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Latest NewsDo you suffer with Lower Back Pain? Click here for Study
Advert “DOC’S RAMBLINGS” May We had a captivating talk by Ian Traynar, a local osteopath. His talk was in 2 parts. Initially he facilitated a group discussion on the role of an osteopath, our preconceptions and how the Alexander Technique (AT) might fit in. He then went on to talk in a bit more detail about AT, explaining how it is actually the study of thinking in relation to movement and how "the poise of the head in relation to the body is key to the freedom and ease of movement." We just scraped the surface of this fascinating subject, but luckily Ian seemed willing to return at a later date and tell us more. Next month we have Sally Curtis coming to continue with her topic of Neurophysiology. She likes to make sure that she targets her talk to points of interest and so if you have any questions that you would like her to cover, please email Kevin and he will pass them on to her before the day. April Emma Davies, the pharmacist who works for the Southampton Pain Clinic, made a return visit today. We are so lucky to have a group of specialist speakers who have befriended our group and who are happy to come on a regular basis to talk to us. Emma led a group discussion about self medication. As we all know there are a host of medicines available over the counter, many of which make all sorts of claims about their effectiveness. Trying them can so often turn out to be a pointless and expensive experience. The main messages we took away from the meeting were: that it's important to keep your GP informed of any over the counter medications that you wish to try just in case they interact badly with the medication you already take, if your GP is uncertain about interactions then they can contact the pharmacy advisory service at the hospital, and if you are worried about any of your medications in general then make an appointment with your GP for a review ( try not to crowd out the consultation with other health issues so that the focus can be on your specific concerns about your medicines ). I'm looking forward to next month to hear more about the Alexander Technique from local osteopath Ian Traynar. We will also have a brief visit from Katherine
Bradbury who is doing research at Southampton University about
people's
experiences of physiotherapy and osteopathy treatments for
low back pain and who is looking for volunteers to get involved. (See
study advert above) March It was lovely to see so many faces, new and old,
at this our 49th meeting! It was our 4th birthday. We celebrated
with cake and took a commemorative group photo. February We had a good turn out on what was actually a lovely
spring afternoon. We were entertained by Richard Beale- this was
a return visit, by popular request. He gave us further, fascinating
insights into the way of life in China. You may recall that he
works there as a tour guide. One of the most interesting topics
he covered was the honourable citizens' (senior citizens to us
but it is thought very rude to imply that folks are "old" in
China) penchant for keeping crickets as pets. They think that the
sound and presence of crickets brings a touch of the country side
into their town dwellings. They have specially designed, pottery
cricket houses equipped with a bed and feeding bowl. Some are so
preoccupied with their pet that they carry them around outside
the house in small boxes and to keep them warm, tuck them into
especially stitched little pockets under the arms of their shirts.
Such dedication! Imagine the looks you'd get in the supermarket
if your armpit started chirruping! January Anybody chancing on this month's meeting could have been forgiven for thinking that we were sitting in an adult education tutorial! We were being talked to by Sally Curtis, a lecturer in Neurophysiology at the University of Southampton Medical School. What was so lovely was that Sally has such a wonderful way of describing things that we were all gripped by what she was saying and the majority of us understood some, if not all, of what she was telling us. We heard all about nerve cells, their nucleuses, branches, dendrites etc and the fact that, unlike for example liver cells, they cannot reproduce themselves. We learnt that the nervous system is divided by its structure into central and peripheral parts, and, further, by it's function into sensory and motor divisions. She touched a little on the nature of chronic pain and tried to explain some aspects of it using the physiology she was describing. It was also made clear that many aspects of chronic pain are still not easily explained by physiology alone. So much depends on the person's own experiences, their circumstances and their general health status. She directed us to a useful web site, http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html for those who wish to learn more. She has also promised to come back. So if you have any particular questions in mind, give them to Joan who will forward them to Sally so she can prepare her talk accordingly.
"Wellbeing" loaf which Mr Cotton sells in his shop. (Click here for information) It is full of healthy grains and seeds and is additive free.
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Keeping Pace With PainSouthampton Based Chronic Pain Support Group Venue -
Avenue St Andrews, United Reformed Church, The Avenue, Southampton Informal Setting, Guest Speaker, easy parking, disabled access, refreshments ALL MEMBERS OLD AND NEW WELCOME Forthcoming dates for your 2009 diary - Time 1pm to 3pm
The
date of the July coffee morning will be Monday July 6th
Why not join us for a chat and a good cup of tea and a bun! |
