Why is my body not symmetrical?
We’ve probably all had the surprise, some day, to realise that one of our ears was sitting higher than the other, that our shoulders were not level or that [...]
Ginger – a safe alternative to NSAIDs in the management of osteoarthritis?
A recently-published meta-analysis (i.e. summary of a number of carefully selected past studies) has shown that ginger was significantly better than placebo at alleviating pain and disability in osteoarthritis. As [...]
How symptoms often arise away from where the real problem is
Our body is extremely good at adjusting to and compensating for all sorts of stresses. But our compensatory ability is of course finite. Let's take the example of a significant [...]
Our body’s relentless drive toward health
How amazing is our body’s ability to adapt, defend itself and repair? We can fast for weeks or eat largely in excess of our requirements, perform feats of physical endurance [...]
Giving your feet a workout – the value of minimalistic shoes
Our feet are wonderful, natural shock absorbers! If you are unsure about this, then try jumping and landing on your heels instead of the front of your feet – you [...]
How our emotions affect our body
The connection between our mind and body has long been recognised. It is well represented in contemporary language, with expressions such as ‘having a gut feeling’, ‘being left breathless’ and [...]
How our body responds to trauma
Trauma comes in various forms – from a physical injury to a distressing emotional experience. In any case, trauma challenges our system and activates defensive mechanisms in our mind and [...]
Lower back pain – how could diet possibly make a difference?
Back pain has reached epidemic proportions in developed countries. In Australia, it is estimated that up to 80% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives, [...]
Movement and brain development – why should we encourage our children to move?
Storing new memories and learning new skills, whether mental or physical, means creating new connections (synapses) between the many cells (neurons) in our brain. The formation and constant remodelling of [...]
Acute pain and chronic pain – 2 fairly different problems
Pain is a complex and still imperfectly understood phenomenon. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or [...]