STOPTOBER is Back

Stoptober is a campaign run by Public Health England in partnership with local authorities and the NHS. The campaign lasts 28 days because the evidence says if you can stop smoking for 28 days you are five times more likely to give up for good.

The Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) is a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. All practitioners registered with CNHC have demonstrated they meet UK-wide standards.

According to the Royal Society for Public Health and the government-backed Professional Standards Authority (PSA), practitioners on Accredited Registers such as CNHC’s have a key role in supporting public health initiatives such as giving up smoking.

Commenting on the accredited registers workforce, PSA Chief Executive Harry Cayton said: “It is a vital network through which we can support behaviour change and ultimately improve the public’s health: whether it is signposting people to smoking cessation services or offering brief lifestyle advice on healthy eating, accredited registers practitioners are undoubtedly an unsung and instrumental part of the wider public health workforce.”

As a CNHC registrant my credentials have been checked so you can have confidence in my qualifications and experience. I am also an Accredited Practitioner on the Central Register of Stop Smoking Therapists (CRSST) and a qualified UK Academy Smoking Cessation Specialist.

Science shows that walking keeps the brain developing right into old age

Basically, the message is that walking keeps you young! How does this happen? Is it just research done by Nike to get us to buy more trainers? Well, no it isn't.  It turns out there is some solid research behind this.

International neuroscience expert Professor Anthony Hannan from Melbourne's Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health says:

"The brain is the only organ in the body that never stops developing and, although it sounds extraordinary, an ordinary activity such as walking helps to keep it developing."

We have the same genome as our hunter-gatherer ancestors who were active and had to roam the savanna looking for food. It is only recently that humans have started to use cars and sit at desks.  We have not adapted to this inactivity that our modern lifestyle promotes. Really, our bodies still want to be active and moving around - perhaps not hunter-gathering though!

Physical activity generates chemicals in the brain which help to create new neurons and nerve pathways.  These changes are visible on MRI scans. This boost to the brain improves learning and memory and basically keep the brain young and agile. 

This year a study by the universities of Cambridge,  Ulster and Limerick analysed over 50,000 walkers and showed walking was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. 

Walking at a normal pace was associated with a risk reduction of 20% and walking at a brisk pace was associated with a risk reduction of 24%.

As you can see, just walking more at a normal pace has significant benefits both on physical health and also keeps the brain responsive and dynamic.

Hippocrates described walking as "man's best medicine".  So, let hypnotherapy help you pick up your pace a little to help gently improve your health and well-being, step by step.

Menopause

The average age of menopause in the UK is 51, although 10% of women experience it before age 40. Menopause causes all sorts of symptoms including:

• hot flushes 

• night sweats

• trouble sleeping

• mood changes

• weight gain

• loss of libido

Symptoms can be both physically uncomfortable and emotionally disruptive. Hot flushes and night sweats affect three quarters of menopausal women and can disrupt sleep to a considerable degree. The effects of menopause can be so severe that they lead to women leaving their jobs because of the upheaval of the symptoms.

Hypnotherapy can help you to manage the symptoms and take back some control in your life. Clinical hypnotherapy has been shown to be effective in reducing hot flushes. Randomised, controlled trials of clinical hypnosis demonstrated the approach was significantly better than a “structured attention” therapy approach in postmenopausal women with frequent hot flushes and more effective than acupuncture, herbal supplements and yoga.

I work with many women to help relieve the physical and emotional menopausal symptoms which can disrupt your work life and your personal life. If you would like to make an appointment or would like more information, contact me.