Chiltern Bodymatters

02/01/2022

Please wear a decent mask and wear it properly!

Now that we better understand how the virus spreads, increasing the use of FFP2 and FFP3 masks should be a priority, says mask expert Claire Horwell

06/04/2020

Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works at Queen's Hospital in Romford, has shared a breathing technique to help patients fight off coronavirus - with JK Rowling claiming it helped her recover.

22/08/2018

I found this interesting, and it made me think that varying one's cadence,both up and down in a higher gear, to take oneself out of the comfort zone is a better form of interval training than the usual high cadence thrash!

Being able to perform at various cadence levels is crucial.

29/06/2017

Fad diets and misconceptions about what is good for you have done a lot more harm than good. This article explains a fair bit.
I was at a presentation a couple of weeks ago on sports nutrition, where it was suggested that a large number of sports people have very poor diets and as a result suffer intestinal problems; this is particularly true of distance runners and other endurance athletes such as cyclists.

We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I…

07/12/2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/doctors-diary/doctors-diary-taking-prescribed-drugs-indefinitely-can-have-unkn/


Click on the link and find two little articles that interest me - Polypharmacy and Frozen shoulders. Both are subjects that I tend to bang on about a bit to anyone who will listen.

All I will say about the Polypharmacy is that I agree with his view, but would add that many conditions can be much improved by changes in lifestyle, diet, breathing patterns and fitness.

With regard to Frozen shoulders - Most are not . The term has become generic for most conditions where a painful shoulder restricts movement. Properly speaking, a true frozen shoulder is adhesive capsulitis, which is fairly rare – imagine that the joint capsule is a bit like a bloodhounds face, all wrinkly, allowing the arm to move through a huge range of movement in all directions. These folds can become stuck together, commonly as a result of the shoulder being barely moved because of pain.

Pain in the shoulder is a common condition, arriving in my clinic at frequent intervals. The causes are sometimes the result of damage to muscles, tendons or ligaments which the patient can attribute to a specific event (which they have often made worse by continuing to use the arm!); in many other cases patients present with pain that has “crept up on them”, and this is usually the result of overuse of the arm/shoulder, particularly with poor technique or joint control. In other words, muscles working out of balance are subject to unnecessary forces which can cause damage to the muscles themselves, or to the joints that they control.

Many cases of shoulder pain can be resolved quickly and easily, particularly if seen early, with the appropriate blend of soft tissue release work, suitable stretches and exercises. And most importantly, at least for the short term, the patient should find a way to do things without causing pain in that shoulder. Once pain free use has been restored perhaps some thought should be given to better movement patterns to reduce the chance of a return of the condition.

Surgery, injections etc. are all, in my view, treatments of last resort. If needed then I would conclude that effective treatment was not offered early enough or perhaps not sought by patients putting up with pain or just ignorant of what is out there.

Of course much effective treatment is only accessible to those who can pay for it.

But that’s another rant!!

Long-term safety of drugs for life The dangers of polypharmacy, a recurring theme in this column, are prodigiously compounded, observes retired Professor of Cardiology Desmond Julian, by the current practice of prescribing drugs indefinitely, “even though their long-term safety and efficacy are un…

28/10/2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/11959193/Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome-sufferers-can-overcome-symptoms-of-ME-with-positive-thinking-and-exercise.html?WT.mc_id=e_DM58301&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_2015_10_28&utm_campaign=DM58301


ME is a condition I have had a close interest in for very many years.
I came across this article in the Telegraph, and apart from the headlines, it actually has something useful to say in the content - most specifically....
ME sufferers can become stuck within the bounds of what they think they are capable.
In my view if nothing is done to widen these bounds then they will probably shrink. However care must be taken not to push these boundaries too fast and never imply that there is a mental issue.

Oxford University has found ME is not actually a chronic illness

19/10/2015

I've been doing Pilates on and off for almost four years, and have recently started meditation (it's been branded as "Mindfulness", but they're basically the same thing). The health benefits of the...

06/05/2015

The longer I live the more I realise that what makes a difference in life is attitude.

The past, our education, circumstances, successes and failures, what others think, say or do, our appearance, skills or talent, will all impact on our lives.

But every day we have a choice
Regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

The only way we can change what happens to us is by how we deal with it – by our attitude.

We are all in charge of our attitudes……

Accept the responsibility and life will be the better for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfeVkJoj0xY

Have a great day!

15/04/2015

Have you heard of an exercise called “The Plank”?

A plank, for the uninitiated, is an exercise position that’s generally regarded as one of the toughest things you can do to your body.
You lie flat on the floor, then raise yourself on your tiptoes and elbows — keeping your forearms on the ground and your back flat, so you look like a coffee table. Then you hold that position for as long as you can.

It’s been around for years, but has now made it to an article in the Daily Mail last Thursday.
The article was written by a lady who had been doing Pilates for years, but more recently had been caught up in the craze for “Planking”. This is competitive, with holding the position for two minutes a hard target and five being “the Holy Grail”! After some time and her achieving her two minutes, the result of all this for her was pain, initially in her chest and arm and then behind her breast. Eventually medical opinion informed her that she had costochondritis – an inflammation of the joints between ribs and breastbone. Apparently many people achieve this. Towards the end of the article there were comments by various experts, most saying that “The Plank” should be left out of most exercise regimes.
My take……
All exercise can damage you if not done correctly and within your current ability
“The Plank” is an advanced exercise – it requires strength throughout the body, particularly in the core/abdomen, shoulders, buttocks and legs. It shouldn’t be carried by your chest and back. But this is what is likely to happen if you try to hold the position for too long, and this is what can happen when competition is involved.

I would very much like others to comment on the subject of pushing exercise too far…….

02/04/2015

10,000 repetitions

It is my understanding that 10,000 repetitions are required for the acquisition of physical skills such as piano playing or tennis. It is supposed to take all those repetitions for new actions to become automatic. With a bit of talent and some practice it is possible to become a competent pianist or tennis player, but it takes a lot, lot more work to reach the level of a Lang Lang or a Federer. Those fingers have to know, without thinking or looking, where every key is on the piano, and how hard to press and in what combination to produce the sound required. Every shot a top tennis player makes is an automatic move built on hours and hours of practice; this enables the mind to be free to plan and execute strategy and so take them beyond the competent. We have all seen the sometimes spectacular falling apart of star players following a bad shot. This happens when they start to thinking about the mechanics of what they are doing (which usually means that they try and change something), instead of relying on the skill they have built up through all that practice and just accept that it was a bad shot and move on. Golfers are particularly prone to this – Tiger Woods’ freefall this last year or so shows to me that he is allowing his messed up mind to interfere with the physical skills of his golf.
For myself, I find that if I don’t fly regularly that I have far too much to do in my brain when, for example, landing as I find that I need to concentrate on handling skills as well as positioning my glider in the right place in the sky, look out for other aircraft, run through the pre landing checks etc. When the ex*****on of this stuff is fairly automatic it is so much easier….

24/03/2015

So, the weather is getting warmer and much more cycle friendly. This means that there will be even more of us out there!
Cycling has become much more important to me over the last couple of years, while my knee slowly disintegrates with arthritis. Despite a couple of operations and my, and other’s, skills in rehab, I can now no longer run. So I rely increasingly on cycling to keep me fit.
Turning the pedals on a bike is nothing like as load bearing as running or even walking. One can also monitor leg and knee alignment which, together with correct bike set up, minimises the load on the wearing surfaces and the strain on the supporting structures. Of course I still have to stretch, particularly the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh – to reduce the tightness with which the kneecap is pulled against its wearing surface.
This, I hope, is going to be a really BIG YEAR for me in cycling, as I am hoping to cycle from Lands End to John ‘O Groats in September.
This is not for Charity, just a massive challenge for me!!
The training is under way, with over 70 somewhat hilly miles in the last week. I’m still finding it pretty tough to get up all those hills I thought didn’t exist in “flat” Oxfordshire!
I shall keep you posted on the progress………

20/03/2015

As both a cyclist and a car driver, I can’t help noticing the frustrated interaction between us. The increasing volume of cyclists and the design of our roads means this situation is likely to get worse.
Most of us cyclists are also car drivers, so we should understand the frustration (‘though not the overt hate that is sometimes displayed!).
However, I think the problem is really one that faces all road users, whether they are in cars, vans, lorries, or on a horse or a bike. We all have a right to be there, and so we must share the road.
So, we must – all of us – be observant, courteous and considerate, and we shall all have more enjoyable journeys, whatever our transport.