Fylde Holistic Therapies Blog

Acupuncture for Long Covid and Chronic Fatigue

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 20:13:11 GMT

☕️ Acupuncture: Your Path Back to Balance from Long COVID & Chronic Fatigue ��

If you’re anything like the lovely clients I see every week, you’re exhausted. Not just 'stayed up too late' tired, but that soul-deep, heavy fatigue that modern life often brushes off. Now, with the shadow of Long COVID hanging over so many, we’re seeing this kind of exhaustion, coupled with a whole host of other tricky symptoms, more than ever before.

For too long, conditions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME have felt like a battle fought alone, and now the long-term effects of a viral infection—the persistent brain fog, muscle aches, and utter depletion—are adding to the confusion. The good news? Holistic therapies, and specifically TCM Acupuncture , offer a beautiful, time-honoured route to help your body find its way back to balance.

We don’t just want a quick fix, do we? We want to get to the root cause of why you’re feeling this way. That’s exactly what TCM doe s.

What Does TCM See That Modern Medicine Misses?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body is a complex, interconnected landscape. When you’re dealing with the after-effects of a serious illness like COVID-19, or the long-term exhaustion of CFS, we see a depletion and a stagnation of your vital energy, or Qi (pronounced ‘chee’).

Essentially, your body's energy system has been hit hard, and it hasn't been able to fully recover. We often find patterns like:

Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency: This relates to profound fatigue, poor digestion, and a weakened immune system—very common in both Long COVID and CFS.
Dampness and Phlegm: This describes the feeling of heaviness, brain fog, and muscle aches where things just feel 'stuck' in your body.
Blood and Yin Deficiency: This leads to poor sleep, anxiety, a low-level fever, and deep exhaustion.

The beauty of a TCM diagnosis is that it’s completely tailored to you . We don't just treat the label of Long COVID or CFS; we treat your unique presentation of symptoms.

Why Acupuncture is Your Body's Reset Button

Acupuncture is far more than just needles; it’s a sophisticated method for gently nudging your body back into its natural rhythm. By placing fine, sterile needles into specific points along the energy channels (meridians), we can achieve powerful results:

1. Fighting Fatigue by Boosting Qi

Acupuncture works to restore the deep, foundational energy that was used up during the initial illness or has been chronically depleted. This isn't a quick caffeine buzz; it’s about rebuilding your internal resources. By strengthening your Spleen and Lung energy, we help you better digest food into usable energy and improve your ability to breathe and utilize oxygen—essential steps for reducing that profound, dragging fatigue.

2. Clearing the 'Brain Fog' and Improving Sleep

That frustrating brain fog, which makes concentration a struggle, often relates to 'Dampness' or 'Phlegm' blocking the clear flow of energy to your head. Acupuncture helps to transform and clear this stagnation. Furthermore, by calming your Liver and Heart energy, it can greatly reduce anxiety and restlessness, paving the way for the deep, restorative sleep your body desperately needs to heal.

3. Calming the Body's Persistent Over-Reaction

Many Long COVID and CFS symptoms involve an over-reactive nervous system (think palpitations, anxiety, and being easily overwhelmed). Acupuncture is incredibly effective at shifting the body out of a constant 'fight or flight' state and into the 'rest and digest' mode. This allows your immune system to stop being on high alert and actually focus on the essential work of recovery.

A Part of Your Holistic Wellness Routine

We all know that getting better isn't about one magic pill; it’s about a holistic commitment to your wellbeing. Just as a regular massage helps you manage stress and keep your muscles mobile, regular acupuncture treatments can be a vital, non-negotiable part of your recovery journey.

I am passionate about helping people realise that they are capable of living a life with more energy and less pain. If you're tired of just coping with your symptoms and are ready to explore a gentle, effective way to help your body heal itself, let’s chat.

Your path to feeling well is a journey, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

Ready to start rebuilding your Qi and clearing the fog? Get in touch today to book your first bespoke TCM consultation and treatment.

No Pain No Gain

fyldeholistictherapies@outlook.com (Natalie Wilkinson) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 20:07:47 GMT

“No pain no gain!”

Stop it! Just Stop it!

I’ve not written a blog in quite some time, and I thought it was time to get another one out there. There has been something really bothering me recently.

The number of times I hear.

“No pain no gain!”

Stop it! Just Stop it!

I’m going to explain why this whole mindset is utterly ridiculous.

If you, as the client believe the NPNG mentality when it comes to massage, I’m going to ask you why you believe that? Have you had another therapist say this to you? Have you brought this mindset over from another aspect of your life? Maybe exercise?

Here’s the thing, and I’m going to get technical with you. When you get a massage, you lay down and the Sympathetic Nervous system (SNS) is fired up. You are in a new/different situation (no matter how many times you’ve had massage before, it still works the same way). When you SNS is engaged you are in fight, flight or freeze mode. Your body in set ready to react to whatever danger this new situation may present. Meaning you are already tense.

It is my job as a therapist to help your body relax, which means I need to turn off your SNS and engage your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). Your PSNS is responsible for your rest and digest systems. Meaning your body is actively trying to heal itself, its what happens when you sleep and its why having an hour’s massage is as healing for your body as 8 hours sleep. It’s also why your tummy usually starts gurgling part way through a massage. Tummy gurgling shows that the body is in rest and digest mode, and I am working with the PSNS.

Now our goal, as massage therapists, is to turn off your SNS and engage your PSNS, because that is what is going to help your body to heal. Our goal is ALWAYS to work with the body not just on it!

We cannot do this if we are causing you pain. If your massage therapist is applying too much pressure or using techniques that are painful then your SNS will stay in fight or flight mode. This means your muscles will stay in a constant state of readiness, you won’t be able to relax properly, and your body cannot heal itself. If your therapist is causing pain, you automatically tense up because you are expecting pain. Once you are tense there is absolutely no point in trying to work on that already tense muscles because any massage at this point is going to be completely ineffectual unless you cause physical damage, and what’s the point in that? You’ve come to us to help us heal you not cause more damage?!

Have you ever been for a massage, the therapists has insisted no pain no gain, they’ve tortured you for the best part of an hour and you’ve been in pain for a week afterwards? Well, that was not a good massage, and it shows the therapist does not have adequate training!

That’s not to say that as massage therapists we cannot achieve results or use deep pressure whilst trying to engage the PSNS. Its HOW the pressure is applied that is what matters. A therapists that takes their time, starts light and broad and then slowly sinks into the muscles can get some deep pressure and therefore get the results you’re after, whilst also engaging the PSNS. When I use deep pressure techniques this can feel quite uncomfortable as it’s a lot of pressure, but it should never be painful, because pain triggers the SNS. If I can stand on people and them stay in that state of deep healing meditation/sleep, then your therapist can use their thumbs without causing so much pain you want to jump off the table!

There are, of course times where things might be painful, but that is where it is vital to have great communication between client and therapist. As a client I would expect you to tell me when what I’m doing goes from discomfort to pain, because I have enough tools in my toolkit to be able to change what I’m doing so you still get the work done but without the pain. If your therapist cannot change what they are doing after you’ve told them you’re in pain then they lack the compassion to be working in a field designed to help people, at this point it is just about their ego!

If you have a therapist that insists that No Pain, No Gain is the only way to massage, let me be very clear. They either do not understand Anatomy and Physiology and how vital it is to work WITH the body instead of ON it, or they do not have enough skills to know how to change what they are doing!

So, now you know! Next time someone says to you no pain, no gain you can tell them it’s a pile of rubbish and they need to go away and learn about the nervous system and whilst they are at it some more techniques wouldn’t go a miss, so they can upskill.

RANT OVER

" Do something today that your future self will thank you for. "

- Sean Patrick Flannery

Supplements - to take or not to take, that is the question?

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 21:57:06 GMT

Why do we always try to take a pill to fix the problem?

So recently I have been doing a bit of research, I am seeing more and more people promoting supplements (especially celebrities), and it got me thinking. For me I think one thing that really gets at my craw (and its similar for physical illnesses) is that if we have an issue, we go to the Doctors for a quick fix. We very rarely want to do the work to figure out how to identify and address the causes of the issue.

How many times have clients said to me they have been to the doctors over a problem and been sent away and given painkillers? This does not solve the underlying issue; it just covers up the symptoms. I see it time and time again, and as a society we have got really good at it.

I have a client who has an issue with hair growth, all their blood tests showed they have a deficiency in several nutrients, including Iron. Now rather than look at their nutrition, to work out what they could add to the diet to help minimise with those deficits, because let’s face it they couldn’t make any money out of that. They sold this person several different types of supplements before upselling a more expensive treatment. This is how a lot of industries work. Its so frustrating to see because in many cases they are putting financial gain ahead of the client’s health. What they should have done was set this person up with a nutritionist first and see if that had the desired outcome before prescribing tablets.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with supplements (or painkillers), however we need to spend more time actually addressing the problem rather than treating the symptoms. Now don’t get me wrong some people have underlying medical conditions which affect uptake of different nutrients, and if this is the case then absolutely, supplements are the right thing to do. However, if you do not have any underlying conditions then really you should be looking at the reason you are deficient in the first place, and that comes down to food.

So many of our health complaints come down to deficiencies, and often having blood tests is the first step in understanding our body and its complaints. For example, the most common deficiency is Iron and the symptoms of Iron deficiencies are fatigue, weakness, headaches, cold hands and feet, brittle nails (amongst other things), now how many of those have you had in the last week, month, year? They may absolutely be a sign of something more sinister, but we should rule out the obvious first. So blood tests need to be established to work out if your symptoms are a deficiency or something else.

Always consult with your primary care physician on all matters regarding your health, this should be a joint decision between the two of you without any other influencing factors, and so for the rest of this article I will be writing as though there is no underlying health conditions.

μg = a microgram which is 1000 times smaller than a milligram. All information has come from NHS website and other reputable sources. All figures are approximate and should only be used as guidance. Any nutritional changes should be made in partnership with advice from a qualified nutritionist.

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, the seven most common deficiencies in the UK are Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, Folate/Folic Acid, Iodine, Magnesium, Omega-3 fats and fibre. I’m not going to look at all of these main deficiencies so I’m going to look at the top 5 nutrients and the impact they have on the body. The “what to eat” section is purely for example only, I’ve tried to choose the foods that are common with the highest nutritional value.

IRON

What its needed for : Iron is important for red blood cell production, which carries Oxygen around the body

Symptoms : excessive tiredness, lack of energy, susceptibility to infections, hair loss, insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

Recommended daily intake : 8.7 μg per day for men over 18 and women over 50, 14.8μg per day for women aged 19-50

What to eat : Liver (chicken liver has 9.2μg per 75g serving), red meat (beef has 2.4μg per 75g serving), fortified breakfast cereals (7μg per 28g serving), beans (kidney, edamame and chickpeas), nuts and dried fruit.

CALCIUM

What its needed for : Strengthening bones and teeth, regulating muscle contraction (including heartbeat) and in blood clotting

Symptoms : rickets in children, osteoporosis in adults as well as insomnia

Recommended daily intake : Adults 19-64 need 700μg of calcium a day.

What to eat : milk (300μg in 225ml serving), cheese (hard cheese 200μg in 28g serving), Yoghurt (450μg in 220g serving) (dairy etc), green leafy veg (broccoli 180μg per 220g serving, spinach 240μg per 220g serving), bread with fortified flour. The list of calcium rich foods is massive this is only a small selection as an example.

VITAMIN D

What its needed for : essential for healthy bone development, blood clothing and a healthy immune system

Symptoms : muscle weakness, fatigue, bone pain, muscles aches and cramps, mood changes, gum problems and constipation

Recommended daily intake : 10μg per day

What to eat : Oily fish (Salmon 13μg per 100g serving, sardines 6μg per 85g serving and mackerel 25 μg per 100g serving), eggs ( 1μg per egg), mushrooms (10μg per 100g) and red meat.

IODINE

What its needed for : helps with hormone production and regulation of metabolic rate

Symptoms : Swelling, weight gain, fatigue, weakness, hair loss, dry skin, trouble remembering or learning.

Recommended daily intake : 150 μg per day

What to eat : Sea fish (haddock 390 μg per 120g serving, Cod 230 μg per 120g serving), shellfish (scampi 160 μg per 170g serving), eggs (25 μg per egg)

The reason I have included the “what to eat” section is to show you how easy it is to eat away your vitamin deficiencies. Low in Vitamin D, 100G of chestnut mushrooms for breakfast on some scrambled eggs, and you’ve cracked it. Low in Iron, a bowl of fortified cereal for breakfast and steak for tea, and you have enough Iron for the day. Its much easier than you think to ensure you eat what you need to prevent deficiencies.

If you’ve stuck with this blog this long, well done, the point of this post is that with a little research and a balanced diet, nutritional deficiencies should become a thing of the past without the need to spend money on supplements, which in turn will require fewer trips to the Doctors, less money spent on painkillers and an all-round healthier life.

What do you think about this? Are you able to make small nutritional changes to aid with deficiencies? Let me know in the comments

Sleep Hygiene Part 2

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 17:52:11 GMT

Sleep Hygiene part 2

Continuing on from my previous post I am going to start with looking at environmental factors affecting sleep. so grab a pen and paper, curl up on the sofa and have a read and make some notes.

Environmental factors

A big part of your sleep hygiene is creating an environment which is conducive to sleep. There are many aspects to this and not all of them will be easy to change, so I suggest starting small and gradually building up those small changes.

Make sure you have a clean and tidy room and regularly change your bed linens . If you believe in energy flow, then making sure there is no clutter allows the mind to unwind and the energy to flow freely. If you do not believe in energy flow then the psychology around a disorganised environment is registered by our brain as a job to be completed, on a conscious and subconscious level. The longer we leave it the stronger the feelings of guilt. Guilt triggers stress in the body and mind, which in terns stops you getting a full and restful nights sleep. Eliminating or reducing bedroom clutter will give your brain one less worry to contend with, which will improve your quality of sleep.

Your bed – this may seem like an obvious one but when was the last one your thought about your mattress and pillows, we spend 26 years of our life sleeping and a further 7 years trying to get to sleep and so we really need to invest in the best options that work for you. Is your bed still supporting you? Do you wake up with back, neck or shoulder pain? Can you get comfortable easily or does it take a while? These are questions you need to ask yourself, and once you have the answers then make the relevant changes.

Pets – this may be a contentious issue, but do you have pets that sleep in the bed with you? Do you they take over the bed, get in the way and lead you to sleep in funny positions? Do they wake you up in the middle of the night? Whilst it is lovely to have your pets join you, if they interrupt your sleep then that is something you need to consider, maybe provide them with their own bed and put some boundaries in place to stop them preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep.

No bright or blue light . Bright lights before bed trick the brain by suppressing melatonin, the hormone that provide the body’s internal biological signal for darkness, it basically prepares the body for bed, and so supressing melatonin by having bright lights before bed is counterproductive to a good night’s sleep. The same goes for blue light from screens (and that includes mobile phones, laptops, and TVs), the light emitted from these devices looks white, but our eyes cannot filter the colours and so the blue part of the spectrum goes through and acts to suppress melatonin. You can add a blue light filter to most devices, this gives the screen a red tinge and stops the blue part of the spectrum from entering your eyes. Meaning if you are addicted to your device at least the white light will not stop you from sleeping. So some easy changes to make are turning your devices off at least an hour before bed and/or use a blue light filter.
Cold Oxygen rich air . The optimal temperature for sleep is between 15-19C, a room which is colder has the following benefits anti-ageing (increased melatonin production is also a powerful anti-aging hormone), prevents metabolic disease, decrease risk of diseases, prevent insomnia, enhances mood, and reduce stress levels. One of the great ways of lower the temperature in the room is to open the window. This also acts to lower the carbon dioxide levels in the room and provides an Oxygen rich environment, which leads to deeper and more efficient sleep with fewer awakenings. If leaving the window open does not appeal to you then try adding some plants to your bedroom, plants such as Snake plant and Aloe Vera are great for purifying the air and improving the oxygen levels in the room. As a bonus they are also very hardy and easy to care for. If plants are not your thing then maybe a humidifier or a fan will help to cool the air.
Magnesium – Some people find magnesium helps them sleep, adding Epson salts to a warm bath before bed, taking a magnesium supplement before bed or applying a magnesium spray or cream to your legs before bed can all help to improve sleep. Many people have a magnesium deficiency, which is shown to give aid insomnia or a light and restless sleep, so taking a magnesium supplement (luckily magnesium can be absorbed through the skin as well as orally) will help to induce a deep and restful sleep. I personally love the Sweet Bee Organics Sweet Sleep Butter .

I will caveat this last point in that some people have a high sensitivity to magnesium products so please use them very carefully. Personally, magnesium products burn the skin on my feet but are fine on my legs. Many other people are fine with them, so please just use caution when using them.

Senses

This point is about the senses, some people sleep better with complete sensory deprivation whilst other like some sense deprive whilst others engaged, this section will be about finding the combination the works for you.

Taste – drinking a calming beverage before bed such as a camomile tea, ovaltine or a hot cocoa can help to calm the mind and whose effects can help induce sleep.
Light – whilst its important to have access to lots of early morning light, having light in the room whilst trying to sleep can stimulate the brain preventing sleep, so consider a black out blind or an eye mask. By blocking out the light it will help to aid sleep.
Smell – make sure the room is clean and has plenty of fresh air (see above about Oxygen content) but also consider calming scents, such as camomile or lavender. I personally really like the Tropic So Sleepy Pillow Mist which is lovely for spraying on your pillow an hour before bed. The lavender smell triggers feeling of sleep and relaxation which helps to turn my mind off.
Sound – there are several options for sound, either opt for complete sound deprivation by buying ear plugs or using sound to occupy your mind by listening to a guided meditation, relating music or a white noise machine. I used to sleep in silence but have found recently that I get a better night’s sleep with some form of white noise in the room and have recently got into sleep hypnosis videos on YouTube at a low volume they prove quite helpful, to distract my mind from thinking and allow me to get to sleep sooner.

Mind

Once you have your whole environment and physiology optimised then there is only one other point to address, and this is your mind. There are several techniques that can be employed to help calm the mind ready for sleep.

Guided meditation – this can help you if you are not used to practicing meditation as it talks you through a meditation. There are some great apps available. I recommend the Calm Sleep stories , the app can be downloaded from the app store.

Another great idea is having a note pad next to the bed , if you find it helpful write your following days to do list down before you go to bed or keep the pad close so if you have any thoughts during the night you need to remember, you can write them down and not worry about forgetting them.

Try journaling – there are some great guided journals out there and spending 10minutes before bed will not only be good for your mental health but will help to calm your mind and any anxieties you may have.

Pressure points – there are a number of pressure points you can use to calm the mind; they are often used in acupuncture settings but can be used with pressure. These are some of the points I use in this web article . I particularly like Yin Tang (EXHN3), Hegu (L14) and Governor Vessel (DU20). This last one I use a lot especially in my treatments and it can be a powerful pressure point and great for calming the mind.

Body Scanning – is a great technique for relaxing the body and mind for sleep, I will do a more in-depth post on some of these meditation techniques at a later date. However, a good YouTube video on Body Scan can be found on the link.

Breathing – finally working on your breathing, a good technique used by soldiers to get them to sleep quickly is the 4/7/8 breathing technique. You breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and breath out for 8 seconds, repeat 10 times and you should hopefully be calm enough for sleep. Even just concentrating on your breathing will take your mind off overthinking and allow you to sleep.

I’ve covered a lot in these two blogs, I really hope you have found one ( hopefully more) suggestion that you have been able to implement to help you get a better night’s sleep. Sleep hygiene is really about creating a series of habits that will optimise your sleep and help you feel more rested and energised in the morning.

I’d really like to hear your thoughts on these blogs, did you find them useful? Have you implemented any of the suggestions? Did they work for you? Are there any that you would like to try but haven’t yet? Please drop your comments in the box below and really let me know what you think.

Also if you have any other suggestions for blog posts you would like to see from me then do please let me know.

Sleep Hygiene Part 1

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 20:04:48 GMT

Sleep Hygiene

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of research into improving my sleep patterns, and thought I’d write down my research into this blog. Its going to be a long one so grab a brew, get comfy and have a read.

It’s worth prefacing this blog by saying that this is not medical advice to solve insomnia. If you have long term sleep issues you need to speak to a medical professional. These positive habits will help ONLY if you have no underlying medical issues preventing sleep.

You may or may not have heard the term Sleep Hygiene. It was first introduced in 1939 by Nathaniel Kleitman, an American physiologist and sleep researcher and the concept was refined within the context of modern sleep patterns and published in 1977 by psychologist Peter Hauri in the book The Sleep Disorders.

But what actually is Sleep Hygiene?

It is a series of basic practices and good habits that are put in place to promote optimal sleep. These can be broken into several categories:

Environmental factors
Scheduling
Physiological factors

I’ll talk through each of these points with various hints and tips on small things to change to help you get the best night’s sleep.

There are a lot of suggestions within this blog, and that is all they are, suggestions. Some you will read and think you can easily adapt them into your daily life, and others will seem unachievable. The whole point of these blogs is to provide you with options, for you to go away and find a combination that works for you. So grab a pen and paper and start making some changes.

Physiological factors

Exercise – as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise per day, walking or cycling, but avoid strenuous exercise close to bedtime.

Daylight exposure – make sure you get exposure to sunlight during the day as this is a key driver for circadian rhythms, this is more difficult in winter but just as important. So, make sure you get outside every day. It is also important for a healthy sleep-wake cycle, so aim to flood the bedroom with early morning light by opening curtains early.

Food – avoid foods which are heavy, rich, fatty, fried, or spicy foods or citrus or carbonated drinks before bedtime. There are a few reasons for this, this first is that these foods often cause heartburn and if you are prone to this it can often be worse at night, which will affect your sleep. The other reason is that by consuming these foods before bed your digestive system is setting up to go to work, this level of activity will not allow your body to fully rest as you still need to digest the food, meaning even if you manage to fall asleep it won’t be a deep and restful sleep as your internal processes are still working overtime to digest such heavy food.

Avoid Stimulants –

Do not smoke – nicotine stimulates the body in a way that disrupts sleep and has been linked with numerous sleeping problems.
Reduce alcohol consumption – Moderation is key here, whilst alcohol can help you fall asleep, your body must work harder to break it down and this can disrupt your sleep.
Have a deadline on caffeine – Caffeine acts to block the neurotransmitter Adenosine. The role of Adenosine in the body is when it gets to a certain concentration it tells the body to rest, during rest the adenosine levels lower. Caffeine works to block the body reading the levels of this chemical, these levels continue to rise as there is nothing telling the body to rest and lower these levels, so when the caffeine wears off you suddenly get hit by these very high levels of Adenosine telling you rest (this is the principle behind the caffeine crash and why it becomes a vicious cycle to drink more coffee to get through the day). Caffeine half life can vary but an average healthy person is 5/6 hours, which means after 5 hours the amount of caffeine consumed has been halved. So, for you to go to bed without any caffeine inhibiting your sleep you should aim to deadline your caffeine intake between noon and 2pm. Move onto de-caffe and increasing your water intake will help aid your sleep.

Naps – naps can be a vital tool in helping to reenergise you and lower your levels of Adenosine, which gives you more energy. Try to limit your naps to one per day. There is a key to napping (trust me years of pulling over in laybys on long drives taught me the best practice for naps!), firstly do not get too comfortable, so do not go to bed, nap in a chair or on the sofa (or car seat), leave a window open to keep the room cool and the curtains open to keep the room light. The ideal length of time is 90mins for a nap (the length of a complete sleep cycle) however this is often too long for during the day, so anytime less than an hour is good, aim for between 20 to 45mins. If you close your eyes and do not fall asleep within 10mins then try not to force a nap as that is your bodies way of saying it does not need one.

Scheduling – this is an important aspect of your sleep hygiene and its about creating a routine. This will help your body start to recognise when its bedtime, create a time for you to wake up and go to sleep, by training your body this way it will then get into a cycle of releasing melatonin at a particular time making getting to sleep easier. Which means even at weekends or when your schedule is in upheaval (can you say pandemic?!) you need to try and keep to your routine. Your body does not know what day it is so trying to have a late night and lie in at the weekend will confuse the cycle and stop you getting into the routine of melatonin release, meaning the sleep you do get won’t be as good a quality as it would be being in a routine.

Things you can do to help you with your routine include creating an environment conducive to sleep, I’ll look at these in the environmental factors. However, creating routines are also important, for example if you always clean your teeth, do your skin care, go to the toilet then head to bed, your body will start to recognise these patterns as a pre-cursor to sleep and start to release melatonin to help you get ready for sleep. Make sure you have a regular schedule and really get into a routine with this. Some other suggestions to help you find a routine include a good skin care routine, having a warm (not hot) shower/bath, reading or journaling, light stretching, or 10 minutes of meditation are great ways to start winding down and get your ready for bed and good for your mental health.

Sit down with a piece of paper and try to work out a good routine that you are going to stick to. You can always start small and once the habits have formed you can then add on more habits to help you. This is called habit stacking.

Also try to avoid having emotionally upsetting conversations close to bedtime as these will play on your mind and stop your brain from switching off. If you are someone who has a very active brain, then try leaving a notepad and pencil by your bed, the act of writing down your thoughts will mean you will not have to try and hold on to them in order not to forget them, which will allow your brain to switch off, leading to a better night’s sleep.

Another thing to try and change is to only use your bed for sleep, so do not use it for watching TV or for eating. This means your brain will start to associate the bed with sleep.

The more things you can put in place to try and get your brain into the habit of sleep, whether a routine, or the setting, the more likely it will be for you to fall asleep quicker and have a much better quality of sleep when you do.

I've covered quite a lot in the first part of my sleep hygiene blog. so I'm going to stop here and give you time to process this and start to make some changes to your existing habits. Let me know in the comments if any of the suggestions are ones you think you can adapt to your own bedtime routine.

There is more to come so watch this space for Sleep Hygiene Part 2.

2020 Year in review

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:58:58 GMT

What a fricking year 2020 has been?!

What a year 2020 has been?! I wanted to take this opportunity to take stock off all the experiences I had in 2020 and what I learnt from them. I find this time of year in between Christmas and new year (when nobody knows what day it is), to really take stock of what has happened and make some goals for the coming year.

January – I had been told I was being made redundant back on my birthday in November 2019, I had pretty much come to terms with it. A job I had held and loved for 11 years, a job I was good at as well. I was bitter and resentful and hated the politics within the charity sector, which was forcing me out of the door of this job that I loved. In a vain attempt to stay I applied for numerous positions and missed out by half a point. I felt defeated, unsure what I was going to do after the impending deadline of the 15th Feb. Whilst all this was going on in the background, I had switched my focus to my business. Something I had been running for many years – part time. Just doing evenings and weekends. I had built up a solid client base and with the encouragement of my clients decided to see what I could do going full time working for myself. So that’s what I did and my diary filled up ….. Fast!

February – was a month of mixed emotions. I went down to HQ for the last time to drop off all the stuff (and see my best friend, little did I know for the last time in 2020). The drive back was 7 hours of personal revelations. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted, I never had to go back to that place. I had no anxiety and felt quite happy, in fact the further away from HQ I got the bigger the smile on my face was. Without realising it I had been living for the last 11 years with this constant stress and anxiety, and only once it had gone did it make me realise just how much staying in that job had affected my mental and physical health. By the time I got home, I felt free.

This was my first big revelation of this year. How much of our lives do we box things up and pretend they are not affecting us, when what we should be doing is really listening, doing some self reflection and taking action to right what is wrong in our lives, and sometimes what we need to do is terrifying.

I’ve known for years I wanted out of that job (not because of the job itself, my volunteers are amazing, and I was good at the job, but because of the incompetent and crippling management and internal politics, I wasn’t one for ass kissing and unfortunately that’s the reason I was made redundant) but I stayed because of the fear. How would I pay my mortgage? What would I do without my company car? How could I afford to live?

How many of my friends were living lives that did not excite them, that they were “stuck in”, as I looked around all I saw was beaten down people working to pay their next bill. They were in the rat race and so had I been. Not anymore! Feb 15 ^th came round, and my company car was returned, and I was officially unemployed.

But not really – you see I had been focussing all my energy on my business, and my diary was full! I had worked out what I needed to earn to live comfortably and was smashing it. I’d pushed myself outside of my comfort zone, gone to networking meetings, done more massage courses to upskill myself, met some amazing people who I now consider friends, and filled my diary. At the same time a very good friend had sat me down and had a very honest and slightly brutal conversation with me about my weight. So, we made a plan

March – My dairy was 4 weeks fully booked; photoshoot booked in with a professional photographer, some swaps booked in with other therapists for social media content, I was getting my business up and running and it was going well, but in the background, there was rumblings of a virus making its way over to UK shores from China. Corona virus was here. 6 weeks after officially going full time with my business I had to close my doors. That had been the second biggest kick in the gut this year.

April/May/June – I spent the first few weeks not doing very much, did a few odd jobs around the house, did a lot of Yoga in the garden, got practicing my Poi, read several books, walked, gardened, and generally kept myself busy. I did not want to waste the time, so I started creating content for a new website, originally, I had planned to build it myself but honestly, I did not have a clue. So, I reached out to a local networking group and got in touch with a lady who rebuilt my website for me. What do you think?

I had also got my nutrition up and running, started walking and was getting back in touch with taking care of my body, good nutrition, plenty of water, regular work outs, long walks, and yoga, I was feeling good. I could not have done it without support and I absolutely smashed being locked in. I missed my family, and it did get lonely at times but there were several things I learned about myself during that lockdown.

Not only had the first 6 months of 2020 been an unbelievable rollercoaster but I learnt so much about myself and what I could achieve. The other thing which really struck home was just how much I rely on friends and family.

Much of the second half of the year was me working flat out to get some money in the bank, building my business from the ground up not once but twice (and will be for a third time in 2021). I started a new business selling pamper boxes ( if you haven't already then please follow us on Facebook and Instagram @theholisticpamperco ), continued reading my way through a library of books on development and massage, got myself qualified as a health and wellness consultant. These lockdowns whilst they have been brutal to my finances (yes, I am one of the Excluded UK) they have been great for personal development and resetting my priorities. The overriding thing this year has taught me is that I want to work to live not live to work . I want to enjoy my life, I want to actually experience adventure regularly, without the guilt I used to feel about spending money on experiences.

Life is far too short to not enjoy every single moment, and whilst sometimes life kicks us in the gut and its ok to breakdown and wallow, don’t stay there, get up, brush yourself off and hustle because life should be an adventure and you can’t appreciate the good without the bad to compare it to.

Stay Safe and healthy, drink plenty of water and hustle because your goals are worth it!

Warning – contains advice!

fyldeholistictherapies@outlook.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 20:08:09 GMT

Warning – contains advice!

This blog is likely to annoy quite a few people but it’s been something that’s been bugging me for a while and it needs saying. This is not me taking a pop at anyone with a side hustle trying to earn extra cash, this is a warning to everyone to be careful who you take advice from.

There has been an explosion since COVID, of people selling MLM products, which is great and good for them for trying to make some extra money. However, I know from experience (as I also sell an MLM brand) that most of these people are given very little training on sales techniques and non on health conditions.

I’ve seen so many posts asking for help with certain skin conditions and the post ends up getting inundated with MLM reps trying to sell products without anyone having any real clue of what the issue is, what’s causing it, the clients medical history and the best way to deal with the condition. They are only after a sale.

This is hugely frustrating, because one of the first things I was taught when learning massage is understanding what is out of my scope of practice and how to effectively refer people out to other professionals. My focus is my client’s health and well-being not about making a sale.

An example of this, I turned up at a client’s house, she was in agony, had been taking strong pain killers and was desperate for a massage. After some questioning I refused to treat her and recommended she go to A&E. A few hours later she sent me a text thanking me for not treating her and sending her to A&E, she had seen a consultant who had said, had I massaged her I would have undoubtedly made it considerably worse, even risking paralysis.

That day, I missed an hours pay, did I care? Absolutely not, because it was the right thing for my client. This is what I learnt to do during my qualification.

Now back to the MLM reps, Unless they come from a dermatological/beauty/aesthetics background where they would have learnt about different skin conditions and how to resolve them then I would be very cautious about who you take skincare advice from. Don’t get me wrong a lot of “advice” given by MLM reps isn’t given with malice but without understanding the situation fully, this could potentially lead to more problems for you.

In all honesty, if you have a problem, please go see a specialist, find out what the condition is and the best way to resolve it. Once you are armed with this information then by all means try different products, but you will at least have correct information from someone who cares about your health and whose main focus is not in making a sale. They will also tell you what to avoid and what will not make a blind bit of difference (potentially saving you a lot of money!)

This advice does not just apply to skincare but all aspects of life, please be careful who you take advice from, what are their motivations? Do they have your health and well-being in mind or just their bank account?

What is Thai Massage?

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 22:05:18 GMT

I wanted to write a post about Thai massage and my thoughts (or at least some of them) on it.

I was first introduced to Thai massage back in 2013, I had never had one before, and like many of you before your first time, I was a bit apprehensive.

After that first session, it was actually quite painful, and I didn’t overly enjoy it. After the treatment I felt like I had been put through an old-fashioned laundry mangle. That was the only way I could describe it however now I tend to use the example of the old Trebor Soft mint – Mr Soft adverts ( In case you can’t remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGrffn_LKzE ) as the best way to describe the feeling after a treatment.

But why does it make you feel this way? Well, we live our lives in a constant state of tension, you do not realise it, but we do, otherwise we would not be able to stand up or function. For example, if you are sat on a chair and raise your lower leg at the knee so your leg is straight out in front. The top of your thigh (Your quadriceps) contract pulling the knee and the muscles towards the body forcing the lower leg to raise. To do this however the muscles at the back of your thigh (your hamstrings) must extend, to lower your leg the reverse must happen. Now this is a grossly over-simplified look at muscle dynamics but bear with me. The only time all our muscles relax is when we are dead.

Now those muscles work constantly, but more so when you have an injury ( I will talk about injury and alignment in another blog), they get tired, they get strained and they don’t function to the best of their ability. This tension does not just happen in your muscles, but it happens in your joints, ligaments, and small tissues too.

That is where I come along. Thai massage is all about helping your body (through gentle stretching) to release that tension. It can be uncomfortable, even a little painful at times but the tension I am trying to release has built up over years, decades even. It cannot all be released in one session. Just like you would not go to a gym for the first time and pull a 100Kg deadlift, you need to work up to it. So too is it the same for Thai massage, we need to spend several sessions working to release the tension and giving you back your range of motion.

You will see some of the more advance stretches I do in pictures, but that is only with people who have worked with me for a while or who are able to achieve these positions and need the extra work.

Now don’t worry I’m not going to turn you into a human pretzel or origami swan ( as one of my lovely clients puts it), but I will adapt and work within your current range of motion with the intention over time to give you back your full range of motion and less tension than you thought possible. All of this with the intention that you will be able to lead your best pain free life possible.

Now doesn’t that sound good?!

A Walk on the beach

Sun, 16 Aug 2020 22:09:09 GMT

This was written in lock down about a simple walk on the beach.

Yesterday I met a friend and we went for a walk on the promenade. It was nice to get out for a walk and a natter. We stopped off in some shade and I casually mentioned how refreshing the tide pools looked. I had not intended to go for a dip and had not brought with me a towel or water or clean socks, so it was just an observation. The next thing I know he is racing off to the pool.

Now I have not been paddling in ages! But taking my shoes and socks off and jumping in that tide pool took me back to my childhood.

Suddenly this simple walk I had been on had turned into something more, and that got me thinking. As I waded through the pools and over the ridged sand, I started thinking how this was turning into so much more.

If we re-frame our thoughts on life we open to so much more. This is what was really happening:

• I was stretching and moving my legs

• The sand was exfoliating my feet

• The ridges of the sand were stretching my flat arches (helping with posture and plantar fasciitis)

• The instability of the sand was working my ankles and hips (building stability and muscle growth)

• The sun was giving me a much-needed dose of Vitamin D

• Memories of childhood and the enjoyment of being there in that moment splashing around in puddles were giving me a healthy dose of serotonin and dopamine (happy hormones).

• The conversation was thought provoking and interesting (engaging my mind)

• The laughter and fun were releasing Endorphins which are great for boosting the immune system.

• And the fresh sea air was clearing my lungs and making me relaxed.

All of this from a walk on the beach.

Now imagine if we adapt this way of thinking to life in general. Regardless of the situation (good, bad, or boring) how much more we would take/learn/improve from those situations.

Now do not get me wrong, it would be impractical, and irresponsible for me to tell you to only see the good in a situation, particularly a bad one. But what if, after that situation is over, we look at it differently, if we were not successful what did we learn, what did we get out of that situation. What can we learn from it and how will that impact us next time? Even if the only outcome you can think of was “I survived” then great, you now know you can survive that situation, and come out stronger.

And if it is a good experience, don’t downplay* the positive impacts, shout them out loud. I could have said I just went for a walk; it was nice. What happened was so much more and both my mental and physical health are so much better because of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed paddling in those pools, the water was cool, and I really did not want to leave, but next time, and there will be a next time! I will remember to take a towel and a bottle of water to wash my feet off before going home. So, what did you get/achieve from the last thing you did?

*please remove the phrase “it was only…..” from your vocabulary, I’ll explain why in another post.

Face Shield review

fyldeholistictherapies@outlook.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 20:22:49 GMT

Since COVID-19 we have to wear a face shield as mandatory PPE. So here are my thoughts on 4 different ones I've tried.

Here are my thoughts on the face shield, having used several different styles. It has been mandated by the government that we wear one, as our main PPE. There is no mandate to wear a mask. When i first opened back up, this is the regulation i was working with, since then I've decided that I need to wear a mask as well. Wearing a mask and a shield has proved quite tricky and so it's been a bit of trial and error to find the right combination of mask and shield. In this blog i'm going to analyse the different shields.

Foam headband - face shield, £3.99 for 5 (Amazon)

This was the first shield i ordered and used. It is really comfortable with the foam headband. Easy to use, easy to fit, long enough to go passed my face and give a more full protection.

However there is one big drawback, when using this shield with a mask, the foam headband traps your exhaled air so it doesn't escape. As a glasses wearer the first thing to fog up was my glasses, closely followed by the shield. That means 5 minutes into wearing the shield and mask, I've lost the ability to see.

I tried not wearing my glasses to see if that helped but unfortunately the shield still fogged up. Which isn't the end of the world during a massage but during Thai massage it is a big problem. Nobody wants a foot stuck in the wrong place!

So I had to find a solution to this problem.

My rating 3.5*

Ozone Slide On Face Shield/Spit Guard 5pk - £12 for 5 (Amazon)

After the issue with fogging on the foam headband I tried to find a solution. I saw these as they clip onto your glasses. Potentially perfect, as there was a place for the hot exhales air to escape and my glasses shouldn't steam up.

Excitedly i fitted them to my glasses and that where the excitement ends, In a word they are rubbish! There was no support in the middle so they drooped in the front, it fell so far forward eventually it went past my glasses so offering no eye protection.

In all honestly i haven't even tried one of these in treatment, as they had started to pull my glasses down. I can just imagine me having to mess around with them throughout the treatment just to keep it on.

My rating 0* - Absolute rubbish!

S mart Star Full Face Eye Cover Visor Shield (3 Pcs) - £12.99 Amazon

This face shield, has a polythene headband, with an elastic strap at the back. It was really comfortable to wear and gave almost full protection, I felt it wasn't quite long enough though.

The headband did make my forehead sweaty however there was very little fogging. So a sweaty forehead was definitely a good swap for being able to see!

I really liked this shield, it was lightweight, easy to use, easy to clean and didn't fog up.

My rating - 4*

Face Protection Shield Full Face Visor with Adjustable Elastic Strip Anti Splash and Saliva Clear Film Protect Cover (20 PCS) - £25.95 Amazon

This is the most expensive shield, and it really shows in the quality. It came with 2 headbands and 20 replace-able shield pieces. the headband is sturdy and come with an adjustable toggle at the back so you can get a snug fit. The visor is on a hinge so when you have your head down you aren't poking yourself in the chest with it, because you can pop it up slightly.

The visor itself is really long and i feel it gives much better protection. I did a full Thai massage with this and a mask and had no fogging as there is a nice gap between the headband and the visor band for the exhales air to escape.

The shield is easy to replace and it just pops on and off the little blue nodes. The instructions say the shield should only be used once then replaced. Which is a shame as i was hoping it could be sanitised and re-used.

This is by far my favourite face shield.

My rating - 4.5*

So there's my review of some of the face shields on the market, I hope you found this post useful. Let me know what you think in the comments.

The Sex Industry

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 21:29:33 GMT

I have had to deal with seedy phone calls, and jokes about happy endings.

I’m going to be talking about the sex industry, I know as a qualified and legitimate massage therapist it’s a bit of a taboo subject, but I want to get this out there, because believe it or not it does impact me.

I, like many of my friends and colleagues have had to deal with phone calls, enquiries, and jokes about happy endings and other rather demeaning requests, from men looking for prostitutes. This is part and parcel of being a massage therapist. We even had a whole session on it and how to handle inappropriate clients when I was training, But here’s the thing, we shouldn’t have to put up with it.

This may not go down well but hear me out. I honestly believe the sex industry (brothels in particular) should be legalised. Not only would it mean the women working there could earn money legitimately but they would be safer too, and importantly from my point of view they could stop using the guise of massage parlour/Thai massage to cover up their seedy dealings.

The innuendo and jokes weren’t funny the first time I heard them and there even less funny now, in fact I find them quite frustrating. Because as much as I try to keep myself and my business professional there will always be a cohort of people who associate what I do as something seedy.

It is hard enough getting a nation who’s know for its “stiff upper lip” to understand and embrace the healing power of touch, without it turning into something sexual. There have been years (centuries) of sexual oppression which has lead many people to associate healing touch with sex, whereas in the East massage is a part of every day life, it isn’t seen as something sexual but for its health benefits. (massage therapists are on a par with doctors in some parts of the world).

I would love to see us all let go of our Victorian morals and embrace the 21st century, legalise the sex industry and embrace massage therapy in the healthcare world.

Now I know we are not going to get anyway near that level of acceptance in the Western world, but wouldn’t it be nice if I could go to work without having to worry about taking withheld number phone calls or receiving unscrupulous text messages all because of the profession I chose?

“Anyone wishing to study medicine, must master the art of massage” - Hippocrates

COVID Catastrophe

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 19:27:31 GMT

I keep hearing the phrase, “we’re all in the same boat” with regards to this lock down, and I have to say I’m sorry but it’s rubbish.

As I’m writing this we are coming to the end of week 10 of lock down, I still have at least 5 more weeks before I am allowed back to work, but think this is going to be relevant long after lock down is ended as well as now.

I keep hearing the phrase, “we’re all in the same boat” with regards to this lock down, and I have to say I’m sorry but it’s rubbish. I prefer the saying:

“We’re all in the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat”

Why? Well I will give you a little insight into how I have been managing lock down. Now I’ve had to go onto Universal Credit (long and complicated story) but as a homeowner even on a mortgage holiday, that is not enough to cover my bills. So, my parents are helping where possible and buying me food.

Whilst financially I am struggling (I mean really struggling) I have not let this stop me. I am using my time in lock down to be productive. I’ve done several courses online, I’ve done all the odd jobs around my house I’ve been meaning to do for ages, I’ve got on top of my fitness and nutrition ( at this point I have lost 12Kg in lock down). I am using this time to work on my business, working with a web developer on my new website (Do you like it?) and implementing ideas I’ve only been thinking about for ages.

But I know I am also in a very privileged position, I don’t have children to occupy or teach, I don’t have a partner working as a key worker, I am not working and putting myself in harms way. The Sun is shining, my rabbits are playing out and I’ve been given the gift of time.

This isn’t a gloat, or a plea for sympathy. This is a request for understanding. Most of the time we have no idea what other people are going through, what they’ve been through or how they are dealing with things. So, if you see something you don’t agree with (unless of course it’s breaking the law or putting someone in danger) then be kind. Either walk away and mind your business or offer them your support. I mean this in every aspect of life.

In the age of modern technology showing support can be as simple as liking someone’s post, or if they are going through a hard time but don’t really want to ask, drop them a message and say. “Just wanted to let you know I’m thinking of you and hope you’re doing OK. Reach out if you need help.”

Let’s get into the habit of supporting each other and if you’re friend has a small business and you can afford to help, then please do, because the small businesses are the ones who will really struggle after this is all over.

And if you can’t or don’t want to help, that’s fine too but please don’t make that person who is struggling feel bad about the choices they’ve had to make in order to survive this pandemic.

“ What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” – Jane Goodall

MY FIRST BLOG

Thu, 28 May 2020 16:00:54 GMT

I’m sat here in the sun, with an ice cold (soft) drink next to me, listening to the neighbour’s music trying to write my very first blog.

Hi, I’m Natalie. The face and force behind Fylde Holistic Therapies. I thought I would write my very first blog about me. To give you a little insight into who I am, what drives me and why, but also what I hope you will get from this blog.

MY MASSAGE JOURNEY

I had my very first massage at the age of 16, I was in my GCSE year at school and was stressed! My mums’ friend was learning Aromatherapy massage and so, me and my mum volunteered to become case studies for her. Little did I know this was quite a pivotal moment for me. My first session was incredible. I had follow-up sessions regularly right through my A Levels and honestly believed they helped me manage my stress enough to pass with flying colours.

Fast forward to 2012, I’m going through a horrible divorce and decide to do something to take my mind of things. So, I sign up to do a weekend “introduction to massage” course.

There are many things about me, which I’m sure you will come to learn as I write more but for now, the two most relevant are that I am and have always been a very tactile person. I love a good hug. The other is that I love learning. I get so much energy from learning new skills and theories that it really invigorates me.

That weekend course was my second pivotal moment. I fell in love with massage. It combined two things I loved doing, being tactile and learning. At the end of the weekend the tutor pulled me to one side and said, “You have to do your qualification!”. I’m not sure what she had seen in me, but she hadn’t said it to anyone else, so I went away to think about it.

I signed up to do my Level 3 in body massage. Then I met the person who has been the single most influential person in my massage journey. She was my tutor. Her name is Kerry Wallace. You will hear me talk a lot about Kerry, as she is still a very important mentor to me but now, I also consider her a friend as well.

That is where the journey started. Since then, I have done many other qualifications and learned many skills, but those were my humble beginnings.

WHY MASSAGE

From that very first weekend, I fell in love with being able to help people. Massage is not just about ‘stroking’ someone. It's about warming the muscles up, finding those areas of tension, encouraging the muscles to let go of whatever stress or injury they have been holding onto. One of the most satisfying things is to feel that tight muscle I’m working on finally relax in my hands. Its also as much about working out how that area of tension is affecting other areas of the body and getting them to let go. This is realignment, when you encourage the body back into the way it should be and not where it has gotten used to being due to modern life. I get as much satisfaction from giving massage as my clients get receiving it.

I’ve had clients completely unable to turn their head before a treatment, jump off the bed at the end and do a happy dance because they can move their neck and there is no more pain.

I’ve had clients who believed that losing their shoulder mobility was a sign of old age, but after their first ever massage realizing that, after 8 years of living in pain, that it all stemmed from built up tension and that regular massage can relieve the tension and the pain and give them back a quality of life, they thought was only for people younger than them.

This is why I love massage, it is a very practical way of helping people cope with modern day life, of easing the pain without medication, of giving you back your range of motion that your body is designed to have and more importantly giving you the best quality of life I can, and I haven’t even touched on the benefits to mental health.

MOVING FORWARD

If you are still reading, great! Thank you! Now, I’m guessing you’re wondering why I decided to start writing a blog, and also why you should continue reading it. Well I’ve been in the massage business now 8 years. I’ve got oodles of knowledge. All of which I happily hand out to my clients regularly, but I thought it would be a good idea to write it down and start sharing it with you, the reader. So here it is. I’m hoping you will be able to use this blog to make small but impactful changes to your lifestyles to help you live the best life possible. We only get one body, and we really need to look after it. There are small (and some big) changes we can make which will drastically improve our quality of life and I’m hoping that even if you make one small change to improve things as a result of my blogs then I will be a very happy woman.

So for now I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

Fylde Holistic Therapies Blog

Acupuncture for Long Covid and Chronic Fatigue

☕️ Acupuncture: Your Path Back to Balance from Long COVID & Chronic Fatigue ��

What Does TCM See That Modern Medicine Misses?

Why Acupuncture is Your Body's Reset Button

1. Fighting Fatigue by Boosting Qi

2. Clearing the 'Brain Fog' and Improving Sleep

3. Calming the Body's Persistent Over-Reaction

A Part of Your Holistic Wellness Routine

No Pain No Gain

﻿

“No pain no gain!”

Stop it! Just Stop it!

" Do something today that your future self will thank you for. "

Supplements - to take or not to take, that is the question?

Why do we always try to take a pill to fix the problem?

IRON

CALCIUM

VITAMIN D

IODINE

Sleep Hygiene Part 2

Sleep Hygiene part 2

Environmental factors

Senses

Mind

Sleep Hygiene Part 1

Sleep Hygiene

But what actually is Sleep Hygiene?

Physiological factors

2020 Year in review

What a fricking year 2020 has been?!

Warning – contains advice!

Warning – contains advice!

What is Thai Massage?

I wanted to write a post about Thai massage and my thoughts (or at least some of them) on it.

A Walk on the beach

This was written in lock down about a simple walk on the beach.

Face Shield review

Since COVID-19 we have to wear a face shield as mandatory PPE. So here are my thoughts on 4 different ones I've tried.

The Sex Industry

I have had to deal with seedy phone calls, and jokes about happy endings.

COVID Catastrophe

I keep hearing the phrase, “we’re all in the same boat” with regards to this lock down, and I have to say I’m sorry but it’s rubbish.

MY FIRST BLOG