Alexander Technique lessons are designed to help people improve their posture, co-ordination and balance, while reducing unwanted responses which can cause or aggravate pain and stress. Along with acupuncture, the treatment has been shown to improve back pain and offer value for money over the long term.

Acupuncture is recommended for chronic back pain by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

If you’re interested in whether we can help with your back or neck pain, give us a call on 01763 87 80 87, we offer taster sessions and consultations with our practitioners, so you can decide whether either of these treatments are right for you.

With the last of the Christmas pudding finally eaten, the mince-pies already on your waistline, and the weather as unhappy with January as the rest of us, we’re definitely starting 2012 with a bang. If you’re like us and don’t take down your decorations until Twelfth Night, make sure you look after your back while doing it: bend from the knees, don’t overstretch, and don’t fall onto the remains of the Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas… On Saturday 17th December, we held a charity treatment morning where we offered massage, reflexology and chiropractic treatments in return for donations.  We raised over £250, which was then used to buy presents for children at the Lister Hospital over the festive period. 

On December 23rd, Chiropractor Louise Hampton delivered the presents to the hospital.
Marylin Goodhew – one of the play therapists in the children’s ward – was extremely grateful for the donations, explaining that they unfortunately had a full ward for Christmas this year.

“I’m really pleased that the presents were so well received and made such a difference,” said Louise.  “Thank you so much to all the patients who supported our charity morning, be it with their own donations of toys, or helping us to raise so much money for the children – it was lovely to give something back to the community, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our patients.” 

Moving swiftly back to the New Year, however – how are your resolutions going?  Are you going for that run every morning, or has the weather hampered your plans before you ever managed to start?  Maybe you resolved to swim every day (not too difficult in this weather), or to cut back on the carbs.  Whatever you chose to do, congratulations!  Committing to a resolution is the first step, and often the trickiest.  Make sure you don’t over-do it in the first few weeks: stretch before and after all exercise, and stay with what’s comfortable – if you’ve not run since school, don’t expect to manage marathons before February!  If you get any pains, make sure to book in with a chiropractor or sports masseuse – it might be nothing to worry about, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Our resolution (other than working off all of the Quality Street from the last two weeks) is to make this blog more reader-centric: let us know what you’d like to read about.  Maybe you want more tips on how to take care of your back, maybe you want more information about the disciplines which we offer at the clinic.  Maybe you want some more of my excellent chiropractic puns… Well, perhaps not the last one.

Whatever you’d like to see in the blog, leave us a comment, or email us at info@attend2health.co.uk and let us know.

Until our next update, we wish you happiness and wellbeing from everyone at Attend2Health.

… I didn’t say they were good Christmas Chiropractic jokes.

Mind you, as there are only five shopping Saturdays left, it’s beginning to seem a lot like Christmas, whether you like it or not!  (We bought our Advent calendars over a month ago, but that says more about the local shops than anything else.)

But, if you’re wondering what’s festive about a health clinic (other than terrible puns), you’d be surprised.  If you’re struggling for ideas on what to buy for your sister/mother/great aunt Kit, we sell gift vouchers for Sports Massage, Therapeutic Massage, Reiki, Reflexology and Indian Head Massage.  It’s a great treat for someone over what can be a very stressful season, and it makes a change from the same Body Shop kit every year.

We’re also gearing up for our Christmas Charity Drive.

This year, we’ve teamed up with the Lister Hospital in Stevenage for a toy drive collecting presents for the children unlucky enough to be in hospital over Christmas!  From November 18th, we will have a Santa Sack in clinic accepting any donations from customers – and anyone who donates a toy will be entered into a prize draw for a free treatment and we’ll be throwing a half price treatment morning on Saturday 17th December with all profits going towards toys for the children.

If you have any questions, or are interested in booking an appointment for our half-price treatment day, please drop us a comment on this entry, or email us at buntingford@attend2health.co.uk, or pop into the clinic with any donations or questions you might have.  We ho-ho-hope to see you there.

We would like to thank everyone who came down to the clinic on Saturday and booked a mini-treatment, who bought a raffle ticket, or who has just been one of our valued customers over the last four years. Without you, we literally could not have done this!

We would like to extend special thanks to Ione Woodger-Smith at Crazy Daisy and James Radley at J Oliver Radley Opticians for their generous donations to our raffle and for their support in our fundraising efforts.

Don’t forget that October sees World Arthritis Day on October 13th. If you have concerns about your joints, why not book in for a free consult with any of our friendly chiropractors. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and our JustGiving page for Isabel Hospice will still be open all month if you wish to donate to them: www.justgiving.com/attend2health.

Much though we’re loathe to think about it, as the days get shorter and the nights draw in, the slide towards Christmas is inevitable. For a stress-free present option, we sell massage and reflexology gift-vouchers. And after the hassle of Christmas, who can say they wouldn’t benefit from a little pampering?

Although the weather may be changeable, our dedication to your health isn’t: we are here six days a week to discuss any concerns you may have, whether it’s about your cluster headaches or your ingrown toenails – we’re here for you from head to toe.

Louise Hampton, Doctor of Chiropractic, started Attend 2 Health on 25th October 2007. Louise has been a Chiropractor for 7 years after studying Chiropractic at the University of Glamorgan. Louise was also awarded a Fellow of the British Chiropractic Association last year and is the youngest Chiropractor to ever receive such an accolade. Even with the recession the practice has gone from strength to strength and now has a range of disciplines available from Chiropractic, Massage, Reflexology, Acupuncture, Foot care and Alexander Technique.

We will be holding a charity treatment morning on Saturday October 1st. We will be offering mini-reflexology and massage sessions, spinal scans and chiropractic treatment, all for a small donation to charity: the charities we will be raising money for are Buntingford Action For the Less Able – a local charity for those who suffer from motion-impairment, and Isabel Hospice – a Hertfordshire-based cancer charity.

There will also be a raffle, with prizes such as treatment vouchers, signed photos from X Factor finalists, and a grand prize of a digital camera.

If you’re interested, be it in donating an item for our raffle (all donations greatly received and all profits going to charity) or booking a treatment, please call our friendly front-desk team on 01763 87 80 87. If you are unable to attend, but still wish to donate, please visit our JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/Attend2Health. All donors will be entered automatically into our raffle draw.

Louise Hampton

Head Chiropractor Louise Hampton is the owner of Attend2Health, and first wanted to become a Chiropractor after researching various health care professions. She was impressed with the results that Chiropractic achieved and in some cases the speed at which patients would show signs of improvement. She began treating patients in Wales before moving to Birmingham and setting up a chiropractic clinic there.

She has recently been awarded a Fellowship of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) for the work I have done on the BCA council.

She has travelled the world twice visiting many countries including Australia and New Zealand . She participated in many activities including sky diving, bungee jumping and scuba diving.

Louise is a mother to Toby and Zara, and runs , blogging about her experiences with keeping your back healthy with young children. I am also able to accept patients registered with AXA PPP and BUPA.

She has run the London Marathon raising over £1000 for MacMillan Nurses. She also belongs to Rowheath Athletics Club where she throws the hammer.

Adrian Collingwood.

Adrian Collingwood and his family have recently relocated from devon to the south east. He qualified from the University of Surrey in 2003 and has a special interest in how chiropractic can help with headaches.

He is interested in KST techniques and cranial chiropractic, and integrates a number of techniques into his chiropractic treatment style.

With this in mind, Adrian always considers a health problem or symptom within the context of a patients whole lifestyle. He says that ‘symptoms don’t just happen on their own – they are a warning that something is not right – and as chiropractors we know the importance of maintaining body and lifestyle balance.’

Alexander Smith

Alex comes to Hertfordshire after several years working in the north east of England where he was based after graduating from the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic in South Wales. He is married with three children.

He is trained in several techniques including Diversified, SOT, Flexion-Distraction, Activator and ART and is always ready to learn more! His training allows him to give a bespoke chiropractic experience and give great results to people of all ages and sizes: everyone from babies to seniors.

Originally from Sheffield, with a first degree in Classical Studies, he saw the positive impact of chiropractic on people’s lives which prompted him to retrain as a chiropractor. Alex is passionate about helping people across the region achieve optimal health through chiropractic care. He states that a major benefit of the job is working with all kinds of people of different ages and seeing not only the physical transformations in people’s lives but also the emotional and spiritual benefits that occur. For Alex, this is the most rewarding part of being a chiropractor.

When not in the clinic, Alex enjoys spending time with his family. Travel and Literature are also interests. He is also an avid fan of all kind of quizzes and was fortunate enough to fund his chiropractic studies through winning the jackpot on a TV quiz show.

Bunions: bunions (scientifically known as hallux valgus), are bumps that develop around the main joint of the big toe. The prominence can become swollen and painful causing the sufferer limited options in foot wear, and can affect the distances that can be comfortably walked.
Although bunions can be caused by arthritis, the main reason for them developing is prolonged wearing of ill-fitting shoes. Dance shoes, stilettos with toes that taper to a point, and anything ill-fitting to your size can lead to a bunion forming. Bunions can be padded and appropriate footwear selected, but may still result in the possibility of a surgical correction.

Verrucas: We all remember these from the school swimming pool. These are normally circular areas of hardened skin that occur on the base of the foot and between the toes. They are a highly contagious occurrence caused by a viral infection and are often seen in children. The circular areas are often found to contain a small black dot at the centre; this is a collection of blood sent to try and fight the virus.
Treatments can be sought from the chemist, though they may need specialist treatment from a chiropodist if there are many at the same time or they do not respond to treatment.

Corns and Calluses: these are caused by an accumulation of dead skin at areas of pressure, and appear as hardened thick skin that can be very rough to touch. These too are caused by ill-fitting footwear. They can be uncomfortable and irritating for the sufferer and can be relieved by padding the area with special plasters bought from the chemist. If corns or calluses persist, you should visit a foot health professional, who will be able to help with them safely.

Hard Skin: hard skin accumulates when the feet have been working all day and footwear causes friction. If it is left untreated, heels can become cracked and can bleed. A pumice stone is a natural product that helps to slough the skin off. It is best achieved after a bath as the water will have softened the skin. Once the bulk of hard skin has been removed, it is recommended that you use a Hard Skin moisturiser designed for the feet.

Toenails: toenails are very important in protecting the ends of the toes, and also in the general appearance of feet. Incorrect trimming technique can cause the nail to become embedded in the toe and nail bed; using clean sharp clippers (not scissors), trim straight across the nail without following the curve of the nail. File down sharp corners with an emery board. If you suspect you have an ingrown toenail, you should visit your nearest foot health professional at your soonest convenience, as these can become infected.

General foot care involves washing regularly, drying properly, including between the toes and the base of the nail, using an appropriate moisturiser and wearing appropriate footwear. Many people find themselves on their feet all day, and walk miles during normal everyday routines or with work; feet have a lot of responsibility as they have to achieve all of this and carry our body weight as well. Due to this heavy workload, surely they deserve a little TLC at the end of the day; after all they have many more years of work to do.

Peter Brierley, our Alexander Technique Instructor, writes…

The Alexander Technique a simple and practical method of self help that may allow the body to return to a natural state of poise and balance, regaining greater ease and freedom of movement. Poor postural habits can start in childhood through poor chairs, copying elders or by developing undesirable habits i.e. slumping, rounded shoulders, stiff necks etc. Also modern stressful living can result in our bodies holding on to far too much muscular tension.  In later life we see some people ‘pulled down’ and shrinking in height. The human body is a wonderful machine designed to be kept in balance but if we habitually distort our skeletal frame and musculature this may cause health problems and detrimentally affect our quality of life. We all have the freedom to change so why not book a £5 taster session with Peter to find out more.

Peter Brierley MSTAT is a member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique www.stat.org.uk

Here you will find information on all of our therapies, and the latest news regarding our clinic, as well as any breakthroughs in the field of alternative health.