As mentioned in the main menopause post (read it here), a blood test is generally not required for healthy women over 45 experiencing symptoms linked to perimenopause or menopause. According to the NICE guidelines, a diagnosis of menopause is made based on clinical symptoms rather than blood tests, especially for women over 45. However, checking hormone levels can be important in certain […]
Author archives: Sandie E
From Midlife and Beyond: How Hormonal Changes Impact Your Muscles, Joints, and Bones
Menopause is a natural part of ageing, but it’s often associated only with symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. What many don’t realise is that menopause can also significantly affect the muscles, joints, and bones. This section explores the musculoskeletal impacts of menopause and the emerging recognition of Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause. What is […]
Piriformis Syndrome: Myth or Misunderstood Condition?
The deep, nagging ache in your buttock that sometimes radiates down the back of your leg is undeniably real. But is your piriformis muscle truly to blame, and does “piriformis syndrome” even exist?
Rethinking Mental Wellbeing: When CBT Isn’t Enough
What is CBT? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is widely used in the UK to address mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and OCD. Its popularity stems from its effectiveness, accessibility, and structure. CBT works by helping individuals identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts, which can lead to improved emotional responses and behaviours.
Menstrual health; the 5th vital sign
The onset of menstruation is a physical and emotional event in a person’s reproductive life. Most will have their first period between the ages of 10 and 14, and depending on the type of contraception used, they will menstruate monthly until menopause typically around age 51.
5 mindful movement to ease joint stiffness
Where do you live? In your head, body or both? The reason I ask is that, as a health professional and movement teacher, I meet many people who live in their heads, and their body is just this thing hanging below their lower eyelashes, I kid you not!
SAD, prevention and management
If you’re in the U.K., it won’t have passed you by that the nights are drawing in (it seems a tad early to me); the shorter days remind me to welcome autumn, but I do so with mixed feelings. While I love the hues of the season and the prospect of wrapping up in cosy […]
Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT), the inside scoop.
Did you know that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now being called menopause hormone therapy (MHT)?
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
Mental Health Awareness Week is a yearly opportunity to increase our understanding of mental well-being and stamp out the stigma. around mental well-being. This year’s theme is Anxiety and what we can do to prevent and manage it. Anxiety is the body’s natural adaptive mind-body reaction to perceived and genuine stress or future danger. It is […]
Baker’s cyst
Medically, a Baker’s cyst is called a popliteal cyst, a fluid-filled sac that causes tightness and a bulge behind the knee. It can be painless and go unnoticed until there has been increasing inactivity. When there is pain, it is usually worsened when bending or fully straightening or activity levels increase.
Menopause, the inside scoop
Just saying the word ‘menopause’ can provoke strong emotional responses: denial, confusion, and sometimes fear. One way to move past these feelings is to have conversations and share knowledge to dispel the many myths and misconceptions about menopause so those experiencing mid-life changes can make informed choices about how to navigate this phase of life.
ADHD in Adults
ADHD is a developmental disorder and mental health condition that affects behaviour and is often thought of as a condition that only affects children. However, research suggests that around 4% of adults have this condition, but many are oblivious because it was not recognised in childhood.
Is mindfulness meditation making you feel like a failure?
And more anxious too? Pounding heart, heavy breathing, churning stomach and sweating hands can be some signs and symptoms of anxiety, along with the need to escape. It is a horrible, distressing experience, often accompanied by embarrassment and shame.
ADHD, treatment, medication and support
In the last post, we looked at the signs and symptoms of ADHD; you can catch up here. This time let’s explore treatment, medication and other support.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a developmental disorder and common mental health condition characterised by persistent inattentiveness or restlessness, which can cause significant problems in a person’s life. Such as poor social interaction with others, education or work underachievement, and issues with rules and discipline.
Do you understand your emotional needs?
At the end and beginning of the year, folks often reflect or carry out a life audit because we cannot take anything for granted, including our physical or mental health. Depending on individual factors such as genetics, culture, identity, and upbringing, we have our own unique emotional needs; they are feelings or occasions where we […]
Persistent pain and your feelings
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of living with ongoing pain is that it’s often not taken seriously. It’s a common misconception that pain is all in your head. Too often, people in pain are told, “it’s all in your head,” “you look fine“, or, “you’re laughing, so it can’t be that bad.”
Chronic pain and trauma
Trauma and chronic pain often coexist because sometimes, people with persistent pain also have an untreated or complex trauma history. Pain is our body’s danger detection system, making the body and mind more sensitive, and trauma changes the brain.
Persistent Pain is a genuine condition
Pain is the primary reason people go to the doctor, but 1 in 3 general practitioners (GPs) reports feeling “unprepared” to treat pain. While this may frustrate you, it’s not their fault because, like most healthcare professionals (HCPs), we receive little or no training around the pain that doesn’t go away as expected during our […]
Osteopathic Care of babies, learning from looking back.
I’m a committed, enthusiastic lifelong learner and love travel, so getting to do both at the same is a win-win in my world. In all honesty, since covid 19, leaving my postcode still feels like a big adventure (yep, I know!) So the last week has been super special. I’m a committed, enthusiastic lifelong learner […]