Living life to the Max!

How chiropractic dramatically changed a TV celebrity’s son’s life

Television presenter Quentin Willson’s son, Max used to experience severe difficulties with his learning, concentrating and socialising.  He wore nappies until he was four, couldn’t use a cup and found it difficult to mix with other children or sit still for any amount of time.  He wouldn’t sleep through the night and hardly ate anything.  

Max was labelled everything, from autistic to dyslexic to dyspraxic by various doctors, GPs and specialists.  But the answer to his problems was far simpler. 

A friend who had been watching Max at a party one afternoon said that she thought his skeleton was out of alignment and recommended they take Max to see Chiropractor, Deirdre Edwards.  Deirdre spotted the problem at once.  A difficult birth had left four out of seven bones in Max’s neck misaligned, two at the top and two at the bottom.  This was pinching his nervous system in four different places, preventing it from working effectively.  The neural cord was twisted in such a way that it couldn’t transfer messages from the brain down the body and this made Max hyper sensitive.  Consequently, he had virtually no sense of taste or smell and couldn’t tolerate loud noises or rough materials next to his skin.

This diagnosis explained so much to Quentin and his wife Michaela.  Why Max had never been able to use a cup, why he constantly grimaced and ground his teeth.  After they began to see Deirdre - and through gradual use of chiropractic treatment - Max became much calmer.  Even after just one appointment with Deirdre, he slept through the night for the first time in years.  Where he was once disruptive at school, he is now doing much better.  He is making up for lost time and is learning and concentrating.

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Golfers- don’t putt your back out!

A game of golf is a great way to exercise, but some golfers are injuring themselves unnecessarily on the course. 

Poor technique involving too much twisting of the spine and inadequate stretching can lead to a lack of flexibility that can result in an injury.  You may not even feel any pain at first but it can have a knock on effect on other parts of the body and that can affect your game.

A series of simple exercises will improve your swing and make you more supple, so that you don’t hurt yourself.  Just shrugging your shoulders, stretching your arms and legs and rolling your neck and ankles before you set foot on the course will warm up your muscles.

Sutton Chiropractic Clinic highly recommends a series of warm ups that will ensure you don’t hurt your back.  For the detailed list of warm ups, call them on 020 8661 1613.

14.06.05

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Ten mountains amounts to £500.00

Chiropractor Jason Foggo could be forgiven for looking a little peaky recently. After all, he had just climbed ten of them in a day, raising £???? in the process!

Jason admits that the trip had its ups and downs, but he battled on despite atrocious weather to raise the money for Hope Worldwide, a charity that helps the poor, homeless and hungry in developing communities.

He fought his way through wind, rain and storms to scale ten Welsh peaks above 3000 ft within 24 hours.  Although this meant walking solidly from 4 am to 4 am he next day, Jason felt it was definitely worth it as all the money his expedition raised will go towards supporting a school in Nepal that educates poor and disadvantaged children. 

“It was great fun,” said Jason.  “The wind and rain made it more hard going than it should have been, but it was still a wonderful experience.”

Donations can still be made to Hope World Wide UK by visiting their website at www.uk.hopeworldwide.org

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Brian’s backing rehabilitation

Sutton Chiropractic Clinic doesn’t just treat immediate problems. It also offers preventative education and treatment at a rehabilitation centre in Carshalton for people who have experienced a back injury in the past. 

The centre offers a number of treatments including sensory motor rehabilitation and specially devised exercise classes that help to build up patient’s strength again after suffering a back injury.  The treatments also help patients to protect their backs from any future pain. 

“Sensory motor rehabilitation involves making the muscles of the spine strong, so that they can respond efficiently to the sudden movements that our spines are subjected to on a daily basis,” said Brian Hammond.

“Muscle speed and strength is obtained by a number of balancing exercises on unstable surfaces such as rocker and wobble boards, wobble cushions and gym balls. 

“Much like a tightrope walker, our muscles need to respond before we damage our backs,” he explained.

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Innovation in Osteoporosis - treatment comes to Sutton

People over fifty can now be better prepared for the fight against Osteoporosis thanks to the Chiltern Health Centre, which has installed a new scanner capable of detecting the condition before any symptoms develop.

The Dexacare G5 Osteometer X Ray Scanner is one of the most advanced pieces of equipment available in the UK for detecting this painful condition, which causes brittle bones, leading to fractures, which in many cases can result in death.

The Chiltern Health Centre – incorporating the Sutton Chiropractic Clinic - in Brighton Road, Sutton, is the first in the south east to install the scanner. This revolutionary piece of equipment uses X-ray densitometry, which is the only accurate method to measure bone mineral density.  The scanner used at the centre is the same model used by specialists at Guys Hospital.

Osteoporosis - literally meaning 'porous bones' – is sometimes called “The Silent Killer” due to the high incidence of deaths among ageing people who have suffered fractures as a result of osteoporosis. It is a condition which affects the strength and structure of bones.

The inside of the bone has a honeycomb structure, with blood vessels and bone marrow in the spaces between the bones. Osteoporosis occurs when the holes within the bones grow in size, making them fragile and liable to break more easily.

After a scan, highly qualified staff at the Chiltern Centre will assess the potential for the condition to occur and give treatment and advice to minimise the risk of fractures.  The scanner uses a low X-ray dosage, the equivalent of just 19 minutes spent on a transatlantic flight, a sunny afternoon in Cornwall or just one seventh of the dose we receive from the sun every day.

Dr Brian Hammond, director of Sutton Chiropractic Clinic, has been a practising chiropractor for 30 years. He said: “The earlier you catch this condition, the better it is for a person’s overall health and quality of life. We can advise people on precautions they can take to slow down the development of the condition and to minimise the risk of complications and injury.

“Fifteen thousand women die as a consequence of hip fracture every year,” he added. “That’s more than the combined figure for those dying from cancer of the uterus, cervix and ovaries!  And that’s also before we even mention the pain and spinal complications caused by this crippling disease.

Due to the large number of patients using this facility the Chiltern Centre is able to keep the cost of screening as low as £49.  “We would encourage all post-menopausal patients to consider preventative screening and encourage their friends and family to consider prevention rather than treatment,” Brian added.

For further details on osteoporosis detection and treatment call the Chiltern Centre on 020 8661 1613.

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Vet joins the Chiltern Centre!

Welcome to our new newsletter, bringing news of our Chiltern Health Centre clinics in Surrey and Sussex. We have decided to re-brand, with a new corporate name after 30 years of being individual clinics.  The facilities we are providing are expanding to include osteopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. In addition we have resurrected our Beauty Room to provide “exterior, as well as interior,” glows, so it now seems a bit limiting to simply call ourselves a chiropractic clinic. 

I have returned to work on a part-time basis after my world tour.  It has been very interesting observing patients being treated - from Havana in Cuba to Prague in the Czech Republic - and I have introduced some of the new methods I found into our clinics. 

We welcome to The Sutton Chiltern Centre Sylvia Gulbenkian. Sylvia originally qualified and worked as a vet for nine years in Sheffield and Berkshire.  She always had an interest in alternative medicine but hadn’t found a particular therapy which sparked her interest.  She looked at a veterinary acupuncture course, which would have taken about a year to complete but then started looking at human acupuncture courses, too. 

Sylvia took three and a half years to complete her course to learn to treat people while still working part-time as a vet!  She loves treating the whole person and enjoys the one-to-one contact it brings. 

I hope you find the new facilities being offered at the clinics to be welcome additions. Should you have any suggestions on how we could further improve our facilities please contact us, either by email: alison@thechilterncentre.co.uk or, if you prefer, by telephone on 020 8661 1613.

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Be a smooth operator this winter

The newly launched Beauty Room at The Chiltern Centre, Sutton is the perfect place to go to be pampered and to unwind.

Therapist Frederique Tierney offers an extensive range of treatments that will have you leaving looking and feeling your best.  Waxing treatments range from £9.50 for an underarm wax to £34 for a full leg and bikini wax and will have you looking sleek and smooth for your winter holiday.    

For feet that look perfect in strappy sandals, a pedicure is a must and the Beauty Room offers a mini and full pedicure at £9.00 and £18.00.  And with your feet looking so good, your hands should too, so why not indulge them with a manicure?  Prices start at £7 for a mini manicure.

If you’re not going abroad this winter then a St Tropez tan treatment is the next best thing to keep that summer glow.  It will make you look as though you’ve had a holiday somewhere exotic and at only £40 for a full body, it’s certainly less expensive. 

The Beauty Room also offers thread vein removal, from £20 for five minutes, and electrolysis for a more permanent solution to hair removal.  Prices for this treatment start at £8.50 f0r five minutes. 

For more information on the treatments available at The Beauty Room call 020 8661 1613.

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Clinic busy giving something back

The Sutton Chiropractic Clinic plays its full part in the community by backing a number of charities and health initiatives.

Brian Hammond is a trustee and past director of research of BackCare, the independent charity working to reduce the impact that back pain has on our lives.

Individual sufferers can join the association for only £20.50 a year (£11.50 if they are solely dependant on state benefits). There is also a family membership at £25.50 (£14.50 for concessions) and overseas membership at £30.00.

Members are entitled to, among other things: access to their local branch of BackCare , access to the BackCare Helpline, access to the BackCare Clinical Negligence Helpline and discounted rates at many osteopaths, chiropractors and private physiotherapists nationwide.

Brian is also a member of BackCare’s Schools Emergency Packs working group.

The clinic has been active in supporting Headway, the brain injury association. It was a major contributor at a recent charity auction, raising £475 for the association.

Headway’s aim is to promote understanding of all aspects of brain injury; and to provide information, support and services to people with a brain injury, their family and their carers.

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Mind your backs!

When seeking treatment, patients need to ensure that they are visiting the right Chiropractic practice.

New styles of chiropractic clinics are being set up, close by established, “traditional” practices.  These clinics give themselves similar names to that of the established clinics and proceed to take patients with promises of discounted treatments for up-front payments.  Although the treatments may appear to be less expensive, patients are often treated in the same, open plan room at the same time.

The traditional style of chiropractic treatment involves patients being seen individually.  Patients are asked to undress and ladies are offered an open backed gown and a dressing gown so that they feel more comfortable.  But the interloper clinics are treating patients fully clothed. Some practitioners are seeing between 24 and 30 patients in an hour with up to six patients being treated together.

The therapists at Sutton Chiropractic Clinic wish to assure their past, present and future patients that they will continue to be treated on a one-to-one basis, with privacy and in a dedicated treatment room. They will be treated with courtesy, respect and honesty, with every aspect of their treatment being fully explained to them. All new patients get an initial 45-minute one-to-one consultation.

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