Although chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been defined as a separate syndrome, up to 70% of patients with fibromyalgia are also diagnosed with CFS and 35-70% of patients with CFS have also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Thus studies of patients with CFS may have clinical relevance to Fibromyalgia. Every patient with chronic widespread pain requires at the
Continue reading »
What Is Ankylosing spondylitis? Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis, thought by some to be autoimmune in origin. It would appear that the most likely causative agent in the development of Ankylosing spondylitis is an environmental factor in the genetically susceptible, HLA-B27 positive, individuals. What is HLA-B27? It has been shown that more
Continue reading »
Many of us are now familiar with the terms lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. These are often included in probiotic supplements, and found in fermented foods such as kefir, now widely available in many supermarkets and health food stores. But are you familiar with the bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila (bare with me!)? What Is Akkermansia muciniphila? Akkermansia muciniphila
Continue reading »
In part 1 of this two part series on mindfulness (click here if you haven’t yet read it) we discussed the three components of mindfulness (intention, attention, attitude), introduced the term “reperceiving”, and, highlighted the four direct mechanisms which lead to this shift in perspective. “Reperceiving—the capacity to dispassionately observe or witness the contents of
Continue reading »
What Is Mindfulness? It is “inherently a state of consciousness” which involves consciously attending to one’s moment-to-moment experience. Meditation practice is simply a “scaffolding” used to develop the state, or skill, of mindfulness. This post summarises just one paper, which must be one of my favourites in this area of health and performance (the paper
Continue reading »
Researchers are beginning to conceptualise self-compassion as a buffer, or moderator, of the relationships between distressing events and negative self-feelings. Self-compassion contains three components: Self-kindness versus self-judgment Common humanity versus isolation Mindfulness versus over-identification These components combine and mutually interact. Self-compassion is relevant when considering personal inadequacies, mistakes, and failures, as well as when confronting painful life
Continue reading »
With magnesium often claimed to be one of the most common nutrient deficiencies, and with so many clients asking about the nutrient I thought I would start creating a ‘master document’ on this amazing nutrient. So over the coming days/week I will add to this article with the aim of covering all necessary questions: What
Continue reading »
Food intolerance is estimated to affect 10-20% of the population, though diagnosis is difficult and so the number could be lower or even higher than this. Intolerances are a non-immunological reaction or hypersensitivity to food, often associated with gastro-intestinal symptoms. There are three potential causes of a food intolerance: 1. Pharmacology There are a number
Continue reading »
The UK has some of the highest prevalence rates of allergic conditions in the world, with ‘prevalence’ meaning the number of cases that are present at a given time. AllergyUK estimates that a staggering 44% of British adults now suffer from at least one allergy, and the number of sufferers is on the rise. Almost
Continue reading »Some research suggests that 81% of people with chronic fatigue syndrome, 84% of people with fibromyalgia, 54% of people with hypothyroidism and up to 78% of people with IBS have small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) Hydrogen breath tests are widely used to explore what’s going on in functional gastrointestinal disorders. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Continue reading »