Kate Turner - Thrive Osteopathy

23/03/2026

Foot series #1 What the foot?

Feet. They're responsible for grounding us. For balancing us and supporting us with every step. Can you imagine if you weren't able to walk because your feet were so painful? 1 in 3 adults over the age of 45 will have foot pain at some point.

Yet how much attention do you pay to your feet? How much care do you give them?

Most people are cramming their feet into shoes that are too narrrow and too stiff and then wondering why they have bunions or foot pain.

Take a look at the image. Feet are incredible, complex pieces of engineering. There are lots of different areas where things can go wrong. And of course, they’re connected to the rest of your legs, where other joints can also start to misbehave.

Even so, walking is absolutely essential for our health. It’s been shown to help reduce the risk of depression, cancer, and dementia. And, quite simply, it helps us get where we need to go.

We neglect our feet. We look at other areas of the body and decide if we need strengthening or mobilising or stretching. Well, that applies to our feet too.

Historically, feet have been packed into shoes for protection. But there is more and more understanding that feet = movement. It's why we have all those joints in the feet. So if we wear shoes that don't respect the anatomy of the foot or the potential of movement, we are going to lose that movement. And we might have pain.

So if you have foot problems, let's have a look at your biomechanics.

We’ll assess your feet, but we’ll also look at the bigger picture — your pelvis, your lower limbs, your lumbar spine, and your upper body.

Once we can see where the loading isn’t working as it should, we can help you strengthen your feet and get things working properly again.

16/03/2026

Can an osteopath help with foot pain?

Yes — osteopaths are trained to assess and treat the whole body, not just backs!

Foot pain can develop for a host of different reasons. Our role is to identify the underlying cause and support your recovery so you can return to being pain-free.

Common conditions such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis can occur even without a specific injury. Often, effective treatment involves looking beyond the foot itself and considering the entire movement chain — including the ankle, knee, hip, and pelvis.

Osteopaths take a holistic approach, assessing how all the parts of your body work together and treating you in a way that restores health, improves function, and well... gets you back on your feet.

Message for an appointment or book at Plympton online.....
✅ https://plymosteoclinic.co.uk/book-online-plymouth/ ✅

13/03/2026

Serotonin supporting foods to keep you feeling gooooood. 🥰

Serotonin is known as the happy 'hormone' and it can feel in short supply by the end of winter.
Most of it is produced in our gut so gut health is crucial, despite the urge to live off apple crumble and custard! So let's look at the foods which will help provide you with the nutrients that will keep your serotonin topped up.

Tryptophan
Serotonin is produced from this essential amino acid.
Found in high protein foods such as chicken, turkey, eggs, cheddar cheese, salmon, nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia), yoghurt, edamame, and tofu. Tryptophan is needed to make serotonin and melatonin (the sleep neurochemical).

Omega 3
Has an anti inflammatory action. Inflammation can prevent tryptophan being utilised. From oily fish (salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel) or linseed oil, nuts and seeds.

Zinc
Lower levels can be linked to depression and it's needed to convert tryptophan to serotonin. Shellfish (oysters, crab, mussels), seeds ( or tahini), chickpeas, soya beans, lentils and dark chocolate!

B6
Liver is the best source but still, no thanks!
Otherwise, chicken, turkey, salmon, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, chickpeas, soya beans.

Vitamin D
It's impossible to get enough in winter in the northern hemisphere so do supplement, especially if you are prone to SAD syndrome.

Complex carbohydrates
These stimulate insulin release, which helps tryptophan enter the brain, minimizing competition with other amino acids. Sources include whole grains, oats, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables.

Magnesium and iron also have a role in helping to support serotonin so get rich leafy greens into you and get into epsom salt baths along with lentils, sardines and pulses.

I hope this has given you some ideas of how to improve your mental health using food. 🍜🥰🍜

For recipe ideas and more research-backed information, Karen Newby is your woman. https://karennewby.com/

Note: You don't have to be menopausal to benefit from these foods!

Registered nutritionist and author with over 10 years clinical experience. Specialising in menopause nutrition and author of The Natural Menopause Method.

09/03/2026

Need a little help saying no to processed food?

I've found Chris van Tulleken's book great for helping me walk away from processed food. Sure, a chocolate-covered snack tastes great now and then. But when you realise it's just lab-made chemicals, you do start to ask what the point is.

If I'm drawn to ultra-processed food, I find it useful to ask if I want to consume ingredients that are also used in flea treatment, hair conditioner and condom lubricant! Every now and then the answer is I don't care - I want a quick fix. But more often these days, the answer is, I'll stick to dark chocolate or get the apron on and bake.

01/03/2026

Want to know the secret sauce to staying healthy and pain-free?

You know it already - your diet.

And it doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be as close to natural as you can manage. The impact of a diet high in processed food can be inflammation, metabolic disorder and exhaustion.

Our biology hasn't evolved as quickly as our lifestyles have. We used to be on the move a lot, eat natural foods, go to bed earlier for want of electricity and go for longer periods without eating.

Now we sit at desks, buy processed food, we're awake for longer and we snack!

Here are a few changes you could try to improve gut health, reduce inflammation, improve metabolic health and therefore, how you feel.

20/02/2026

We're not nosey, but in order to figure out how best to help you, we want to know everything about what's going on with you.

The more information you can give us about your current condition, the easier it is to work out what the problem might be.

And if you're aiming to get back to doing something, let us know what your goal is. That might be doing your DIY or smashing a personal best at Parkrun or playing with the grandkids. Whatever is important to you.

This is all about you!

14/02/2026

Happy Valentine's Day! 💜💗💜

Never mind chocolates and flowers.

Show you care to the most important person in your life!

Look after your body and it will look after you.

Drop me a message to see if I can help you feel better. 🥰

04/02/2026

Unsure if an osteopath can help you?

Think we're about bones? 💀

Or backs? 👍🏻

We are! But we're about the body. Your body. Any part of that body that might be giving you problems. Often we can also help with things like digestive issues, reflux, pelvic floor tension etc.

Osteopaths work holistically.

That means we're looking how all of your body and its systems work together and what happens when they go wrong.

If you're not sure, just message and ask. If I can't help you, I might know an osteopath who can. 🤓

17/11/2025

Sometimes you take on additional learning, only to find it changes your life!

Thank you to and every incredible woman involved in the NLP training I undertook last week.

NLP is a method we can use to make big changes in our mindset and what we can achieve.

And I think we did just that. 💥

If you're lucky, I might just share some of the secrets with you! 😉

02/11/2025

Nervous system reset.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to finally get to a yin and yoga nidra workshop by .

If you get the chance, it's a real reset button and I'm so grateful to Michelle for giving us this opportunity just as the evenings are drawing in.

Yin is a deep, quiet form of yoga that helps us find quiet in our body and mind. And nidra helps us to meditate with mind and body.

Autumn is the perfect time to slow down and nourish your soul and yoga with supports and blankets is a comforting way to do this.

Slowing the breath and focussing the mind helps us to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a calming influence.

If, like me, you sometimes need help to slow down, yin and nidra might be yoga practices which can help.

21/10/2025

It's Menopause Month and so here's a quick guide to point you in the direction if you're sick of feeling rubbish without being sure who to turn to.