Hi again, time for another round-up for this Thoughtful Thursday…

Clinic Updates

It looks like BoJo hasn't done anything wild again this week, so we are business as usual still with all the necessary precautions in place.

We have left hand sanitisers by the doors and a few spare masks in case you have forgotten one. Will keep this rolling for another week and hope that people are respectful of our goodwill to help us help you by following government guidance (and not nicking stuff that we need to stay open).

A reminder again of our expanded hours with Zara in on Sundays at Tooting. If this will help you out, do get in touch!

In terms of time off…

• Marylebone - Luke M is off for a week at the end of October to hang with his kids on holidays. The rest of the Marylebone team will be around a bit more to help you out.

• Tooting - Michael is ACTUALLY having some time off... well, a long weekend anyway. He is off from Friday 16th and back in on Tuesday 20th as usual. Zara will be in to help you all. The boss at Toots, Kate V, is also off for a couple of weeks from Monday 12th with the lovely Matilda and Megan to help you out on the desk, and some remote assistance from HQ - so don't freak out if some random answers the phone! Still us - just a different us. :)

• Putney - Bryan is off the week of October 19th. The usual suspects will chip in to look after you while he is off. Back in clinic Tuesday 27th.

Podcast(s) of the Week

As Craig is currently away on a little Chiro.London management trip (which basically involves a lot of cycling around the English countryside), he’s taking a week off from podcasting. But if you missed last week’s informative episodes (from ICU nurse and client Luke Theophilus and former-CA-turned-chiro-student Dayna), you can find them on our website here, and also on other platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Google.

Shameless Plug(s) of the Week

This week’s shameless plug is about our referral programme that we have worked out not many of you are actually aware of!

We decided to draw attention to it as, given the madness, we have had a lot of people coming in telling us they’re worried about how this situation has affected their friends and family, and wondering if we have any advice or can help. The easiest way to do this is for us to see them. If we can help, great! If we can't, we should be able to at least point them in the right direction.

If you point them our way and they name drop you, you will get a little thank you from us for being an amazing human/friend. And they will also receive a little something from us in return – it’s a win-win situation! You can find the full details here.

So what have people been telling us about? Generally, it’s the amount of stress they are under. However, “stress” can be more than just an emotional response. It can be:

• Physical – This can be from a lack of movement in the body (maybe from sitting at an ill-fitting home office desk/kitchen table or parked on the couch bingeing Netflix or playing X-Box) or even too much movement (especially if you’ve joined the jogging/'yogging’ craze of 2020).

• Chemical – This could be as simple as enjoying a couple of glasses (bottles?) of wine or a few coffees too many, or eating a whole packet of Tim Tams in one go (apparently that’s not one portion, go figure) because, let’s face it, it's pretty easy to do at the moment. We won't judge, promise – apparently I may have been guilty of this once or twice…

• And emotional – We’re human so it’s normal to experience a range of emotions. However, if you can’t experience them in a natural manner and find yourself flitting from one extreme to the other, or stuck in a continual state, this will cause stress on the body.

And now I’ll throw it over to one of our chiros who can explain how chiropractic can help with stressful situations.

Ask the Team

Sammy Kale DC answers your question…

How can chiropractic help with stress?

The way our bodies react to stress is a specific physiological response designed to save us from a dangerous situation. This is referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response, literally referring to a physical preparation to either fight or flee danger.

Posturally, our shoulders start to creep up and forwards towards our ears, while our chest and shoulder muscles tighten in anticipation of a fight. Our hip flexors and calf muscles will also tighten, getting ready to spring to action. This is fantastic if we are about to fend off an angry predator, but if this response is triggered by a passive threat, such as a data spreadsheet or traffic jam, it can lead to chronic implications over time.

So how can chiropractic care make a difference in the way we manage our stress?

The way the brain and body communicate is a two-way street. Yes, the brain can send the body signals to get ready to fight, but conversely the body is also able to influence the brain via biofeedback from different types of nerve receptors. If the spine and associated muscles are in a relaxed state, the brain is receiving feedback that there is no imminent threat.

Chiropractors work with the spine to correct forward head posture, allowing the shoulders to move back and open up the chest area. With this we will also improve the ability of the chest and ribs to expand with ease for respiration, thereby increasing oxygenation to your cells (very important for restorative purposes). Working through the lower spine will help to take strain off hip flexors and lower limb muscles, again reinforcing the relaxed state. This is all a part of the wonderful relationship between the spine and the nervous system, which is so powerful when utilised properly.

If you’d like to learn more about fight or flight response, you can read my blog post here.

Well that's it for another week. Over the next few weeks we will be handing the reins to each of our clinics, so they can fill you in on their fave things in their local areas – keep an eye out for their rec’s!

Until next time,

Drew