Your Hertfordshire Body in Harmony

28/02/2026

Inflammation plays a significant role in so many diseases and painful processes – and there are various herbs and spices which can help to reduce it.

Turmeric is the star amongst these, whether:
- the ground powder in a spice jar, or one of those big bags from the Indian section in the supermarket
- the root itself [great added to a smoothie] if you can find it in ethnic shops, and some independent health food shops,
- or as a tea – there are various blends available if you look in the herbal tea section. I particularly like the one from Sainsbury’s, but I know that Twining’s and Pukka also have turmeric-based recipes.

However, be warned that if you drink turmeric tea, it might stain your mug bright yellow – I keep a black mug for when I drink it!

Turmeric is a warming spice, rather than a fiery one – with an earthy kind of flavour. You can add a little bit to all sorts of recipes, whether sweet or savoury, without necessarily being able to taste it.

Above all, keep moving – or at the very least, Sit Less – and consider booking yourself an osteopathic MOT for a summer tune-up.

21/02/2026

Are your shoulders are getting a bit stiff?

Here's a short, easy tip for you. All you need is your imagination ... and your arms.

Imagine that ... you ... are ... an octopus!! A slow, stately octopus:

and your arms are your tentacles,

wafting gently and s-l-o-w-l-y in the warm sea waters.

With kindness, seek out the stiffer nooks and crannies within what your shoulders can comfortably do.

You can 'octopus' sitting at your desk, or standing up wherever you have the room to move your arms.

It’s gently playful,
uses your right brain imagination,
will probably put a smile on your face,
and will help you bring to calm and serenity in our busy and somewhat crazy world.

Do let me know how you get on ...

14/02/2026

7 tips for Valentine’s Day with a bad back.
It’s Valentine’s Day. You really want to be with your Beloved, but your back is aching – what to do?! Here's my advice: https://buff.ly/4jNIQCM
I hope this down-to-earth advice helps, and that you have a fab evening!

07/02/2026

Would you like to cut back on your caffeine intake? Here's a useful strategy that works whether you are using instant coffee or real coffee (ground or beans).

On the first day, use slightly less of full-leaded coffee, and a smidgeon of decaf coffee to make up the full amount. You won’t taste the difference, honest!

And each day gradually shift the balance of the two – after a week or two you reach half and half, a 1:1 ratio, and it tastes fine. Keep going, until it’s virtually all decaff with a soupcon of full leaded coffee.

And then it’s easy to go the whole way of decaffeinated.

The most robust decaff (real) coffees I have found are from Lidl, Morrisons, or Taylors of Harrogate.

Instant – try Clipper, Machu Picchu or Azeera.

Doing it slowly, you don’t get the crash and burn of withdrawal symptoms.

This worked well for me - hopefully it will for you too. Let me know how you get on!

31/01/2026

Do you ever struggle with your balance?

Or feel a bit light-headed if you have to wait at a traffic junction with an acute angle, looking in one direction for a long time while you wait for the flow of cars to give you enough space to emerge?

Your neck is key.

As we get older, the joints in our neck can get stiffer and stiffer, and the muscles get tighter and tighter until they forget how to relax.

Alongside osteopathic treatment, exercise is key!

Learning new skills is good for your brain, from balance exercises to learning Tai Chi, or going to dance classes.

Research has shown that how well we balance can be a measure of how healthily we age – even more reason to make a start, however old you are now.

25/01/2026

You may have heard me mention what I call Christina’s 3-Day Rule, namely:

Lots of aches and pains will settle down given 3 Days of TLC.

If something is still hurting after 3 Days, then get in touch on Day 4 and we can book you in for a check-up.

It is so much easier to fix things quickly, soon after they have happened.

Text me or call me on 07535 350 343. I may be with a patient, so a text is best, and I can call you back to book you in.

17/01/2026

How do you cope with the winter months? I know that some of you get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – light boxes can help, but nothing beats natural sunlight. As I am typing this, it’s a pale sunlit kind of morning, and I hope to go for a short walk later: time in nature is wonderful.

Also, taking Vitamin D is important during these darker months – good for your brain, good for your immune system, and good for your lungs. Please ask me about Vitamin D tablets and natural ways to include Vitamin D in your diet.

Enjoy the sunlight whenever we have it! And if you can do some stretching in the sunlight, even better.

See you soon, and enjoy your walks!

10/01/2026

Sleep issues are something that we all have to deal with from time to time. Here are some of my top tips for better sleep. Wishing you good health, and sweet dreams . . . https://buff.ly/45lG1le

03/01/2026

Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable a tortoise's neck looks? Many of us adopt the same neck position when sitting or using technology! Try these posture pointers: https://buff.ly/3J6obJO

27/12/2025

Do you enjoy dancing? Here are seven great reasons to give it a go! A New Year's eve celebration is the perfect opportunity! https://buff.ly/3GEMpZy

Here are seven great reasons why dancing is fantastic for your wellbeing, physically and emotionally. Do you feel that maybe you are too stiff to try dancing? Or have a restriction that prevents you from dancing? See Christina Raven, the singing - and dancing - osteopath in Baldock & Bromley

20/12/2025

As Greg Lake sang in his wonderful song I believe in Father Christmas :

I wish you a hopeful Christmas, I wish you a brave new year,
all anguish pain and sadness leave your heart and let your road be clear . . .

This was one of the songs we sang when I was playing for a village Christmas event. If you are a current patient, then you will know that I am involved with seasonal concerts and services – and huge fun it is, too!

And they are all so different, which is part of the pleasure. Ranging from Renaissance polyphony via fabulous arrangements of Gaudete and O Come O Come Emmanuel through to A Spaceman Came Travelling and A Fairy Tale of New York.

Whatever you are doing over the festive period, I hope it all goes as well and as smoothly as possible – and a big thank you for your custom this last year.

14/12/2025

So much wisdom here!

I’ve spent my career trying to help people recover what they’ve lost—mobility, strength, confidence in their bodies. But at 60, I’m far more interested in preserving what I have. That’s not a fear-based approach. It’s a strategic one. I know the slope gets steeper with age. But I also know how much control we still have over the trajectory.

No… This isn’t a set of slow fade strategies. It’s a conscious set of strategies meant to build slowly… and meticulously maintain what I’ve gained.

We are still capable of building muscle mass, increasing strength, improving coordination, agility, and enhancing balance. And yes, this includes menopausal women, who are sadly bombarded online by so much nonsense on social media saying that they’re damaged and done.

No… this post is about the strategies I employ to improve my consistency. It does mean dialing down the intensity occasionally. It means that I manage my load far better… I am much less likely to be too sore after a day in the gym to be able to run. I leave the rock-climbing gym after 1 hour instead of 2. Small changes.

So here’s what I’m doubling down on right now. These aren’t trends. These are non-negotiables—the things that protect my capacity and push back against decline.

1. Low-Intensity, High-Volume Movement
Not every session requires intense effort. But nearly every day includes deliberate, low-intensity movement—such as walking, biking, or hiking. It’s the foundation for mitochondrial health, glucose control, and recovery. It’s not just about burning calories. It’s about staying metabolically flexible and biologically “young.” Remember, nearly every longevity study shows dramatic benefit from walking 7,000 steps a day. For some of us, that’s our baseline, and for many, their ceiling-- and that’s okay.

2. Training for Real-Life Skills: Strength, Power, Balance, and Agility
You didn’t fall because you tripped; you fell because you couldn’t recover. The nuance is important to recognize. At this stage, training isn’t just about building muscle—it’s about preserving the skills that keep you upright, capable, and independent:
Strength to lift.
Power to react.
Balance to recover.
Agility to adapt.

These aren’t “nice-to-haves”—they’re lifesaving. A fall, a misstep, a moment of hesitation… this is where decline often starts. So I train for those moments now, not after they’ve already happened.

3. Sleep Discipline
There’s no buffer for inadequate sleep anymore. It affects recovery, adaptation, cognition, mood, and inflammation. So, I’ve become more serious about it: (usually) the same bedtime, no late meals (3 hours between the last meal and hitting the pillow), and consistent light exposure in the morning (which sets your circadian rhythm). Sleep is the silent partner if I want everything else to work well.

4. Proper Nutrition
Plenty of protein. Lots of fruit/veggies. No fear of carbs. I seek 30+ grams of fiber/day. I’m not chasing purity, and I stay out of dietary rabbit holes—I’m chasing consistency. My nutrition supports muscle, movement, and metabolic health. That means eating well most of the time… and still enjoying the occasional pint of ice cream without guilt.

5. Saying No to Stupid Risks- usually ;-)
Injuries take longer to heal. Momentum is harder to regain, so I try to train to avoid a setback. And recovery from setbacks or injuries is never linear. As a result, I’ve become more cautious about taking risks. I still train hard on occasion. I still rock climb. However, I only climb V1s to V3s and stop at 10a on the wall. I still push and pull heavy weights in the gym, but only weights that I can move 8-10x. I skip the ego lifts, the overloaded joints, the chaotic weekends that wreck recovery.

I’m not optimizing for youth—I’m investing in durability. I want to keep moving, thinking, lifting, contributing—and I know what that requires.

At 60, the margin for error shrinks. The price for ignoring the above increases dramatically. But what is the payoff for consistency? It’s huge.

Do you even read this far? ;-). If so, let me know, and I'll continue posting like this.