Friday 27 February 2015

Too claustrophobic to float?

Too claustrophobic to float?


"Oh, I don't think I could do one of those float things, I couldn't stand to be in such a small space, I'm a bit claustrophobic." 

I hear this sentence or one very like it time and time again, so I'm putting down on a blog, what I say to people in the clinic.
Firstly you probably think its like this   -------------------------->
a tiny little space that you can hardly move in. 

I see this image of the float "tank" time and time again, because it make good telly!




My first experience of floating was in a tiny little tank, that I could hardly sit up in with out banging my head on it, which I did......... D'Oh! 
It looked just like the one to the left, truth be told it was claustrophobic, the experience getting in was not the best, stepping up grabbing the bar on the top and swinging yourself in feet first like an astronaut entering a space capsule. (Great when your back was in agony! Not.) But the results were outstanding! This is why I got into bobbing around in Epsom Salt saturated water. I had broken my back and after surgery that I had was left in so much pain I could hardly function. I was 20.
Floating saved me! Simple. It encouraged my body to heal itself and with some treatments and lots of self healing visualisations within the float tank and at home. I got better and better and beat the consultant's opinion that, "there was nothing that could be done, except the fact you'll probably be in a wheelchair by the time you are 30, go take pain killers and make yourself as comfortable as possible"

Tank or Room


How times have changed! All float "Tanks" and "Rooms" have the same 10" of body temperature Epsom Salt saturated water in them. The space is the difference and this is why we choose a "Float Room". 
Ellie is claustrophobic and there is no way I could get her into a tank, we were opening a clinic. I wanted a float tank in it. Ellie was not so sure of the space, no matter how flash they now look,  a tank is a small box with a lid on it, and I was not convincing her to get in it! "Well, you can leave the top open or ajar" I said. Not telling her of the annoying draught that would be felt on her skin and how that would ruin the experience. (This is how much I wanted a float tank).

Then we found the Float Room.

The size of a small sauna, is the best way I can explain it, over 2 meters high inside, easy to stand in even for a 6'4" me. The bit you lie in is a generous 2.5m x 1.6m,  loads of room. 
There are sparkly fibre optic lights on the ceiling a great big door to get in through, (no more swinging in like an astronaut). 
The most important thing is the space, there are no feelings of claustrophobia, even for Ellie!
 
The amount of clients who have seen it and said "Oh, that is not at all, as I thought it would be like" and then all admitted that they were worried it was a box with a lid!

Many regular floaters told me that they would never have tried it if it was a tank! The best thing we did was get a float room! Please if you think it is a coffin style tank, think again, click on the link to this 360ยบ tour, or pop in to have a look for yourself!

Then get yourself booked in and understand what everyone is talking about, and why it is the ultimate environment for your body to heal itself!

Happy Floating Phil














Wednesday 28 January 2015

Energy ???? Whats that all about....

So, this is my second effort at a blog post, I sit here with no real idea of what I shall write about, just the intention to write something, not too boring nor generic.

Energy

 ....is what has popped to mind. I work with energy, I work on peoples energy fields all the time. Having a distorted energy field can lead to a distortion (problem) in the physical body, similarly a physical issue also manifests itself in the energy of the person. This is why I believe to get true long lasting healing / fixing both aspects need to be addressed. It is not something I shout about of talk about I just quietly get on with it within the session. Some people "get it, some have no idea.

So let me try to explain the concept of energy in a scientific way, firstly I have a colleague who says science says it doesn't exist, I say it does....

Here goes...
Ok what are our bodies made of?
Bones, Muscles, blood, water...
All made of cells, all these cells are made up of millions of atoms....

On the right you see a very basic model of what an atom is like, how it is constructed.
There is the nucleus in the centre, this contains about 90% of the mass of the atom, around this orbits electrons, similar to the way we on planet Earth fly around the sun.

So now an idea of SCALE. 
If the nucleus were scaled up to be the size of a "pin head",  and placed on the centre spot of Wembley stadium the electrons would be flying around the perimeter of stands! A big distance away from the pin head!!  The proton has a +ve charge and the electron a -ve charge. Between them is a magnetic charge, ENERGY!

SO MOST OF THE SPACE WITHIN AN ATOM IS JUST ENERGY! 
You are made entirely of atoms... 
THUS MOST OF YOU (about 90%) AS A PERSON IS JUST ENERGY!

This is what the true orbits of an electron flying around a  nucleus really looks like!




Now for a fun side note...

Quarks

Quarks are sub atomic particles that make up the protons and neutrons in the atom's nucleus. An interesting aside is that scientists found that when they observed the quarks they always did what they theorised that they would do. No matter how different the theories were the quarks always reacted in the way the observer thought they would react. So Quarks, in short, behave the way you want them to behave!
 (This is quantum physics)

THIS IS WHY THE POWER OF THOUGHT / INTENTION IS SO POWERFUL!

Your body on a sub atomic level does what you want it too.....
or why people around you or your therapist can have such an effect on you.

All this is science not just hippy woo woo....








Tuesday 27 January 2015

Dreaded lurgy or healthy healing crisis? - by Josie Dade - Osteopath

Dreaded lurgy or healthy healing crisis? Either way, osteopathy can help!

Having just emerged from a bout of the most debilitating lurgy myself, I felt inspired to reflect on these periods of illness, explore what it means to have a cold, and what we can do to facilitate a speedy recovery!

Some people seem to suffer regular colds or flu while others are able to claim they never get ill! But is having a cold always a bad thing or could it actually be a sign of a healthy functioning immune system? There are of course serious medical conditions which can compromise the immune system, but lifestyle factors play an important role in our ability to defend ourselves from the bugs that we are in constant contact with. High stress or emotional strain, lack of sleep and poor nutrition are some of the most common factors which can lower our defences and leave us vulnerable to frequent infections. However, a cold or two a year could actually be a sign of health! The body’s natural cleansing mechanisms kicking into action to eliminate unwanted matter that has accumulated over time, aka, a “Healing Crisis”.

So often we reach for the Lemsip, Night Nurse, or Paracetamol to reduce the unpleasant symptoms of a cold, but in doing so we are actually inhibiting the healing process. The rise in body temperature is an important part of the immune response that helps the body rid itself of unwelcome residents; while the cough reflex, the increase in mucus production and frequency of bladder and bowel movements are all efficient mechanisms the body sets into action to eliminate pathogens and toxins. All this requires a great deal of energy, which is why we feel tired, the body is working hard! But when we suppress all these wondrous natural processes with pharmaceuticals and try to keep up with our usual work or exercise regimes, we could be setting the stage for a more serious condition later down the line. Of course sometimes life forces us to carry on and we turn to the medicine cabinet for a little relief... everything in moderation! The more we can listen to our bodies and respect our natural processes of healing, the faster we can recover and the more resilience we will have to disease in the future.

Perhaps the relentless coughing has left your chest and back feeling sore and tight? Or your neck is
grumbling at you for sleeping with an extra pillow to reduce nasal congestion at night! Osteopathy and other forms of body work can gently and effectively facilitate healing and speed recovery after illness by releasing tension, improving circulation and relieving sinus pressure through lymphatic drainage. Specific techniques, such as the “thoracic pump” can speed up the elimination of left over mucus on lungs, and manipulation of the joints in your neck or spine can rapidly reduce pain and tension.

So, some top tips to speed recovery and boost your immune system!
·      Eat natural unprocessed whole foods
·      Increase your intake of vitamin C with supplements and fruits (orange, lemon, kiwi)
·      Home made natural lemsips (include things like root ginger, black pepper, fennel seeds, propolis, raw/manuka honey, Echinacea, Astragalus)
·      Get plenty of rest, mindfulness or meditiation, as well as getting out for some fresh sea air!
·      Support your body’s healing with massage, osteopathy or other form of body work

Warmest wishes,

Josie D



Josie Dade
Josie Dade
Josie Dade  Registered Osteopath, ITEC Sports Massage,  Certified Kinesio Tape Practitioner
 BSc (Hons) Ost Med, BSc Biology, Dip PT.
Josie has been working with people and helping them to achieve their goals since becoming a personal trainer in 2009. Her lifelong passion for health and fitness then led her to graduate from The Surrey Institute of Osteopathic Medicine, with a first class honours degree.
Josie will conduct a thorough postural assessment and apply a range of massage and manipulative techniques, as well as prescribing exercises appropriate to your individual needs.
As a primary healthcare practitioner, Josie is passionate about supporting and empowering her patients to achieve optimal health and vitality. She adopts a holistic approach based on an understanding of the body functioning as a whole, as well as the interconnectedness of mind, body and soul.


Josie, works from Hands On Clinic on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday each week.

Monday 19 January 2015

First blog I've ever written....


So this is it....


After many years of people banging on to me to start writing and "blogging" I have found a cheeky half hour to try to put some words on to paper...

Now due to my snail speed typing it will either take me longer that 30 minutes to write or it will be a very short opening salvo into the world of the blog-o-sphere. Added to which I was concentrating so much on setting up this blog that I am just realising that I have no idea what to write about !

So what is Hands On and what's it all about?


Hands On was the brain child of myself and my better more charming half, Ellie..
Cheezy Photo of me, Ellie and Jane Alexander.

MY driving goal and ambition in life has been to help and to heal other people. I have always done it since the year dot, well I remember doing it at about aged 7. I could for some reason get rid of my Mum's headaches when nothing else could. I have been a body worker for over 20 years now, and I'm only 41. When I was 18 I had surgery on my spine, a (cricket related injury, and no I did't get hit in the back with a ball!)

I discovered Floating when in Oxford at Eau de Vie. It helped my back pain massively. I wanted to put the 2 together, Ellie came up with the name "Hands On" and we were off.

4 Years Later

Multi disciplined Complementary Therapy Clinic. 

That is the aim, when, if one of us can't help you we refer you to someone else under our roof, so we all work together to fix and maintain you as quickly as we can, in the most economical fashion possible, none of this "well you will need at least 10 sessions to start with...". We truly believe that MASSIVE changes can be effected usually within 3 sessions, some times less, very rarely more. we are about helping you!  For me this is a way of life, and I truly believe that we will have someone here that can help everyone!

This is why I treat ALL CHILDREN under 11 for free !!!
Because you can't put a price on your kids health...