As well as tongue and pulse diagnosis (and of course analysis of patient’s presenting signs and symptoms), traditional Chinese medicine practitioners can use facial features to help diagnose people’s problems. This is a fascinating and often illuminating technique. Here’s a few introductory things to look for: The bridge of the nose is seen as reflecting … Read more

Going back to classical times in China, practitioners of medicine were paid by results. A physician would be retained by a family and would be paid regularly while all the members of the family remained well and in good health. If one of them fell ill, however, payment would be stopped until the illness was … Read more

Turmeric is becoming increasingly recognised as a health-giving spice. The active ingredient curcumin is seen as the key component. It has well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Given that much current research on alzheimer’s disease is focused upon the inflammatory process as a means to explain the accumulation of myeloid plaques in the brain, and given the massive … Read more

I recently came across an interesting piece of research from the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden, which seems to indicate the health benefits of sunbathing. Despite the indisputable increased risk of skin cancer, sunbathers are less likely to die from heart disease and more likely to live longer. The researchers even went so far as … Read more

I recently encountered a patient who had this condition, which I was previously unfamiliar with, so I did some research. This is a hereditary disorder which involves excessive absorption and storage of iron. It is found in people of northern European descent and is particularly common amongst people of Irish ancestry and is normally a … Read more

Both Jung and Freud came to understand dreams as a manifestation of our subconscious mind working out the emotions and issues of our lives. In Chinese medicine, dreaming is most closely associated with the Shen (or Spirit), which is said to reside in the Heart. If your Heart energy is strong and balanced, the Shen … Read more

The psychotherapist, Carl Jung, placed much importance on dreams. Like his great contemporary, Feud, he was focussed on the workings of the unconscious mind. He believed that our unconscious minds act as a reservoir to soak up many aspects of our lives, such as how we feel, our fears, and our desires, because there is … Read more

As I have mentioned before here in my blog, you have to be very careful buying manuka honey. We all know of the health-giving benefits of this product, but sadly there are, it seems, many disreputable opportunists trying to take advantage of people who chose to buy manuka honey. As reported in both the Guardian … Read more

This coming Monday (30 May) is the Spring bank holiday. The Corner Surgery will be closed, so I will not be working there as usual on Monday morning. I will be back there again on the Wednesday (1 June). Please note, I will also not be working at the Fairlee Wellbeing Centre on Monday afternoon … Read more

I will be travelling out of the country from 19 May – 22 May. I have booked these dates off from the clinics where I work and will not be readily contactable by phone. Appointments for the following weeks can still be made directly with the reception teams at the Greenwich Natural Health Centre or … Read more