My brother died on March 20th. He experienced a heart attack after taking his first dose of the antibiotic doxycyline on March 16th – a drug he was incorrectly prescribed – as he had no infectious illness. His respiratory symptoms were down to pulmonary oedema and a failing heart. Being treated for a chest infection Continue reading
Doing the right thing in sickness and death
Over the past few months the world has been hit by a global pandemic that may be completely undetectable in terms of symptoms (especially in children), mimics flu in it’s early stages, or causes death – fairly rapidly. Wherever and however the pandemic started it is our collective responsibility to see as little harm and Continue reading
Missed heart disease in Covid19 – what could help prevent this?
In my previous blog I wrote about how my brother had died after his heart disease was missed by the medical profession in the Covid 19 pandemic and he was treated for a respiratory infection with antibiotics. You can read the blog HERE In this blog I would like to reflect on what might have Continue reading
A case of missed heart disease as the Covid 19 pandemic takes hold in the UK
We lost a good man on 20th March 2020. He was my brother. As he became more and more ill my brother sought medical help and reached out to friends and family – trying to make sense of what was happening to him – but none of us knew about his heart disease. We were Continue reading
The origins of a desire to help others & putting one’s own needs first
I experience a desire to help and support others as if it were part of my nature – why else would I be so drawn to being a therapist? I now understand, through reading, and through learning about pre and perinatal development as a craniosacral therapist, that a need to help others is something that Continue reading
Connecting with our own paradise within
Roger Robinson’s has just won the TS Eliot poetry prize for his beautiful poetry collection, A Portable Paradise You can listen to him read the title poem on BBC’s Front Row (14/1/20) at 23 minutes. The poem begins with the line And if I speak of paradise I am speaking of my grandmother…. Roger wanted Continue reading
Prescription drug dependency – what’s the alternative?
We learned in the news this week that in the UK around one in four of us are taking prescription medications such as antidepressants, anti anxiety medications, painkillers and sleeping pills. Many people are using the drugs for far too long – they are no longer clinically appropriate. Professor Paul Cosford, medical director of Public Continue reading
The Placebo Paradox – and some thoughts about the placebo effect and healing
A fascinating Radio 4 programme about the placebo effect has given me food for thought about the nature of healing and medicine: The Placebo Paradox So often, when I was involved in health research, I was reminded of the parable of Nasruddin and the lost keys. It felt that rather like this sage/fool, the scientists Continue reading
The Social Engagement System, Autism & Craniosacral Therapy
I believe and hope that one day we will understand much better how to support and care for people with mental health problems or those who are not neurotypical with sensory processing difficulties such as autism. I hope we will also understand better how to support those who parent, care for and support children or Continue reading
Researching the benefits of acupuncture for depression, as an acupuncturist
This is a personal story about what happened to me when I was given a PhD fellowship award, as an acupuncture practitioner, to research depression in 2003, by the National Institute of Health Research My first experience of acupuncture was in the 1980s when a friend who suffered with depression had her life turned around Continue reading