth or if you have the Basic 18 or 36 kit from Helios, you will have all the remedies below. If you have neither though, and you want to start building your little home pharmacy but have no idea where to start, then definitely get the 5 remedies below with special mention of Arnica to have in your purse! All remedies aer suitable from anywhere between a 6c and 30c (the latter is the most common in the UK) but in cases of fever or fabulous teething you might like to have a 200c as this potency matches the intensity of a fever or the teething.

Arnica – for any bumps and bruised. Great trauma remedy so also will help your child calm down when having made a fall. Surely a remedy to keep in your handbag alongside an Arnica cream or gel.

Belladonna – number one remedy for fever. Give your baby this remedy before you reach for the Calpol and chances are you won’t need it at all. Useful remedy also in ear aches if the child is very hot, has a flushed face and is in a bad mood.

Calcarea Carbonica – good remedy for most babies when they have a very stuffy cold and are otherwise quite happy. Can be useful in constipation and is the second remedy you would consider for teething especially if teeth are coming through very slowly.

Chamomilla – your best friend in teething. First remedy to think of, especially if teething is accompanied by diarrhoea and if your child is very fussy and upset with the teething.

Pulsatilla – probably your number one remedy for colds in babies and toddlers. Often there is yellow/green discharge from the nose and the child is more clingy or tearful than usual. If the latter is the case this is your remedy also in case of a fever. Colds that go into the lungs, and that are worse at night with runny discharge during the day are also great indications for this remedy. Can be useful to alternate with Chamomilla in earaches that are not clearly Belladonna or if Belladonna does not relieve.

Bonus remedy for momma: Cocculus Indica – this has saved many mothers for sure. If you have been having bad nights and you wake exhausting, feeling a bit dizzy or sick during the day (like a jetlag), or nursing leaves you exhausted, Cocculus is your friend!

The remedies above are very useful in acute self-limiting diseases. Please remember however that if you notice that the remedy is not working or needs to be repeated frequently, another remedy may be indicated and it would be worthwhile to get in touch for a consultation.”

By Ingefleur Spreij

Full article link below:

http://www.ingefleur.com/babyremedies.html

Fertility & preconception, by Ingefleur Homeopathy

” […] With the introduction of the contraceptive pill women have gotten more control over what is happening to their body when it comes to not falling pregnant. However, as many women have experienced, getting pregnant after several years of contraception may now not be so easy. This is not only because the natural hormone cycle is disturbed with contraception but also because women increasingly start having children at a later age.

Whether you have been on contraception or not, if you want to get pregnant the most important thing is that you are in the best health possible. To give your baby a good start you want the “soil” to be the best possible right? This means that your body systems should work the best possible and your toxicity levels as low as possible (this includes stress!), and that there needs to be plenty of nutrition. Remember that although the baby develops in your body and you need to be in the best condition possible, when trying for a baby your partner needs to be in the best health possible too!

Many factors can influence difficulty in conceiving. Factors for both males and females:

• Obesity or lack of nutrition
• Infections such as sexually transmitted diseases
• Toxic metal levels in the body
• Increased alcohol intrake
• Smoking
• Chronic stress
• Unbalanced hormonal levels
• Physical or emotional trauma
• (Recreational) drugs
• Chronic disease such as diabetes

Male specific factors that affect fertility:

• Occupations that overheat the scrotum area such as men working in bakeries
• Varicose veins in scrotum area
• Other conditions such as raised sperm antibodies or chromosomal abnormalities

Female specific factors that affect fertility:

• Chronic disease such as endometriosis, polycystic ovaries syndrome, diabetes
• Fibroids
• Structural abnormalities such as a tilted uterus
• Hyper acidity
• Chronic candida infection

This can be a scary list, however… many of these things can be dealt with! Some of the issues above you and partner can tackle yourselves:

• Make any needed lifestyle changes. Make sure you get all your vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Reduce alcohol intake, sugar intake, loose some weight if needed, consider seeing a nutritionist. Sleep enough, and get those stress levels down!
• Make sure the guy’s semen is not overheated. So wear loose fitting underwear and clothing. Examine your lifestyle to see if there is anything that may cause overheating such as cycling or working in a bakery.
• If you have been on the contraceptive pill, injections or coil, make sure you wait three months before you start trying (use condoms in the mean time). If you had a miscarriage wait preferably longer than that; up to 6 months to help the body recover from the trauma.
• Don’t worry too much about when you are ovulating, just make sure you have sex three times a week at least. Charting can help however to give you an idea of whether you are ovulating and when.

Some of the factors in the (in)fertility list are not easily fixable with lifestyle changes. If you have done all the above and after 7 months to a year you have not fallen pregnant yet, it is a good idea to get yourselves checked out. Go to your GP and have all the regular tests done to see if there are any obvious reasons that you haven’t conceived yet.

Even if the tests are inconclusive however, homeopathic treatment can greatly raise your chances of conceiving.

[…]

Tip: if you like flower essences, try the Woman combination from Australian Bushflowers. It is a combination of flower essences aimed at anything female including premenstrual symptoms, menstrual symptoms, conception, pregnancy, post pregnancy and menopause. It is available in drops, a oral spray, and a cream (yummy!).”

By Ingefleur Spreij

Full article link below:

http://www.ingefleur.com/fertility.html

Probiotics for Mother & Child, by Ingefleur Homeopathy

“Probiotics fill your body with (good) bacteria, antibiotics kill all bacteria. That’s right, ALL bacteria. So even if all you want to target are the bacteria involved in an infection, the good ones are swept off stage as well.

[…]

This is why you often see people (and especially children) on antibiotics course after course after course. To break that cycle you need to start replenishing your gut with good bacteria.

[…]

Well, does your child have any recurring colds or infections? What about allergies and eczema or other persistent skin issues? Those are indications of a weakened immune system and as mentioned the first line of defense is the gut.
Breastfeeding is excellent for a good gut flora for your child, especially if you are on probiotics yourself. However if your baby was born with a cesarean it is likely that you will need to supplement them with probiotics. Babies born with a cesarean miss out on vital good bacteria that are picked up through vaginal birth.
Likewise children that have not been breastfed (very long) or have had any course of antibiotics would do really well on a course of probiotics.

[…]

However, unfortunately it is not just as simple as taking probiotics. Friendly bacteria are not going to hang around if the environment is not good and this will often be the case where diet is poor and includes much sugar, or when you have had several courses of antibiotics. To make probiotics flourish it is therefore important to use a pre-biotic.

An example of such a pre-biotic is Molkosan by Vogel. Molkosan is a lactic acid and lactic acid has three brilliant functions:

• Kill bad bacteria

• Feed good bacteria

• Help good bacteria reproduce

It is noteworthy that good bacteria themselves produce lactic acid!

[…]

For those that are lactose intolerant, do not be put off by the words lactic acid. Molkosan is lactose, sugar and gluten free.

[…]

Which probiotics and how?
There are two brands of probiotics I like and use in my family and clinic. However, there are many brands out there and my advice would be to get one for adults that contains at least 10 billion viable organisms (20 is even better) for a few months and then having a maintenance probiotic containing 5 billion. For your new born look for a specialist probiotic containing 10 billion as well if they had a rough start or are not breast fed, and for one with 4 billion otherwise. Your toddler can have a probiotic with 2 billion viable organisms. If you are breastfeeding you can put the probiotic powder on your nipple while nursing. To make it easier for children to take probiotics there are plenty of brands that have exciting flavors.

My recommendations:

• Optibac Extra Strength – for mom (and dad!)

• Optibac For Babies and Children – for relatively healthy babies, toddlers and children. For babies I recommend the Biocare products.

• Optibac For Those on Antibiotics – if you haven’t had many courses of antibiotics this is a good one to take during and/or afterwards. For others I recommend the Extra Strength for a longer period of time or the higher dosages of probiotics by Biocare.

• Biocare Baby Bioflora – for babies from birth onwards

• Biocare AnteNatal – for women during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester.

• Biocare Acidophilus – for mom (and dad!)

• Biocare BioAcidophilus – a 7 day course after having had antibiotics.

• Biocare Children’s Banana or Strawberry Acidophilus – for children from 6 months old

Why I like Biocare: their probiotics have been researched and tested in clinical trials with pregnant women and babies. Their studies also have been published in peer reviewed papers.
Why I like Optibac: their probiotcs are shelf stable, meaning they do no need to be kept in the fridge to guarantee the amount of viable organisms in their product. They too have done clinical trials on some of their products.”

By Ingefleur Spreij

Full article link below:

http://www.ingefleur.com/probiotics_mother_child.html