Your SE London Body in Harmony

18/04/2026

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!

11/04/2026

A huge part of self-care is sleep.

Poor sleep has also been shown to be linked with
- weight gain
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- dementia (on a personal note here, my mother had Alzheimer’s, and for years she complained of sleeping badly).
- increased risk of accidents, akin to driving with too much alcohol in your blood
skin ageing prematurely

Not a pretty sight. Beauty sleep is what it says.

Is sleep something you struggle with, or does it come easily to you?

Cranial Osteopathy is wonderful for helping people to relax and to sleep better. It is a kindly and relaxing treatment – some patients fall asleep during their treatment!

If this interests you and you are in or near Baldock in Hertfordshire, or Bromley in SE London, give it a go!

04/04/2026

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.

28/03/2026

Having a body that is in harmony with itself is the ideal we all hope for, allowing us to live life to the full.

Regular osteopathic MOT treatments keep your aches and pains at bay. https://buff.ly/2X8alN0

21/03/2026

How to cope with losing an hour.

So the annual agony of the clocks going forward is nearly upon us here in the UK - it happens next weekend! Here’s a simple tip to prepare for it so that it’s not such a shock to get up an hour earlier.

Over the week or two leading up to it, I like to put my alarm clock earlier each day by about 5 minutes. This eases my inner body clock into the change without it being such a trauma.

And it helps to also start going to bed a little earlier each night as well.

If you are feeling a bit battered by the time shift, taking a few doses of Arnica can help. Arnica 30 will be fine – dissolve a couple of tablets underneath your tongue. If after 5 minutes they haven’t dissolved, then you can crunch them up and let the bits dissolve.

This way they are absorbed by the mucous membrane in your mouth, rather than by your stomach – and the soothing arnica gets into your bloodstream more quickly.

And – remember to drink plenty of water, especially first thing in the morning. Being well hydrated helps our bodies cope with the change.

Longer evenings are nearly here!

14/03/2026

Lately I have mentioned alternating heat and cold to several patients, so here is a useful reminder of how to do ‘Hot and Cold’. You'll also discover when to use cold, when to use heat and when to use both. Remember - if your pain persists I'm here to help, with clinics in Baldock, Herts and north Bromley in south London.
https://buff.ly/3wJwzLC

07/03/2026

As it’s International Women’s Day tomorrow (8 March) I thought a few words about women’s health would be timely. And chaps, if you have a wife, girlfriend, sister, mother etc – then women’s health matters to you too:

As we celebrate International Women's Day here are some tips about women's health. Update from Christina Raven, osteopath in Baldock SG7 & Bromley BR1

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!