The Role of Functional Testing in Naturopathic Nutrition

By Marion Colledge

What is Functional Testing?

Functional tests can be used to get a better understanding of what is going on in the body, beyond the tests which are available through your GP. They can be in the form of blood, urine, breath or stool tests, depending on what we are looking at. Most of these are easy to do at home and then shipped off to the lab for analysis.

The results can be helpful for identifying imbalances, nutrient status, presence of inflammation, presence of parasites, food intolerances, hormonal imbalances, dysfunctional stress response, genetic predispositions, gut barrier function and more. With test results as a basis for a nutritional protocol, the support can be more targeted, completely individual and therefore lead to faster results.

Why should I do functional testing?

It can be a good way to get to the root of what is causing symptoms or for identifying any individual health trends or risks.

For example, for menstrual issues such as irregular periods or very heavy periods it can be useful to perform a DUTCH test (dried urine test) which gives a good snapshot of your sex hormones as well as your stress hormones and allows us to be quite specific with any nutritional and herbal interventions. On top of this, genetic testing (Nutrigenomics) can be useful as this gives us great insight into how the hormones are broken down in the body and whether there are any genetic permutations which mean that some pathways are not working effectively.  Once identified, this can be supported with the right nutrients, foods and herbs.

Ongoing digestive issues which have not responded to more general interventions may be due to suboptimal gut barrier function, inflammation in the gut associated with food intolerances, candida, or a bacterial overgrowth such as SIBO. There is a range of tests available to identify the problem, giving us the ability to be more targeted in our treatment approach.

When are tests appropriate?

This depends fully on the individual circumstances and will vary from patient to patient. We can get a lot of information from the initial consultation which includes a detailed medical history, look at current symptoms, lifestyle and diet. Often this is enough to get a good picture of what is going on in the body and which areas need support.

However, if the issues have been going on for a long time and not responded well to previous interventions or if you would prefer to know with more certainty what is happening, then testing can be a great way to get closer to the root of the problem.

Can I get these through my GP?

GPs offer full blood counts, including thyroid function test, Vit D, Vit B12, Ferritin and other diagnostic tests such as stool tests or urine tests.

Functional tests as described in this article are currently not available on the NHS and can only be accessed through private providers such as functional doctors or nutritional therapists.

What is the cost?

This varies greatly depending on the type of test, the lab and also the provider you are getting your test through.

Want to know more?

You can take a look at the Naturopathic Nutrition page on our website and/or before booking an appointment with Marion, you can arrange arrange a free 15 minute discovery call to establish whether she is the right person for you to work with.

Book a Free Discovery Call

Perimenopause: Why rest is profoundly important

By Emma-Jane Bunn

Perimenopause – those few years prior to menopause – can make itself known in your early 40’s with a long list of symptoms;

• Low mood, anxiety & mood swings

• Problems with memory or concentration (brain fog)

• Disturbed sleep

• Hot flushes

• Bloating & poor digestion

• Changes to body shape & weight gain

• Headaches and migraines that are worse than usual

• Muscle aches and joint pains

• Reduced body confidence

One of the most common complaints is the overall sense of tiredness and fatigue.

The main cause for fatigue during this period is that your hormone levels drop. As your body prepares for the onset of menopause it decreases the amount of oestrogen that it produces. Since oestrogen serves as a counterweight to progesterone, when there is less oestrogen there is a disruption in the balance of the two hormones. And since progesterone can make you sleepy, its effects can be magnified with less oestrogen in your system.

Oestrogen also serves as an important control on cortisol levels. So with less oestrogen, cortisol’s negative effects become magnified – leading to the same type of cortisol rush you see in any stress response. And you can experience the same type of energy crashes you might endure after any other stressful situation. The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body's processes, and this puts you at increased risk of exacerbating your other symptoms.

And of course, those other symptoms can - when added together - enhance that fatigue; your sleep is disturbed, you have night sweats, your body is sore and your memory sucks… all of this can become a bit of a cycle; contributing to and compounding that sense of physical, mental and emotional fatigue. If you add to this our tendency as a society to “push through” these symptoms we can so easily start to deplete our scant energy reserves and tip ourselves further towards exhaustion and away from our usually resilient selves.

As well as addressing these issues with dietary changes and supplements, rest and relaxation are critical during perimenopause and that means napping when necessary(!), or using other relaxation techniques to help reduce your stress levels.

As well as making some lifestyle changes (can you take anything unnecessary out of your diary?); meditation, pranayama and yoga are an excellent choices for these relaxation efforts.

Mindfulness Meditation - A mindfulness practice has been shown in studies to reduce the reactivity of the amygdala (the brains emotional response centre) allowing us more control over how we react to stressors, and therefore enabling us to reduce the release of stress hormones into the body. Studies also show that meditation can provide the nervous system with a rest that is five times deeper than sleep!

Restorative Yoga - A slow and spacious yoga practice that invites the body into positions that encourage rest and recuperation. This type of practice facilitates the opposite of the “fight & flight” stress response; activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, or “rest & digest” functions in the body.

Pranayama (breathwork) - While mindfulness asks us to be present with the breath as it is, Pranayama invites us to work gently with the breath (changing its speed and length) to further help the body “down-regulate”. Most of us will notice that in times of stress our breath gets shorter and faster, and when we’re stuck in this pattern for too long the body starts to struggle.

Somatic Movement - It may seem odd to recommend movement for rest purposes, but somatic practices (including some yoga) can help us to close the stress cycle and dispel excess stress hormones from the body. Once we’ve used up these hormones it makes way for the parasympathetic nervous system to release the more restful hormones and can help to bring us into a deeper state of connection and relaxation.

It can be tricky to know where to begin, especially when you’re exhausted, feeling under-resourced and struggling with your symptoms, which is why I am thrilled to be a guest facilitator on the “Empowered” program, co-hosted with Marion Colledge and The Honor Oak Wellness Rooms. Join me on week three, where I’ll lead you through some simple practices that you can add to your toolkit, and most importantly - take them off your mat and into your everyday life.

EMPOWERED: A Perimenopause Program

A six-week program for women who want to improve their wellbeing before, during and after menopause..

Find out more

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Emma-Jane Bunn (@almae.wellness) is a yoga and mindfulness facilitator with a long-standing interest in using these practices as tools to support mental and physical health. Emma espouses the benefits of rest and offers you an opportunity to cultivate relaxation with an intuitive and holistic approach; offering you practices to calm and regulate your nervous system and build inner resilience from a compassionate and grounded place.⁠ Emma's work is rooted in years of experience working with stress and recognising how it manifests in the body. ⁠Emma holds a trauma-informed space.

Perimenopause: Why consider nutrition and herbs when I can just take HRT?

By Marion Colledge - Nutritional Therapist Dip CNM and Medical Herbalist BSc(Hons)

There are so many reasons why good nutrition is very relevant, whether you are taking HRT or not.

When we hit perimenopause our levels of progesterone and oestrogen begin to fluctuate and eventually decline and this can cause a range of symptoms including brain fog, fatigue, low mood, loss of sense of self, abdominal weight gain, anxiety, sleep issues, hot flushes, night sweats, muscular aches, joint stiffness, dry hair and skin. The symptoms vary greatly from woman to woman and there are at least 34 recognised symptoms of which some will experience plenty and others almost none. HRT is short for hormone replacement therapy and there are different forms of HRT which women can have to replace the decreasing levels of their own oestrogen and progesterone as well as sometimes testosterone.

Whilst HRT can help to improve menopausal symptoms, it is not a panacea and therefore not the whole story when it comes to moving through this phase of your life... And of course, many women choose not to or are not able to take HRT, can feel quite excluded from the conversation and often don't know where to look for support.

Oestrogen and progesterone don't just regulate our reproductive system, they play important parts in many other areas of our physical and emotional health. Declining or fluctuating levels of these hormones affect our gut, nervous system, bone health, cardiovascular health, brain function, immune system to name a few. And this is where nutrition comes in.

Good nutrition is about laying solid foundations for continuing good health well beyond menopause. With the right nutrients we can support the areas which are affected by hormonal changes and - let's face it - ageing to create and maintain long-term physical and mental wellbeing. Areas which benefit from support are the musculoskeletal system, gut and digestion, blood sugar balance, adrenal glands and stress response. Supporting the above can help to reduce some symptoms and improve overall wellbeing.

And it is about so much more than symptom control. With a rounded approach to healthy living which includes eating well, but also rest and relaxation, social connections, movement and having fun, we can increase our overall resilience to stress as well as our chances of staying healthy into old age. We want to increase our health span, not just our life span. One example of this is that studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet high in vegetables and fruit, legumes, good quality protein, olive oil and low in processed foods was positively associated with bone density and muscle mass in post-menopausal women as well as improved outcomes for cardiovascular health and increased life span.

Perimenopause is a critical window for women’s health. Small problems, if unaddressed, can turn into larger health issues which is why this can be a good time to assess how we are and whether there is anything we could pay more attention to. This is also a time when nourishing your body is particularly important: nutrients from food form the building blocks for hormones, neurotransmitters, and the functioning of metabolic processes in the body and in every single cell.

This is not to say that every woman needs to radically change her diet when she hits perimenopause. Often, it’s just small changes and little tweaks which can make a big difference. It can be a valuable exercise to look at what we are eating and to check whether we are getting enough beneficial nutrients such as good quality protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, fibre and plenty of fruit and veg. Are we getting enough Vitamin D, Magnesium, Calcium and B-Vitamins? Our metabolism also changes as we age and we can find that certain foods don’t get digested as easily as they used to or we notice weight gain around the abdomen which wasn’t there before. Sometimes testing can be useful to ascertain nutrient status, metabolic function, stress hormone levels and more.

Where do herbs come into this?

A herbal prescription can be a valuable tool to help support physical and emotional health. With many herbs to choose from they can be an effective addition to any nutritional plan. The combination of Black Cohosh and St John’s Wort has been found to improve perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings. Adaptogenic herbs such as Ashwagandha have shown to improve sleep and reduce anxiety and can be particularly helpful during stressful times. These are just two examples of how herbs can form part of an alternative approach for those not on HRT as well as alongside it - if this is managed by a Medical Herbalist.

You can find out more about how you can optimise your health during perimenopause (and beyond) in our upcoming six-week program “Empowered.” We’ll offer you the knowledge to be able to make positive lifestyle changes, feel informed, understood, and confident in making the right choices for you.

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EMPOWERED: A Perimenopause Program

A six-week program for women who want to improve their wellbeing before, during and after menopause..

Find out more

5 Ways To Maximise Your Chiropractic Treatment

So you’ve been in for treatment, you’ve booked in your next appointment… what now?

We’ve compiled 5 tips to help you get the most from your Chiropractic adjustments. Read on to find out more!

1: Stay Hydrated

While it’s always important to stay hydrated, it’s particularly wise following a chiropractic adjustment. Drinking plenty of water can flush out toxins that may have been released into the body during your treatment (such as lactic acid), and help your body heal more quickly. If you don’t hydrate yourself the toxins could settle back in, potentially causing more aches and pains.

2. Keep Moving

Movement following a chiropractic appointment stimulates blood flow, which can help speed up the healing process that begins with your adjustment. Try gentle exercise; yoga, a walk, or a short swim. Avoid heavy workouts, vigorous exercises, or weight lifting. Your chiropractor can help you gauge how much is the right amount.

3. Get Adjusted Regularly

We recommend to maximise your experience that you attend your appointments regularly. Your treatment plan has been established by your Chiropractor to get you back to your regular activities as quickly as possible. Missing appointments hinders that process and may even end up prolonging your recovery.

4. Get Some Sleep

Sleep is essential to every process in the body. Although movement and exercise are essential to unlocking the full benefits of chiropractic adjustments, rest is equally as vital. Your body regains it's strength and promotes healing while you’re asleep.

5. Actually Do Your Rehab

It's important to invest time outside the clinic into your own healing. Your chiropractor may prescribe you a rehab plan and if you want to get back to your better self in the timeline discussed with your practitioner, we recommend you utilise your program!

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Why Rest is Essential

By Emma-Jane Bunn

It’s so easy to push the idea of rest aside; doing and achieving more is often touted as the best way to move through life, and whilst it undeniably means you get more done - at what standard and at what cost?

Our incredible human bodies simply haven’t evolved to deal with the level of stimulation that they receive in modern living. With things such as worldwide news, our work email and access to infinite amounts of information (amongst many other things) at our literal fingertips; our body (via the nervous system) is processing more information than has ever been asked of it before in the history of human evolution. Our nervous system controls the release of hormones in the body that enable us to react to things that might endanger us, however our stress response is just as easily triggered by a news story occurring half way across the world (not a physical threat) as it is when we accidentally step out in front of a bicycle (a physical threat). That’s not to say we shouldn’t be informed, just that it’s not healthy to be constantly exposed to this amount of information. When we add to this our general day-to-day responsibilities; work, family roles, paying the bills etc we can see how we might start to feel overwhelmed and under-resourced.

When we look at it through this lens, we can see why 74% of people feel so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope in the last year (Mental Health Foundation and YouGov). It’s also, sadly, no surprise that 51% of adults who felt stressed reported feeling depressed, while 61% reported feeling anxious (Mental Health Foundation and YouGov). And we rarely stop to think about the long-term effect this stress is having on our bodies and minds. Unfortunately, when stressors are always present and you constantly feel activated, your hormonal “fight-or-flight” reaction turns on, and stays turned on. The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many physical and mental health problems.

Now, I’m not suggesting getting rid of your devices, or that you should quit your job and move to a cabin in the woods (unless you particularly want to!) but there are definitely things we can do to help mediate the effects of these stressors.

Mindfulness Meditation - A mindfulness practice has been shown in studies to reduce the reactivity of the amygdala (the brains emotional response centre) allowing us more control over how we react to stressors, and therefore enabling us to reduce the release of stress hormones into the body.

Restorative Yoga - A slow and spacious yoga practice that invites the body into positions that encourage rest and recuperation. This type of practice facilitates the opposite of the “fight & flight” stress response; activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, or “rest & digest” functions in the body.

Pranayama (Breathwork) - While mindfulness asks us to be present with the breath as it is, Pranayama invites us to work gently with the breath (changing its speed and length) to further help the body “down-regulate”. Most of us will notice that in times of stress our breath gets shorter and faster, and when we’re stuck in this pattern for too long the body starts to struggle.

Somatic Movement - It may seem odd to recommend movement for rest purposes, but somatic practices (including some yoga) can help us to close the stress cycle and dispel excess stress hormones from the body. Once we’ve used up these hormones it makes way for the parasympathetic nervous system to release the more restful hormones and can help to bring us into a deeper state of connection and relaxation.

It can be tricky to know where to begin, especially when you’re exhausted, feeling under-resourced and struggling to make time for yourself, which is why I’ve built a course with The Honor Oak Wellness Rooms that addresses these issues and pushes back the effects of stress and burnout. The course offers a combination of all of all the above strategies as well as there being time for discussion and questions; it’s based on the science, as well as my years of experience as both a teacher, and as someone who has been deeply affected by these issues. It’s helpfully called Yoga for Stress & Burnout and I run 6-week cohorts throughout the year, as well as monthly two hour “Rest Sessions” on the last Saturday of the month.

It might seem like a luxury to invest money in your own wellbeing right now, but in response I offer this quote - “if you don’t pick a day to relax, your body will pick it for you”, meaning that unless you choose to build rest into your regular life, your body will choose a time for you (and usually at a much less convenient time) by communicating with you through symptoms such as fatigue, reduced immune system, poor digestion, exacerbated hormonal symptoms (PMS, fertility and perimenopause are all affected by stress), disrupted sleep or trouble falling asleep, feeling “tired but wired”, or even - in extreme cases - the onset of chronic illness.

Rest is integral to our overall health and wellbeing, as it’s only when we are rested and our nervous system is resilient and balanced, that we are able to thrive.

“I loved the premise of restorative yoga. I enjoyed it so much. I loved having the time, space and guidance to practice and listen, to pause and be still. It was quite enlightening.”

”I enjoyed the focus on what and how you can use the learning off the yoga mat. Really good teaching style; practical and realistic and respectful of everyone’s circumstances.”

”Telling how good the teacher is, is that I attended every session and could tolerate the ticking clock! Excellent course. A must for all. Thank you.”

— Feedback from previous "Yoga for Stress & Burnout" attendees

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Yoga for Stress & Burnout

The first cohort of 2023 begins on Thursday 12th of January.

Find out more

Winter Massage Benefits

As the days get colder and shorter, and the nights get longer and darker it can be a huge effort to leave the house for anything, let alone to take all your clothes off and lie still on a treatment couch…

The arrival of the winter months can lead to people staying indoors more, seeing less daylight, exercising less and becoming more sedentary. If you plan in some massage to your winter schedule, it can help boost your body and your mind. Here are a few ways massage therapy can help get you through the tough winter months.

1. Boost Your Immune System

Winter means more colds & flu, but massage can help your body fight these by boosting your immune system. Massage techniques can increase the lymph flow around the body, which is loaded with lots of white blood cells which then go and fight off infections.

2. Helps Dry Skin

As the humidity drops in winter the cold, dry air makes the water in your skin evaporate quicker, leaving your skin drier. The oils and lotions used in massage can nourish & hydrate your skin – making you feel better on the inside & out!

3. Improve Circulation

Your circulation may need a little help if your hands and feet are always chilly or if you’re having some aches and pains in the colder weather. Regular massage can help by enhancing blood flow and body warmth, which in turn increases the flow of oxygen around the body.

4. Banish The Winter Blues

Massage encourages positive changes in the endocrine system where hormones are created. These changes decrease cortisol levels (stress related hormone) & increase oxytocin levels (happy hormone) leading to the release of serotonin and endorphins, relieving the stress and enhancing your mood. Bye, bye winter blues!

5. De-Stress

The build up to the holidays can add extra stress in to our lives with the endless personal obligations, last minute Christmas present shopping & the list goes on! Taking some time out for a massage can really help boost your well-being & help to reset the balance in your life by aiding the release of stress.  It will also help to improve your sleep to give you more energy during the busy winter months.

10 Questions with Jasmine Badr

10 Questions with Jasmine Badr

As a teacher, coach and lifelong student of Yoga, Qigong and Mindfulness, Jasmine hopes to create a space and community where people from all walks of life can come and explore the many layers of their being. Jasmine will take you on a journey through breath and natural movement that will lead you on a path of self-discovery. Through this discovery we will develop a greater appreciation for our bodies and a deeper connection to the natural world.

1. What was your first job?
A waitress in a cafe in my hometown Eastbourne

2. Why did you choose the field you are in?
Yoga started as a hobby and overtime I began to realise the very real benefits it was having on me emotionally, mentally and physically. I began to know myself in ways I never had and it helped me understand my place in this world a little more clearly. Not only does it provide a physical sense of belonging but an ethical framework to live a more aligned, fulfilled life.

3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
On the weekend you would mostly find me eating in restaurants, going on long walks and practicing yoga or qigong.

4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?
Favourite time of year is spring, when everything begins to come back to life and there is a sense of hope, growth and beginnings in the air.

5. What does exercise look like for you?
Exercise for me is varied, it depends not the time of year but I have learnt to listen to my body and what it needs. Sometimes it’s exercise of the mind, meditation. Sometimes yoga and I also love HIIT classes. I’m not a gym person, I prefer to practice in group spaces with community.

6. What book are you reading now?
The book I am reading and that is always with me is Qigong and the Tai chi axis by Mimi Kuo Deemer my mentor.

7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
One professional skill I will begin to work on soon is my personal training certification. I wish to be able to train people through a full range of movement practices.

8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
Favourite memory of the last year. Running my first ever yoga retreat, it was a such a magical experience.

9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
Before I was a yoga teacher I was a costume designer for a burlesque club in Sydney.

10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?
Definitely dogs

Book Yoga

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Book Yoga 〰️

10 Questions with James Dunhill

James is our Associate Chiropractor who started with us in April last year and has become a favourite with our client base because of his gentle approach and great listening skills. At over 6 feet tall and one of only two male practitioners he’s also brought a bit more balance to the team! With his background in personal training he’s got you covered when it comes to your rehab plan and getting you where you need to be.

1. What was your first job?
Gym instructing and personal training

2. Why did you choose the field you are in?
I wanted to help people and do something meaningful. I was also fascinated by the human body and how we can all function at our optimal level.

3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
I love doing park run on a Saturday morning, going to new restaurants, seeing friends and family, watching and playing sport and trying to fit some time in to do house chores.

4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?
I'm a July baby so definitely summer. We all feel better when the sun's out.

5. What does exercise look like for you?
I love strength training , HIT , running and cycling.

6. What book are you reading now?
Tim Ferriss - the 4 hour body

7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Typing and reading speed

8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
England's run in the euros

9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
My great uncle Alfred Dunhill founded Dunhill cigarettes.

10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?
I like both but dogs win because you can take them for walks

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Book an Appointment 〰️

10 Questions With Patty Fullarton

10 Questions with Patty Fullarton

Patty is the Pilates queen of the Honor Oak wellness rooms. She single-handedly teaches all FOUR of our weekly Pilates classes, helping people to heal and strengthen themselves in Pilates for Back Care, and Pilates for Core strength, supporting those just starting out in Foundations, and nurturing those who need support in our Pregnancy and New motherhood class. Patty is just the sort of excellent individual who wears all pink on Valentines day. Her bubbly personality and excellent teaching style is what keeps our Pilates students coming back for more!

1. What was your first job? 
Working in a local shop in my home town in Peru

2. Why did you choose the field you are in? 
A love of fitness and helping people

3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
Helping my daughter

4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?
Christmas with the family

5. What does exercise look like for you?
Big walks in Greenwich Park

6. What book are you reading now?
Healing Foods

7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Using Pilates reformers

8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
Being back to classes in person

9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I love to crochet

10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?
Dog, I have a miniature poodle called Treasure

Book in for Pilates

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Book in for Pilates 〰️

10 Questions with Claire Francis

10 Questions with Claire Francis

Massage Therapist Claire performs the more intense massages here at the Honor Oak Wellness Rooms, such as deep tissue and sports massage. These therapies are designed to fit in alongside Chiro to improve your overall mobility and tension. Claire is cool as a cucumber, down to earth, and very passionate about her hobbies. She’s got diverse interests and is always busy doing something to help others!

1. What was your first job?
Saturday/holiday salesperson.

2. Why did you choose the field you are in?
I love running and cycling and I wanted to do something that would connect to that side of my life and help other people to achieve their goals.

3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
Cycling.

4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?
Spring. When the evenings start to get lighter and nature emerges from the depths of winter.

5. What does exercise look like for you?
I love exercise and build it in to my everyday life. I walk my dog or run with her, go to the gym or practice Pilates.

6. What book are you reading now?
The Count of Monte Cristo

7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Rehabilitation for knee pain.

8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
Christmas morning with my niece and nephew (5am!).

9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I quite like Abba.

 10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?
A dog person.

book in a massage

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book in a massage 〰️

10 Questions with Julie Shaw

10 Questions with Julie Shaw

 Julie Shaw has only been our resident acupuncturist for four months, but is already a core part of the Wellness Rooms team! Julie has over fifteen years of experience in a fast-paced wellness environment, but these days she likes to take her time with her Honor Oak clients, adding a touch of glamour to our clinic.

1. What was your first job? 
My first ever job was a saturday job when I was 14. I worked in a clothes shop in Surrey street market. 

 2. Why did you choose the field you are in? 
I have always been drawn to a holistic approach to health. 

 3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
You will find me watching my son playing football. He’s super sporty and has been playing since the age of three. I am officially a football mom. 

 4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?
Hmmm that’s a tricky one…I love spring as it’s a time of new beginnings and hope however I love the sun and warm weather so summer is when I feel my best.  

 5. What does exercise look like for you?
I lift weights and focus on progressive overload although I’m aware as I age that I need to balance that with mobility and stretching. I certainly appreciate the benefits of yoga now. 

 6. What book are you reading now?
I am reading The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon. 

 7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
I’m always reading the latest research on the gut microbiome and menopause. Improving my knowledge and understanding helps me be a better practitioner and I love to learn. I’m a naturally curious person. 

 8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year? 
Going to the theatre after 2 years of not being able to. The arts and performance have always been a huge part of my life. I really missed it. 

 9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? 
I was a competitive bodybuilder and won the bikini masters world championships in my federation in 2016. 

 10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?
Cat

Find an Appointment

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Find an Appointment 〰️

10 Questions with Marion Colledge

10 Questions with Marion Colledge

This week we spoke with Marion Colledge, our lovely Nutritionist and Massage Therapist. Marion is a constant and calming presence here at the Honor Oak Wellness Rooms. Her Abdominal-Sacral massages have gathered a steady following amongst our clients who struggle with their menstrual cycle. Marion will be sharing more and more of her dietary wisdom in the coming months in the form of Saturday workshops.

1.What was your first job? 

My very first job was aged 16 in the local supermarket in the village where I grew up. I worked behind the cheese, meat and bread counter on Saturday mornings and absolutely loved it! My first full-time job was as a PA to a film producer for a small film production company in Munich.

2. Why did you choose the field you are in? 

It was actually my own positive experience of using Herbal Medicine which made me curious to find out more and to enter the field of complementary health. I started with a series of massage courses, then added a Herbal Medicine degree and most recently a Nutritional Therapy diploma. I love learning and am forever attending webinars and courses in order to keep up to date.

3. What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?

Often on a dog walk with a friend in one of the local parks or woods, sometimes followed by a pint in the pub.

4. What’s your favourite time of the year and why?

Spring - I love seeing new plant shoots appear and buds on trees and the light getting brighter and the days longer! This feeling of new beginnings can be quite infectious and I will make plans and try new things and do stuff like redecorate rooms…

5. What does exercise look like for you?

Personally I quite like structure so I have a weekly timetable of classes which I attend on top of doing lots of walking. The classes are yoga, a kick-it workout and piloxing and that balance works really well for me.

6. What book are you reading now?

My current downtime reading is ‘Unsettled Ground’ by Claire Fuller and I’ve always got a health related book on the go at the same time. At the moment I’m listening to ‘Spoon fed’ by Tim Spector on Audible.

7. What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?

I’m always learning and the last webinar I attended was on certain types of functional testing - this can be a really helpful tool to get to the root of a client’s health issues.

8. What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?

Probably our holiday in Germany last summer where we spent a couple of weeks with my family after a year of not seeing each other.

9. What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

Hmmm… I’m a pretty open book so I can’t really think of any exciting revelations.

10. Are you a cat person, or a dog person?

100% dog - we’ve got a lovely Cockerpoo called Porter.

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Classes & Community

After shutting up shop for our in-person classes due to Covid in March of 2020, we pivoted - as many did - to offering online classes to try and offer some consistency to our clients during a turbulent time. As the pandemic dragged on our online numbers dwindled but for the hardcore group of Pilates students who stuck with Patty throughout (you know who you are you amazing people!).

In June of 2021 we launched our Summer Series of classes in Blythe Hill Park and it felt so good to be seeing people move in-person again. To chat after class. To grab coffee from the Marchetti coffee van and sit in the sun. To watch the spectacular sunsets over the London skyline was magic and just what the doctor ordered. We even ran an outdoor workshop in the middle of the park with our Physio Sarah Parker where we all talked loudly about the pelvic floor and passed around a life-sized model of the clitoris (we’re running an indoor version this April - check it out here) But the British weather being what it is… we saw our numbers - understandably - dwindle again as it got colder and wetter, and as the sunsets crept earlier and earlier some of our classes moved back online, and others were stopped.

September 2021 marked our 6th Birthday, and as a trial we offered a schedule of free in-person classes in our studio for the day to see what the uptake was like. With reduced class numbers from our already previously “boutique” sizes we wondered whether people would be up for it. It turns out the answer was a resounding yes with all of our feedback forms mentioning how great it was to be back in the studio.

And so we faced a bit of a dilemma. Reduced class sizes means reduced income for the teachers and our small business respectively. Since we first started sharing Yoga and Pilates in our space in 2015 the local landscape has completely shifted with many new studios popping up around us offering a multitude of different class styles, so we decided to reframe what we offered as we tentatively started looking to bring people indoors in January of this year - a full 22 months since we last ran a full class schedule in our studio.

As many of you know; we aren’t just a studio but a multi-disciplinary wellness centre so we made the decision to lean into this aspect and offer practices that work alongside and compliment our other services to directly impact your wellbeing journey. And so our 6 week courses were born.

Far beyond just being able to offer a consistent income to our self-employed teaching team, this format enables us to contribute to the re-forming of community that is so desperately lacking after the last few years of distancing and isolation. There’s never been a more important time to help people struggling with their mental and physical wellbeing.

Being part of an engaged community gives us a sense of belonging. It enables us to share personal relatedness and support each other. An ability to make new connections over a shared interest is what builds valuable relationships and gives us a deeper sense of reciprocity and belonging. It helps us to reach our goals, and brings a sense of security to our over-worked nervous systems.

This simply isn’t able to happen in the drop-in format that we used to offer, nor in the online world that so many of us have gotten used to.

As we move towards the third cohorts of our in-person courses we are pleased to say our studio is becoming a place where people come together with intention, to continue and progress their wellbeing journey together and to achieve better mental, physical and emotional wellbeing in this forever changing fast-paced world.

If you’d like to know more, click the button below to see what we’re offering

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Healthy Hormones - Period Pain

By Sarah Parker,

Pain in women’s health is something I am quite passionate about as pain is something that I have lived with my whole life and something that even specialist Doctor’s could not help with. Their recommendations across the board with period pains is to either wait until you get pregnant (and I haven’t even decided if this is something I want) or go for surgery (NOPE!).

Pain is a funny one - someone once decided to label what was “good pain” and what was “bad pain” when in fact pain is neither of those things. Pain just is. It’s a way for our fantastically intelligent brains to get our attention - and it works, right? However, although it gets our attention we don’t seem to know what to do with it when it calls, and if Doctor’s can’t guide us then we are just stuck in a pain cycle not knowing a way out.

Pain is never purely physical, it is never purely chemical and never purely emotional or environmental. It is all of those things. Our brains are survival beasts if we let them and they are constantly using every tool they have to assess external and internal situations, understand them and then express them to you so that you can make change where necessary. But what’s happened along the way (in our society and it’s expectations of us) is that we have forgotten the language of our body and learnt to ignore/numb-out the signs of communication in order to get on with the life that is expected of us - work, money, bills, relationships, education, social, food, exercise, beauty…

All these things are important to us as humans living in the 21st century, but our bodies weren’t made to function with this level of stress. Our bodies struggle to process and excrete the constant influx of stress hormones and the inevitable increase in toxins (caffeine, alcohol, drugs, processed foods, over-exercising, chemicals in beauty products - even our own metabolic waste is toxic if we can’t excrete it). When we can’t excrete our hormones, or we have an excess build-up from toxins that is when the pain begins.

Period pains come for a multitude of reasons, and therefore it’s important to look at your whole life. So, what can you do?

A pelvic health physio appointment will give you space to discuss your symptoms and bowel function, and I may offer you an assessment of your pelvic floor (the pelvic floor muscles provide support to the pelvic organs and control your bladder and bowel movements). The good news is that any lack of communication between the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles can be treated. Aside from just working on the floor, we can work with abdominal massage to help with transit of stool, this technique has been shown to help manage abdominal pain and increase the frequency of your bowel movements and I can also share positions for toileting that may make bowel movements easier and more comfortable. So, I can get you on the road to excreting the necessary, but also reducing the overload by providing diet and lifestyle guidance to help you get to a pain-free cycle - once you get into a rhythm then you’ll never look back!

So book a Pelvic Health session with me, or book a place on the two hour “Healthy Hormones” workshop I’m leading in partnership with Naturopathic Nutritionist and Medical Herbalist Marion Colledge on the 5th of March; one more cycle of pain is one too many.

Healthy Hormones

Find out more about our workshop on Sat 5th March

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Can’t make the workshop?

Work with me 1-2-1

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Acupuncture For Long Covid

By Tatjana Gretschmann

Many people are now facing the long-term consequences of Covid-19, suffering from lingering and debilitating symptoms often for months after their ‘recovery’. Holistic healthcare and acupuncture can help patients overcome the lingering symptoms of Long Covid.

Long Covid covers a wide range of symptoms which vary widely from person to person. Fatigue is seen commonly, but also shortness of breath, muscle weakness, digestive issues, heart symptoms, chest pain, joint or muscle pain, headaches and brain fog. Apart from the physical symptoms many are suffering with mental, emotional and psychological effects for instance anxiety, depression and PTSD.

Acupuncture that is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine is well placed to help people with Long Covid. Treatment is tailored to the individual and aims to support the body to bring itself back to health. Patients with multiple, chronic symptoms are treated using a holistic approach, helping to support their own self-healing capabilities to provide better sustained, overall improvement, rather than focusing on one symptom at a time. This approach will include the effects on the immune system and inflammatory processes. Acupuncture calms the nervous system, helping to quieten the stress hormones of flight and fright and to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system. It is particularly useful for Long Covid as acupuncture treats both physical and emotional issues simultaneously.

There is existing evidence of acupuncture’s benefits for various symptoms that may be seen with Long Covid; Acupuncture has been shown to improve fatigue and quality of life for sufferers of chronic fatigue, It has also been proven to help with headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression and pain. Acupuncture also works very well alongside conventional medicine.

As with any chronic condition, it is important to support the system with good quality rest and relaxation, healthy nutritious eating and if possible, gentle exercise. Moxibustion and acupressure are the most commonly recommended Traditional Chinese Medicine interventions for home nursing care after Covid. Moxibustion, a procedure involving the burning of a particular herb over points on the body, has been used historically in China for preventing and alleviating epidemics. There is growing scientific evidence for its effects on immunity. Self-applied acupressure is another very useful tool for situations where face-to-face treatment is not possible. There is supportive research evidence for this across many different types of illness.

Long COVID can be extremely distressing for anyone affected. However, we have every reason to be positive as there is much that can be done to help those suffering from the condition. Although it is still too early for any results from clinical trials, we have already seen promising outcomes from individual cases treated by members of the British Acupuncture Council.

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TATJANA GRETSCHMANN

Tatjana is a traditional acupuncturist (BSc LicAc MBAcC) and a member of the British Acupuncture Council.

In her practice, Tatjana combines two styles of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine which is well suited for a wide range of physical, mental and emotional symptoms and The Five-Element style which focuses on treating the core of a person’s identity bringing balance on a deeper level.

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