Classroom learning relies on good reading skills.  Reading in turn, requires fine motor control of eye movement.  There are two main movements to be concerned about.  One is scanning back and forth along a line of print and the second is drawing the eyes in or converging so that attention is focused on a point.

To achieve adequate fine motor control of eye movement, messages need to travel through the nervous system between the brain and the eyes without hindrance.  If a child has retained reflexes; allergies; gut issues; parasites, or even minor structural issues, then this nervous control is being physically hampered.  The role of the chiropractor is to remove the physical block.

Fine motor control is a learned skill.  The visual system in children with learning problems will usually need to be retrained so that both eyes work together to scan and converge.  This is where the behavioural optometrist comes in, using colours and exercises to develop this skill.  Often glasses will be prescribed – not to correct a physical problem but as a temporary crutch to help the eyes converge automatically until the skill is learned and becomes automatic without any help.

The combination of chiropractic adjustment and behavioural optometry will allow for significant improvement in reading and learning.

Feel free to contact us if you want to know more.

An allergy is an inappropriate response of the body’s immune system to a substance that it is normally able to tolerate. Some common allergens include dust, pollens, and certain foods such as milk and eggs. An intolerance or sensitivity occurs when we overdo our exposure to a particular substance. For example, too many food colours or preservatives in our food, or overexposure to cleaning chemicals.

Symptoms of allergies and intolerances can include:

• Hayfever and sinusitis
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headaches
• Abdominal discomfort
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Asthma
• Eczema
• Behavioral problems and hyperactivity in children
• Impairment of memory and concentration
• Fatigue
• Depression and anxiety

If someone is suffering from symptoms of an allergy or intolerance our practitioners look for what is causing the imbalance in their body that is producing this reaction.

Food allergies and intolerances are often an indicator that your gut is not functioning well. In the absence of the correct balance of good bacteria the gut can be infected with pathological bacteria, fungi and parasites which damage its lining. This can allow partially digested food to pass through the gut wall where it comes into contact with the immune system, and allergies and intolerances can develop.

Good gut function and appropriate levels of good bacteria in the gut are very important for a well functioning immune system. When the immune system is out of balance we are more likely to develop allergies and intolerances. Immune system imbalance can also be caused by excessive stress in our lives, or by nutritional deficiencies in our diet.

Certain supplements can assist people suffering from allergies and intolerances. These can include essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and homeopathic remedies. At KingsWilliam your practitioner can test your body using kinesiology to determine if a supplement or remedy will be useful.

Sometimes there can be an emotional stressor related to an allergy or intolerance in your body. It can indicate that your body isn’t dealing well with some of the stress we all encounter daily in our lives. At KingsWilliam your practitioner may recommend emotional stress release techniques which will help to address this imbalance in your body.

Ultimately any reaction we have to a substance that is not normally harmful is a sign that our body is out of balance in some way. At KingsWilliam we aim to identify this imbalance and use techniques to help your body to heal itself. This means that your body can be functioning at its’ best so that you are feeling great and able to enjoy life to the full!

Contour pillows are rounded on both sides.  The rounded areas support your neck whether you sleep on your side or your back (sleeping on your stomach and ‘corkscrewing’ your neck is a no-no!).  By supporting your neck and ensuring correct alignment, contour pillows lead to a comfortable and truly rejuvenating sleep by reducing pain and discomfort throughout your body.

Which pillow is right?

Each person differs in terms of shape and size.  Some of us have long necks, some short ones.  Shoulder depth, neck shape and curve also vary.  To meet these variables, contour pillows come in low, medium and high profiles.

Low: is designed to support children from 5 years and adult back sleepers;

Medium: suits average physiques;

High: this suits side sleeping, broader shouldered physiques.

When you lie on your side with your head on the pillow, your spine should be in a straight line from your neck to your low back.  Your head should neither be tilted back nor your chin tucked in.

When you lie on your back, your spine and head should line up in the same way as when you stand up.  Your chin should neither be tucked in nor your head tilted backwards.

If you’ve tried a foam pillow in the past and didn’t like it, give a Memory Foam pillow a go.  The foam moulds to your head and is very comfortable to sleep on. Latex pillows are another option.  Bacteria and mildew can’t live in the latex.

Investing in a good pillow is certainly worthwhile!

Your Psoas runs from your low back, through your abdominal area,  to the inside of your upper thigh on the femur. 

Look at our Downloads page in the “Chiropractic and massage” section for a diagram-”Check out the Psoas”

It’s the muscle that lifts your leg when you walk, run, and cycle.  It also bends you forward towards your legs.  If it’s tight it will pull your legs up into the hip sockets at a slight rotation.  It will also pull your back down and forward, compressing the joints and tilting the pelvis.  You may walk with a bit of a stoop if your psoas is very tight.  This will cause problems at your knees, feet, shoulders and neck.

Many knee problems that aren’t caused by an accident are often the result of a chronically tight Psoas muscle. That’s because, when the Psoas is tight, it will rotate the femur and twist the knee joint.  The knee joint doesn’t really like this!

If your Psoas is so tight that it bends you forward, then your shoulders will also be pulled down and in.  This can cause anything from sore upper back muscles, to bursitis and fixed joints.  The shoulder pull will also affect your neck, bringing it down and forward.

Of course sitting all the time doesn’t help with psoas tightness either.  Your whole pelvis will tilt and put extra stress on your spine which you will feel in our neck and low back.  This chronic pelvis tilt will cause tight hamstrings, which you‘ll never seem to be able to stretch sufficiently.

So what can you do?

At home, you can use a spikey massage ball to release your psoas.

• Start with your right psoas.
• Hold the spikey ball against your abdomen a little below the level of your appendix on the inside of your pelvic bone.
• Lie face down on the floor with the ball in that position.
• Prop yourself up on your elbows. 
  You should notice the spot on your abdomen becoming a little sore.
• Hold the position for 40 seconds.
• You can slide the ball up or down a fraction if there are other sore spots.
• Don’t hold for longer than 40 seconds or you might bruise yourself.

Do the same on your other side.  Stand up and feel that sense of release as you stand more erect.

What else can you do?

Your massage therapist or chiropractor can release the Psoas in the clinic.  Pilates can help with effective ways of working on the Psoas.

Remember that successfully decreasing pain and stiffness relies on treating the cause, not just the symptoms.

From an original article by Beth Sabo Novik

With the increase in disorders such as asthma, eczema, behavioural disorders, environmental, food and chemical allergies as well as Chrohn’s disease and Coeliac disease, there has been an increase in research and clinical investigation.  What researchers are discovering is that the nervous system, gastrointestinal and immune systems are intricately linked.

Our nervous system, the body’s computer, depends upon the proper functioning of the intestines to enable digestion and absorption of food nutrients.  Some of these nutrients are essential for optimum functioning of the neurotransmitter pathways that affect mood and cognition.  The immune system also depends on the proper absorption of these nutrients for optimum functioning.  Unfortunately, toxins and dietary allergens can fundamentally affect and overload our digestive systems.

So what does this mean from a day-to day perspective?  When it comes to building our children’s constitution and educating them about health your family can focus on small things that promote “Strong Guts”, “Nerves of Steel” and the “Immune Balloon”.

Strong Guts

Prioritise produce that’s fresh and in-season. 
These are high in nutrients that not only delight our taste buds but act as “Rocket Fuel” for our cells.  Buy organic if you can.

Include power foods as often as possible.
Power foods include garlic (the vegetable antibiotic), vitamin C, iron and zinc rich foods.
Garlic rids the body of bugs and with regular consumption, helps protect us from viruses.
Vitamin C carries oxygen and assists with the proper absorption of iron which is the mineral vital for burning off waste.  Vitamin C also helps us to bounce back from physical and emotional traumas.  Good sources of Vitamin C include green and red peppers, green vegetables, berry fruits and tropical fruits.  In fact any fresh fruit will help you along with your vitamin C quota.
Iron is very important.  If you haven’t enough iron then you probably frequently suffer with colds, tonsillitis, conjunctivitis and many other types of infection.  Without iron your body will be challenged by waste removal which is essential for regeneration.  The richest source of iron is liver.  Try purchasing one organic lamb’s liver each winter.  Divide it into small portions.  Blend one portion and add it to any casserole that you’re making.  Your kids will be none the wiser!  Freeze the other portions until you need them.  There is also an abundance of iron in green leafy vegetables, especially ones with darker leaves.  Sesame seeds and seaweed such as Nori are also high in iron.
Zinc and iron can be found in pumpkin seeds, both fresh and dried.  Oysters win hands down when it comes to zinc while wheat germ, liver and beef are also high in this mineral.  Zinc plays an important role in enabling healthy growth and development.  It’s an important part of many chemical reactions in the body.

Focus on buying foods that are as close to their natural food state as possible.

The closer the food is to its natural state, the better it is for us.  There are large numbers of processed food items that not only lack most of their original nutrients but also offer us a cocktail of additives.  For instance, choose “real butter” rather than margarine or spreadable butters and enjoy fresh fish rather than fish fingers.  In doing so we are more likely to benefit from nutrient dense foods and minimise our chemical load.

Encourage your children to consistently drink water.

Water flushes away toxins and keeps our brain and body hydrated enabling it to function efficiently.

Nerves of steel

Have your child’s nervous system assessed.

The nervous system functions as the body’s master computer.  This computer coordinates the human body.  Instructions are sent via your nervous system to the cells and organs of the body which direct things like our breathing, immune responses, digestion, personality and ability to concentrate.  Physical stressors such as the birth process, knocks and falls, and chemical or emotional stressors can result in nerve irritation.  Left unchecked or unresolved this irritation can alter your child’s natural state  A child’s body may be resilient but your child’s nervous system requires care just like any machine or engine requiring maintenance and service to help it run smoothly.

Encourage your child’s neurological development.

It has been shown that carefully spinning your child on an office chair and teaching them to bounce on trampolines encourages their development neurologically.  As does teaching them to cross crawl, walk on their tippy toes and on their heels and encouraging them to balance on one leg or a beam.

Include essential fatty acids in your child’s diet.

One of the most critical deficiencies amongst children today is dietary depletion of essential fatty acids (EFAs).  Very few parents realise the EFAs play a crucial role in the health of the nervous and immune systems.  Several studies have demonstrated greater attention and reduction in behavioural problems in school children when they are given Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 and 6 EFAs are found in many of our oils including sunflower, safflower and cod liver.  They are also found in evening primrose oils, olive oil, flaxseed oil and peanut oil. The important EFAs can be found in cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, bluefish, herring and sardines.  Ideally, purchase these fish fresh as processing can destroy the EFAs.  Dried beans such as kidney beans also contain EFAs as do pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and walnuts.  In fact, walnuts contain the highest amounts of omega-3 of any nuts and are a really smart idea for kid’s snacks.

Immune balloon

When the digestive and immune systems are strong, so too generally speaking will be the immune system.  Keep the immune balloon impenetrable with good old fashioned common sense.  This includes refraining from the overuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs, early to bed when we are tired, and keeping warm in cold weather.  Using “good old know how” we encourage our children to learn about and discuss best methods of care.

We are also mindful about promoting “how clever their bodies are” and focus our children on wellness behaviours.

Hopefully these tips have given you a few ideas on how to build your child’s constitution and make them into happy, healthy kids!  Look in the “downloads” section on “Remember your kids” if you want to download this article.

This is an edited article by Jennifer Barnham-Floreani, the author of “Well adjusted Babies”

Claire gave birth to Alice Marie on Saturday 3^rd October.  This is Claire’s view on pregnancy as a first time mother.

Let me confess up front that I’m a real fan of natural therapies and especially chiropractic treatment.  I’ve been having regular chiropractic care for several years because it helps me stay much healthier overall.  When I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of the year it seemed only natural to keep having chiropractic adjustments through my pregnancy because my body would be going through so much change.

I distinctly remember reaching the 8th week of my pregnancy and thinking “great no morning sickness” when yes, morning, or really “all day” sickness, hit with a vengeance.  Over the following four weeks my once varied diet suffered greatly but I learned to eat lightly and often.  I made sure I received weekly chiropractic adjustments to ensure I had a well functioning nervous system and I was lucky enough to be in close contact with a wonderful homeopath.  I updated her regularly so that she could give me appropriate homeopathic remedies to combat my continuous feelings of nausea.  This all helped me feel much more comfortable than I otherwise would have been.

As my pregnancy progressed, I very rarely suffered from the aches and pains and other problems that many pregnant women seem to just accept.  That’s thanks to the chiropractic.  However, one night around the 7^th month, I experienced a most impressive bout of heartburn as I was lying in bed.  The very next day I made a chiropractic appointment.  The adjustment relieved the problem immediately and Sarah was able to show me what I could do at home if I ever had a repeat of the previous night.  It did come back in the last few weeks of my pregnancy but remembering what I’d been taught, I was able to ease my symptoms without having to just “put up with it”.

Having regular chiropractic adjustments throughout my pregnancy ensured that my pelvis was sitting correctly to allow optimum room for my baby to grow and move.  I learned various exercises that I could do daily to make sure that my baby would position herself correctly.  As a consequence, she adopted that head down position very early on.  I also learned a tapping technique that I could utilise during the times when I suffered from low back pain.  Having the knowledge to fix a problem as it arose instead of having to wait for it to disappear or worsen, definitely helped me to have what I consider to be a very comfortable pregnancy.

At each chiropractic appointment I would also have my nutrition tested to ensure that my baby and I were receiving all the nutrients that we needed to stay healthy.  I really liked the fact that I could increase my food intake for certain vitamins as the need arose instead of just taking a general multivitamin every day to “cover all bases”.

At around six months I booked myself in for a kinesiology session with Nada.  I was acutely aware of the importance of a positive attitude and a strong belief in my own ability to have a positive birthing experience.  I found it to be one of the gentlest, most effective ways to identify any unconscious feelings I had around my pregnancy and to eliminate any fears I had.  It allowed me to deepen my awareness of my baby and to focus on positive thoughts.  We also discussed the use of visualisations and affirmations as tools to help improve my confidence and I would repeat the same positive images/thoughts through my mind at the end of every day.

My labour started spontaneously with my waters breaking at 11.30pm.  I started to have mild contractions every five minutes and was feeling very calm so hopped into the shower and also had something to eat before making my way to the hospital for a check-up.

When I arrived at the hospital I had a quick examination from the midwife and got in the bath, where I stayed for the next few hours as my contractions got closer and more intense.  The affirmations I had repeated every night for the past 3 months came naturally as each contraction came and I found that repeating these helped me stay grounded and positive.  I also had a birthing homeopathic kit which I had received from my homeopath and started to use some of the remedies which would help my labour progress smoothly.

As time progressed, I started to experience a very uncomfortable pain in my low back and sacrum.  I was able to use the tapping protocol which instantly helped me to feel more comfortable.

My contractions became steadily stronger and closer over the next few hours and my daughter was born at 6.30am the next morning, just seven hours after my waters broke.  I attribute my straightforward and short labour to the fact that I received regular chiropractic adjustments both before and during my pregnancy.

My daughter had a chiropractic session when she was 11 days old.  Many of my family and friends question why I would take a newborn baby to the chiropractor and here is what I tell them – labour is a traumatic experience both for mother and baby.  Having my daughter checked this early allows the removal of any nerve dysfunction and this therefore allows her the very best start to life.  Why wouldn’t I have her checked?  I’ll continue to have treatments and so will Alice so that we can both be the very best that we can be.

Ancient peoples knew the importance of good gut function. To be healthy and get the best out of the food you eat, you need a healthy mix of good bacteria in your intestinal tract. The term we use for these bacteria is “probiotics”.

I’ve heard different estimates of the number of different types of bacteria in a human gut but the most common one is 39. I’m often confused as to how a man made capsule containing 3 varieties of bacteria can replace the 39! I think whole food is the best way to go on this.

Fermented food is what you should be eating. This is where food is preserved for longer periods without the use of freezers or canning machines. Good quality yoghurt is fermented milk. Sauerkraut is a German dish of fermented cabbage. Korean Kimchi is fermented cabbage with other vegetables and spices.

Many people, especially children don’t like the taste of these foods. What’s an easy way around this? Try making fermented carrots and ginger – look in the “Nutrition” section on the downloads page. You should also try making a yoghurt cheese. Keep the water that drips out (whey) then add it to drinks or fermented foods that you want to prepare. Whey contains many of the bacteria that are needed in the gut.

Yoghurt cheese and whey takes virtually no effort at all.

Buy some good quality yoghurt and strain it through a piece of muslin (you can buy this from a fabric shop).

What’s left in the muslin after a few hours is a delicious cream cheese. The water that drips out is the whey.

Collect the whey and store it in a jar in the refrigerator.
It will keep for a few months.

Add a tablespoon of whey to any drinks you give your children.
They won’t taste it and it will be doing their gut the world of good!

Adapted from “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon ( a wonderful book!!)

Headaches should not be part of your daily life.  Even headaches once a month for us women is just not right.  If you care about your health you should do something about it that will fix the problem long term.

From the time I was 22 to the time I was 31 I had an almost constant low grade headache that I just took for granted.  I got used to it so that it really didn’t register any more.  Until I got my first chiropractic adjustment.  The difference………it was like I suddenly became so much lighter.  It was wonderful and it happened immediately.  Mind you, it only lasted 3 hours but what a marvelous 3 hours.  It took another month before I lost the headaches completely.

Now if I get a headache once a year, it’s unusual and I try to figure out why.  Headaches are a message from your body that something isn’t right and you should look at doing something about it.  AND for goodness sake don’t assume it’s a tumour!!  It more than likely something musculoskeletal that can be readily addressed.

Read a case study from the United States in the “Chiropractic and massage” category of “Downloads”.  If you’re not interested, pass the link on to someone who might be. Enjoy good health.

Eating breaks down our food into carbohydrates called simple sugars. These can then be used to make an energy molecule called ATP which we either use immediately or store. Glycogen is the energy store in the liver and fat is the energy store in the body. By far the most common simple sugars in our diet are glucose and fructose. Sucrose, what we usually call sugar, has to be broken down to these substances as well.

We have a number of “control mechanisms” in place to stop us from eating more than we should. The hypothalamus in the brain is the appetite control centre. There are also substances in our body that tell us when to stop eating. Insulin and leptin tell us when we’ve had enough carbohydrates and proteins. CCK tells us when we’ve had enough fats. An enzyme called PFK-1 controls the conversion of glucose to ATP. This is so we don’t end up with too much ATP to convert to energy stores. Too much ATP in our system means that PFK-1 stops making it.

The problem with these control substances is that they work on glucose not fructose. This means that when we eat sugary food, our control mechanisms don’t come fully into play. We just keep eating because we don’t know we’re full and we convert the extra energy into circulating fatty acids in the blood stream and then to fat for storage.

Here’s an edited example from “Sweet Poison” by David Gillespie, to illustrate this point. The author talks in “calories” instead of “kilojoules” but you’ll get the idea:

A glass of whole milk contains 8g of fat, 8g of protein and 11g of carbohydrate in the form of lactose. Lactose is broken down into glucose. The hypothalamus accurately counts calories and controls the consumption of milk by monitoring the carbohydrates (using insulin and leptin), fat and protein (using CCK). The hypothalamus “sees” every single one of the 146 calories in the glass of milk. All the hormonal responses are triggered and I feel appropriately full for having consumed those calories. A similar quantity of apple juice contains no fat, no protein, 14g of fructose, 6g of glucose and 4g of sucrose (24g of sugars in total). The 4g of sucrose is broken down into an extra 2g of glucose and 2g of fructose. So, the drink effectively contains 16g of fructose and 8g of glucose. This is a total of 96 calories but the hypothalamus only “sees” 32 from the glucose. The 64 calories provided by the fructose goes undetected. To feel as full as I would after consuming the same quantity of milk, I would need to drink five times as much apple juice. If I actually did that I would create 35g of circulating fatty acids ready for storage as fat. Not too many people would drink that much apple juice but they frequently consume large amounts of soft drink. If you “drink fructose” with a meal, the fructose gives our body permission to consume many more calories without feeling full while converting them to fat.

Moral of this whole story: Avoid all foods with added sugar if you want to control your weight.

When it comes down to it, grandma would only recognise  food that is fresh and whole.  Processed, fast food shouldn’t be on the menu.  If you’re a parent and think that taking your children to a fast food outlet is a treat then please rethink.  If you’re not sure what I mean by fresh, whole food then look in the downloads “Nutrition” section for the article on “Basic Principles of a Whole Food Diet”.

The problem with eating healthily of course, is that you have to plan. This is something you’ll get used to but it will take a few weeks to develop a system that works.  We’ve been eating this way at home for the last 20 years so we’re on automatic. On the weekend we plan our meals for the week and buy fresh ingredients.  We don’t have food that contains additives. That means preservatives, flavours, colours etc.  Often we’ll cook a larger meal and freeze the left over so that when we come in late during the week we’re not stuck cooking for a long time.  We also have a rule that says if you can’t prepare a weekday recipe in 20 minutes then forget it.

Try changing gradually.  If you have take away every so often, that’s not such a big deal.  If you have it a few times a week then maybe it’s time to change to a healthier option.  Look in the downloads “Kids stuff” section for “Can the additives” if you need some guidance with what counts as an additive.

Try it.  Enjoy the new you and the change in your children.