Friday 30 December 2016

Happy New Year for 2017. Open again for Osteopathy and Acupuncture on Wednesday 4th January

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017.  Open again for Osteopathy and Acupuncture from Wednesday 4th January.   Just in case you have any excess excitement or mishaps over the festive New Year period, or you find that an old injury or health limitation has resurfaced - and you may feel the need for some restorative osteopathy and / or acupuncture.

Best book online in the usual way: www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz
and yes, you can still always phone on 03 980 2425 or 021 0426282

Friday 23 December 2016

Holiday Opening for Osteopathy and Acupuncture: open from Tuesday 27 December

Happy Christmas. Open again for Osteopathy and Acupuncture on Tuesday 27th.  So no worries if you are in pain, or have some mishap over the holiday fun season.  To book, best book online at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz  (and check out the new website for Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture, with lots of new photos and the modern website look, for the coolest osteopathy / osteopath / acupuncture website in town!  Tell me what you think).

And if you can't see any osteopathy / acupuncture appointment time available, on the day / time you need it  -  maybe you have a flight to catch  -  or your family's schedule is complicated  -  then you can still phone me on 03 980 2425  (don't worry, other people do, I'm used to it.).  Have fun, play safe.
Best wishes for the holidays,
Mike
(osteopath)

Saturday 17 December 2016

osteopathy and acupuncture appointments still available before Christmas

There are still osteopathy and acupuncture appointments available next week,  including a few after-hours and evening appointments, up until Saturday 24th.
So you can be in top form for your holidays (hopefully) free from any aches and pains.

And if Friday still seems a little way to go, and your work schedule, shopping and social calendar seem insanely busy, then of course, remember that osteopathy and acupuncture can also have that bonus of being wonderful for stress-management and simply slowing down and having that restorative 'time-out' hour or so, and perhaps a wonderful best night's sleep for a long time since you can remember..

To check the clinic calendar for all available osteopathy and/or acupuncture appointments - if you know you have a flight, or long-drive, and you back might benefit from a preventative 'tune up' for a hopefully pain-free holiday, and indulge in some 'me-time' before Friday, then check online:

www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

And, yes, you can still phone on 03 980 2425

Happy Holidays,
Mike
(osteopath)

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Back from the UK. Clinic fully Open again for Osteopathy / Acupuncture

For anyone who is feeling the Spring Frenzy as the manic run up to the holidays approaches, with deadlines and trying to get everything done and completed.  So if you are in need of Osteopathy / Acupuncture and well-deserved maintainennce to get you through until the 24th, and the holidays  . . .

Just to let everyone know that I am now back from my annual November Osteopathy and Cranial Osteopathy study-trip and a rather wonderful meditation retreat in the UK.  And, yes, I missed all the excitement and shaking of our geologically unstable home here in the South Island.  My friends in the UK thought it was Christchurch, as Kaikoura was not mentioned as the epicenter of the quake on the initial News release.

And for those of you that heard about the Melbourne Pollen Acute Asthma episode, and how the hospitals were unable to cope that day,  well,  need I say more.  Perhaps you understand why I visit the UK in November (also pretty cheap flights  -  although, admittedly I do sometimes feel guilty about my carbon-footprint. Guess, flying on half empty planes helps a bit.)  Remind me never to visit my friends in Melbourne, or ever do any Osteopathy courses - well never in November anyway.

Anyway, the Osteopathy clinic here in Christchurch is fully open, as always, for Osteopathy and / or Acupuncture, including Saturdays, and Evening After-Hours appointments.   There will no doubt be that last minute rush, just before the holidays  (yes, I have a Family Holiday, and then another retreat booked in January, lucky me.)

So, of you do want to book in, then it's easy to book online: www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz,  or just phone 03 980 2425

Should I say 'Season' Greetings' as the say for the Festive period in the Northern Hemisphere (soon mid-winter),  Well, the long summer break is almost here . . .

Thursday 13 October 2016

clinic open on Saturdays 15th and 29th October for Osteopathy and Acupuncture

Just to let everyone know that the clinic will be open tomorrow (Saturday 15/10) and also Saturday 29/10 for Osteopathy and/or Acupuncture appointments if you or a family member find it hard to get in during the week.

I will be away on retreat for the Labour weekend (21-24 October) although there are plenty of appointments available on the morning of Friday 21/10, and Kaori will be here to take bookings over the weekend.

To book, either phone 03 980 2425, or book online:  christchurch-ostoepathy-acupuncture.co.nz

However, please try to avoid clicking on the paid google Ad Words ad, if you see this. My pages are quite easy to find on google, by searching either "Michael Inman' or 'Christchurch Osteopath'.

Thursday 18 August 2016

Saturday Osteopathy and Acupuncture clinic

Just a reminder that the clinic here is open on Saturdays for Osteopathy and Acupuncture.   (Helpful if you find it difficult to get in during the week.)   To book, either phone 03 980 2425 or book online: www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Sunday 31 July 2016

Acupuncture and pain-management

Recently I read an article that Acupuncture is as effective as drugs in treating pain. This was from an Acupuncture trial in four Melbourne Emergency Departments.  This could open the way for more hospitals to offer Acupuncture as an effective (and low-cost) healthcare intervention.

Great to see such a successful and practical result with Acupuncture.  We have know for some time (since early research in the 1970s) that Acupuncture can be highly effective in pain management when it was shown to release naturally occurring opiod peptides, and B endorpin plays an important role in Acupuncture analgesia.  Han 2004 (Acupuncture and Endorphins. Neuroscience Letter 361: 258-261) found that Acupuncture releases both enkephalin in the spinal cord and B-endorphin in the brain.   There are no doubt other mechanisms that may be involved (e.g. Melzac's Gate Control theory, Central inhibitory effects, etc) but whatever the mechanisms, it seems to work.  Great for the patients (perhaps not so great for the pharmaceutical companies - but hey, there's a lot of chronic pain patients, who will still take a lot of medication).  But at least, more help is available, and acupuncture may become more a part of this.

If you wan to read more,  please look at:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/effectiveness.html


Inflammation and Ice (which is counterproductive - and wrong) Acupuncture and tissue healing. Osteopathy and Lymphatic drainage.

Recently I was reading an article on why Ice is wrong (Icing Injuries is Wrong) see:

http://stoneathleticmedicine.com/2015/02/10-reasons-icing-injuries-is-wrong/

Josh and Shagra Stone list, in a well-researched review list several reasons for this.  Among them are:

 " Ice does not facilitate proper collagen alignment. Diagnostic imaging of chronic tendon injuries like Achilles tendinopathy, jumper’s knee, runner’s knee, and plantar fasciitis show poor collagen arrangement of connective tissue." 

"Ice impedes cellular signaling and inhibits the proper development of new cells. The processes of mechanobiology and cellular signaling take progenitor cells—infant cells who do not know what they are going to be—and makes them into rebuilding cells like myocytes, osteocytes, tenocytes, chondrocytes, etc."


There are several reasons why Ice is ineffective and counterproductive, in that it inhibits the inflammatory process which is essential for tissue repair.  (The authors, in the above article, cite inflammatory cells as releasing the hormone Insulin like Growth Factor, a primary mediator of the effects of growth hormone, a stimulator of cell growth and proliferation, and potent inhibitor of programmed cell death).

Essentially the inflammatory process is a necessary part of tissue repair.  When receiving osteopathy and acupuncture treatment, I often tell my patients this - and make an analogy to the almost constant road-works here in Christchurch.  Yes, a drag, and causes traffic congestion, and slows everything down - yet an essential part of the city's repair process.

I have also speculated that the effectiveness of Acupuncture in treatment and pain-relief, may, at least in part, be due to the changes in blood flow and platelets secreting cytokines, and possibly release of insulin like grown factor also.  Admittedly this is an area for further research.  Certainly, cytokines and other metabolites can promote a healing cascade and stimulation for collagen regeneration.  
For more on this, please see:http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/scientificBasis.html

Clinically, Acupuncture, does seem to effect blood flow around the area being needles (with local endorphin release, and more far reaching effects  -   enkephalin in the spinal cord and B-endorphin in the brain. ( Han 2004 Acupuncture and Endorphins. Neuroscience Letter 361: 258-261).  We also know that the nervous system can be senstised to pain by the presence of inflammation, either peripherally, where the responsiveness of nerves is increased by the presence of inflammatory mediators, or centrally where additional receptors are recruited that amplify the nociceptive (pain) signal.


In their article, Josh and Shagra Stone, also mention (as evidence against the use of Ice):
"Swelling—a byproduct of the inflammatory process—must be removed from the injured area. Swelling does not accumulate at an injured part because there is excessive swelling, rather it accumulates because lymphatic drainage is slowed. The lymphatic system does this through muscle contraction and compression. Ice has been shown to reverse lymphatic flow."

In my early training as an Osteopath  (at the Institute for Classical Osteopathy, with John Wernham - who studied with John Martin Littlejohn in the 1930s, who in turn studied with Andrew Still in the 1890s, the original founder of Osteopathy) great emphasis was placed on lymphatic drainage in osteopathic treatment.  Yes, of course, bio-mechanics, alignment, joint range of motion are also all important, yet the treatment and principles taught by Wernham always placed great emphasis on lymphatic drainage, from the lower extremities (calf pump) to the diaphragm (cysterna cylii) and finally the clavicles and return to the superior vena cava, via the thoracic ducts.  (Littlejohn, whilst a brilliant physiologist, was also an anatomist, and made a life long study of these disciplines, which were still in their infancy at the beginning of the twentieth century).

For more around this you could look at see:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/osteopathy/history.html


So interesting how modern research and observation, bears out Osteopathic knowledge over a century old.  The more of this the better.

In summary (for I have gone far beyond "Why Ice is bad') it begs the question, so how then should we treat injuries?  Elevation may still be good (effective elevation needs to raise the injured area above the level of the heart, for optimal drainage.  Easy for an arm, less so for a leg.)

Well, just to be practical (for patients and clinicians) I've always found a combination of acupuncture and gentle osteopathy to be excellent, and bring good results, both in the short and long term.  And the reasons why, are easy to see, if we think of this basic physiology, and the cellular and inflammatory processes underpinning it.  Research and Evidenced based medicine are helpful here, as it will give us much greater understanding of what is most effective.

For more on this you might want to see:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/osteopathy/sportsInjuries.html


Sunday 26 June 2016

if you sometimes see my Osteopathy / Acupuncture (www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz) Google paid Ad (AdWords) could you PLEASE AVOID CLICKING ON IT !

Just a request to you all, that if you sometimes see my Osteopathy / Acupuncture
(www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz)
Google paid Ad (AdWords) could you PLEASE AVOID CLICKING ON IT !
This is an experiment (actually, a free credit towards a promotion), but as I have the only Osteopathy and Acupuncture clinic to use the Ezybook real-time internet diary here in Christchurch, if you guys, as my regular patients, start clicking on it every time you need to re-book your osteopath appointment, then it will rapidly deplete all the credit!

I think Google as a hugely successful multinational corporation can survive a little thriftiness on our part!  (yes, this is a pay per click ad)

All that would happen is that the monthly set budget would get used up in a few days, rather than last a whole month - so then the Ad would just disappear, and not be visible for new people (for whom it is intended) to book their osteopathy and acupuncture appointments.

So thank you for your consideration and understanding.

So -  instead of clicking on the ad, please click on my (unpaid) Osteopathy listing further down the page, or just copy and paste my web site address into your browser (without clicking on the Ad please).
Or save this link somewhere:  www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz
Actually  -  the clinic is very busy  - so you may not always see the Ad.  (The great advantage is that I can turn it off, when it's very busy).  And don't worry, I'm still doing After-Hours (although it's a good idea to book ahead as these times are popular) and there are still plenty of appointments available.

I'm trying to save the paid Ad for New patients as much as possible -  which will make it considerably cheaper (and possible) to run.  
It's just that no other Osteopathy clinic uses a real-time internet booking system (Ezybook) as I do, here in Christchurch (so no one else will run into this problem)

Of course, you can still always phone on 03 980 2425,  or 021  043 6282 to book your appointment.
Kind regards,
Mike

Sunday 22 May 2016

The Christchurch Marathon, Running and Sports Injuries: Acupuncture and Osteopathy (not just physiotherapy)

Those of us in Christchurch will be aware that this Queen's Birthday weekend, areas of the central city will be closed to traffic due to the Christchurch Airport Marathon.

If you are an athlete, or training in any competitive sport, then if you are unfortunate enough to 
suffer and injury  (or have an earlier injury that is not completely resolved)  you will want the best possible recovery period, and so may seek the help of a health  professional  (physiotherapist, massage therapist, osteopath, chiropractor, or acupuncturist).


Recently I came across this article about treating running injuries with Acupuncture:

'' . . .  for consumers who understand that not all illnesses, diseases and ailments require western medicine to cure and heal.''
For the full article, please see:
https://www.runsociety.com/opinions/how-to-treat-your-running-injury-traditional-chinese-or-western-medicine/


It discusses the conventional Western Medical pharmaceutical approach of prescribing 'muscle relaxants', and 
then goes on to outline a Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM, i.e. Acupuncture and Herbs) approach.


For example the standard First Aid protocol is rest, ice, compression, elevation. We all remember this, don't we?


OK, good for the Sports field, and the very immediate aftermath of an injury (up to the initial few hours) and 
perhaps helpful if there is lingering swelling.


But in TCM compression is though to only exacerbate what they term 'blood stagnation' and this would tend to 
retard tissue healing.


Anyway,  if you are presently training (or are keen to return to training), then all of this might
interest  you.

Good treatment  (alignment and muscle balance, with osteopathic adjustment) and local tissue repair 
(and acupuncture can be excellent for this).

Please see:


http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/osteopathy/firstVisit.html



http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/firstVisit.html














Thursday 28 April 2016

Acupuncture for back pain. Comments on the 'NICE low back pain guidelines - a big misunderstanding'.

Acupuncture for low back pain.  Comments on the 'NICE low back pain guidelines. 

Recently there has been some controversy as the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the UK have stopped recommending acupuncture for back pain.  The reasons are complex after review of clinical research.  However, it seems that there were serious flaws in the design of the most recent NICE study, and Mel Koppleman has come up with a detailed analysis of the processes used by NICE to amend their guidelines which removed acupuncture as recommended treatment for lower back pain.

For more on this please see:

http://www.abetterwaytohealth.com/the-nice-low-back-pain-guidelines-a-big-misunderstanding/

For practical purposes Acupuncture still works very well for Low back pain (of course, even better if osteopathy and manipulation can be added as tools in the toolbox). It seems that NICE in the UK have reviewed current research and for complex reasons removed their recommendation of acupuncture for low back pain. This decision is controversial and complex - and Mike Cummings (an academic and medical acupuncturist) has reviewed and responded to this.
Large studies work generically with large populations and statistical number-crunching. There's nothing wrong with this, and indeed Evidenced -based medicine puts every medical intervention, procedure and treatment protocol under scrutiny, as it should.

For examples of this, please see:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/effectiveness.html

But just remember that we treat 'people' not 'populations', 'individuals' not 'diseases'. This is far more relevant for individual clinicians, be they GPs, acupuncturists, chiropractors, physiotherapists or osteopaths.
Know your patient. Get it right. Do good work - and use safe effective interventions. Acupuncture is definitely one of them. It has stood the test of time (several thousands of years) and modern research will no doubt give differing indications, and probably come round again. It usually does.
Have a look at:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/scientificBasis.html

Your patients know it works, for them. They keep coming back, and tell their friends (and their GPs). Good enough.


Sunday 17 April 2016

This week is National (NZ) Osteopathy Awareness week (17-23 April)

Just a reminder that this week is National  (NZ) Osteopathy Awareness week  (17-23 April), so you may notice media information about Osteopathy this week.

Below is one example, that suggests that Osteopathy may help relieve the symptoms of migraines, arthritis, sports and occupational injuries, and can help with developmental problems in children (e.g. scoliosis) :

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/78134566/day-at-the-office-osteopaths--theyve-got-your-back

To read more about the history and principal of Osteopathy, you could also look at:

http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/osteopathy/principles.html

Friday 15 April 2016

Osteopathy Awareness week is 17-23 April. Open Saturdays, and also Anzac weekend (Saturday 23 April) for Osteopathy and Acupuncture

Osteopathy Awareness week is 17-23 April.

Also a reminder that for Osteopathy and Acupuncture we are open Saturdays, and also Anzac weekend (Saturday 23 April) for Osteopathy and Acupuncture.

To book either phone 03 980 2425 or book online at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Thursday 31 March 2016

Saturdays for Osteopathy and Acupuncture: open on 02/04 and 16/04. For bookings: www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Just to let everybody know that the clinic is also open tomorrow -  Saturday 2nd April for Osteopathy and Acupuncture.  We will not be open the following Saturday (9th April) as I am doing a course that weekend.  The clinic will also be open on Saturday 16th April, but not on Saturday 23rd (Anzac weekend).

There is also good availability on most weekdays, including evening after-hours appointments.  To book, either phone 03 980 2425, or book online at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Friday 18 March 2016

Clinic open Saturdays for Osteopathy and Acupuncture (After-hours Evening appointments are also available) www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Just a reminder that the clinic is open on Saturdays, if you (or a family member) would like any Osteopathy (or Acupuncture) and find it hard to get in during the week (or may live some distance from Christchurch).

There are also after-hours evening Osteopathy / Acupuncture appointments available.

To book, you can book online (at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz) or phone 03 980 2425

Sunday 28 February 2016

Osteopathy and Acupuncture, appointments available this week. After-hours (evenings / Saturday) Osteopathy and /or Acupuncture appointments are also available.

If you would like an appointment for Osteopathy and/or Acupuncture, there is good availability this week, including evening Osteopathy / Acupuncture appointments, and Saturdays.  To book either phone 03 980 2425 or 021 0436282, or book your own appointment online at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Monday 22 February 2016

clinic fully open again this week for Osteopathy and Acupuncture

Some people tried to contact me on Friday (19/02) when I was away in Sydney attending the Breathworks-Mindfulness teachers conference weekend.  Should you need an appointment for either Osteopathy or Acupuncture, then the clinic is fully open this week, and there are Osteopathy and Acupuncture appointments available, including evening after-hours appointments, and also Saturday.

To book, either phone 03 980 2425  (or 021 043 6282) or you can book online at:  www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz

Sunday 24 January 2016

clinic open again for Osteopathy and Acupuncture

The clinic is fully open again after the holidays for Osteopathy and Acupuncture.  Apologies for anyone who tried to contact me last week  (as I was away on retreat).
The are Osteopathy and Acupuncture appointments available this week, with good availability, and some evening after-hours appointments also.
To book, either phone 03 980 2425, or book online at www.christchurch-osteopathy- acupuncture.co.nz

Tuesday 5 January 2016

clinic open this week for Osteopathy and Acupuncture

The clinic is open this week for Osteopathy and Acupuncture, but (sorry) I'm away on retreat again from Saturday 9th until Monday 25th  (yes, I know, self-indulgent, but 'me-time' can be very healing and restorative, as can a lot of qigong, and yoga and time in the bush).  

So if you need an urgent osteopathy or acupuncture appointment, there are still some available tomorrow, and Friday.  Most other osteopaths are back next week, and the clinic is fully open again for osteopathy and acupuncture from Monday 25th.  Kaori, of course, is an excellent massage therapist (deep-tissue and aromatherapy) and will be here, and may be able to take on extra patients.  She will also be here to take phone bookings for both osteopathy and acupuncture appointments (03 980 2425) from 25/01 onwards, but it's easiest to book online at www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz