Mark your calendar for Wednesday 2nd November and come and join us at Cliffs.
Tea, coffee and lots of delicious cakes will be on sale in aid of Fair Haven Hospice in Westcliff.
Raffle tickets are on sale at reception now and will be drawn on the day. A strip of tickets is £2 and there are a variety of prizes on offer.
We’ll be dressed in our best Super Hero and Villain outfits so please drop in and join the fun and help raise money for a wonderful cause.
Arif recently held two Back to Business workshops at the HMRC office. The sessions were information packed and highly interactive with the participants experiencing first hand the benefits of the programme.
If you spend hours working at your desk all day, you may very well be complaining of a stiff neck, aching shoulders or a bad back. If any of this sounds familiar, please take a look at these six simple exercises we at Cliffs Chiropractor Southend have developed to help support you. They’re really easy to do, especially in the confines of an office. If you can make this part of your daily routine, you’ll be alleviating all those symptoms associated with lack of movement while improving your overall sense of wellbeing at the same time.
There’s no time like the present. Why not take a look?
We love this great video that has been created for World Spine Day. This year’s campaign, ‘Straighten Up and Move’ promotes the importance of physical activity for a healthy spine.
Watch the video, sing along and get moving:)
Here at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic we totally support the campaign and our Back to Business exercise programme is designed to help people straighten up through a series of exercises to counteract everyday actions like using your mobile phone or sitting down at a desk for hours on end.
Arif says “We all need to be more aware of how we sit, stand and walk. It’s all too easy to slouch. I’m treating more and more back conditions than ever before and my patients are getting younger, under 30, and this is a direct result of our more sedentary lifestyles and our near-addiction to mobile devices. This is putting additional strain on the spine as we bend our necks to send and receive texts and emails, leading to early wear-and-tear on the upper spine and spinal degeneration. It’s even got a name – ‘text neck’.”
(The term ‘text neck’ was made famous in 2014 by Dr Kenneth Hansraj, Head of Spine Surgery Research at New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine in 2014. His research revealed that constantly staring down at our mobile devices increases the effective pressure on the neck, from 27lbs at a 15-degree angle to 60lbs at 60 degrees, leading to early wear-and-tear on the upper spine and spinal degeneration. He said that this condition, which was reaching epidemic levels, could result in permanent spinal damage.)
Arif recommends that his simple exercises (there are only six) should be done every hour to alleviate stiffness, prevent back pain, develop better posture and improve energy levels. His intention is that they will become second nature, just like brushing your teeth, so it helps that each exercise has been given a memorable name: The Sway, the Squeeze, the Sit Down, the Cuppa, the Chin Tuck and the Thinker, and only takes seconds to perform.
You can watch the Back to Business videos here.
Arif has been elected by British Chiropractic Association (BCA) members to sit on the BCA Council to help shape and strengthen the chiropractic profession to grow and meet the challenges of the future.
We are very proud of Arif’s election and it demonstrates the high regard in which Arif is held by his fellow chiropractors. We know that he will help shape a great future for the chiropractic profession with his drive and passion.
Arif says “I am passionate about chiropractic and the development of our awaesome profession. I have practised for 28 years and am still amazed at the results chiropractic achieves; I look forward to going to work every single day.
I take a keen interest in learning about new developments and have continued my education, mainly within the field of paediatric chiropractic (I am a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association), but also in medical acupuncture.
As a patient at Cliffs you’ve probably noticed that I love chiropractic! Simply put it has given me my main focus in life, outside of my family (although I met my wife Melanie also a chiropractor and medical herbalist at chiropractic college in Bournemouth), and for that I will be forever grateful.
Our profession has challenges from many angles – regulatory, political, competitive and even media. I look forward to serving the profession and be a part of helping to direct its future.”
Tired of struggling with back pain? Feel like no matter what you try doing, those aches and pains just will not be gone and done with?
You are not alone!
Many of the patients who visit our Southend chiropractors do so after battling what has seemed a losing fight with back pain. But they do come out on top. Finally.
To be able to cure – or at the very least control – your back pain, the true cause of the problem has to be identified. In many cases of persistent back pain, the route cause of the problem hasn’t been established; and so the problem has never had a chance to be properly taken care of.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. To effectively manage or get rid of it, you must be absolutely clear of what’s causing it.
Don’t succumb to a life of pain just because nothing has worked for you yet. There are solutions available to most causes of back pain –finding the real cause of the problem is the first step towards a pain-free future.
You can read about some of patient stories who have been helped at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend, many of whom had suffered back pain for many years before being treated by our experienced team of chiropractors.
October is Walk to School Month and our team of chiropractors in Southend are fully behind the scheme.
Walking frequently is one of the healthiest things you can do with your family. Amongst a host of others, some of the main benefits of regular walking include:
If you’re like many parents, the daily school run probably consists of chaos, stress and a desperate attempt to get to the school early enough to battle for a parking space. It’s probably not your favourite time of the day!
But consider the alternative… Calmness. Ease. Enjoying a conversation with your children as you share an early morning autumn stroll.
For some families, walking to school may seem impractical ( especially those who have work commitments), but if you are able to walk your children to school just a couple times a week, you and your little ones will benefit. You’ll probably save a bit on petrol costs too!
Our Southend chiropractor has a few more reasons why you may want to start walking the school run:
Children need an hour of physical activity every day – and a walk to and from school can make up a chunk of this minimum requirement. As the evenings draw in, walking to school is a fail-safe way to ensure your child gets some physical activity every day.
Many children who are physically active on the way to school are better able to focus in class. You may find that your child starts performing better in school after walking to school for a week or two.
Walking your child to and from school is the perfect time to teach them vital road safety skills. What better time to teach them such important skills than during the morning rush when they need them the most?
Sharing a walk with your child is a great way to embark on some good conversation and develop your relationship in a calm and relaxed environment.
When you walk your child to school, you’ll be playing your part in helping to reduce pollution and congestion around schools.
Why not make October a month to take up more walking with your family.
Do you regularly sit for prolonged periods of time?
Do you generally lead an inactive lifestyle?
If so, you could be putting yourself at risk of dying prematurely – even more at risk than those who smoke!
According to recent findings, a shocking 5.3 million premature deaths a year are linked to inactivity, compared to 5.1 million linked to smoking! These worrying figures from a recent study published in the Lancet to coincide with the Olympics.
In light of these revelations, our Southend chiropractor warns that while many people recognise that an inactive lifestyle can cause back pain, many are unaware of the most sinister risks it brings. Many of us – especially office workers – sit for more than eight hours a day, five days a week, and for the majority of us who do so, this level of inactivity is deemed as a necessity to carry out our work.
But this frequency of prolonged inactivity is now linked to serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It’s therefore crucially important that all office workers (particularly those of us who don’t engage in regular physical activity) make a focused effort to incorporate some form of exercise into our daily schedules. Just one hour of exercise a day can actually offset these health risks.
The results of the study revealed that people who sat down for eight hours a day, but still engaged in regular physical activity, had a significantly reduced chance of early death compared with people who sat for fewer hours a day, but do not exercise.
If a full hour’s physical activity every day seems unrealistic, our chiropractor recommends incorporating small fragments of manageable exercises into the day. Getting off the bus a stop sooner, for example, or climbing the stairs instead of riding in the lift can make a difference. Walking during lunch and tea breaks and parking the car further away from the office are also great ways to slot in some health-boosting exercise. The bottom line is that we should all be looking at ways to reduce the amount of time for which we are sedentary and increase our physical activity.
Increased activity doesn’t cost you anything, but inactivity could cost you your health, and according to this recent study, even your life.
Move more. Live more.
Did you know that the UK is home to 7 million unpaid carers? A staggering 70% of them suffer from back pain, and are at greater risk of developing chronic pain.
The national back pain charity, BackCare, is working to help these UK carers with this year’s BackCare Awareness Week (3rd – 8th October).
Unpaid carers in the UK provide care and support to an ailing or disabled family member, friend or neighbour on an ongoing basis. They are estimated to save the Government a massive £119 billion every year. However, providing this care often comes at a cost to their own health. Often these carers endure higher levels of physical and emotional stress as they undertake the physical demands of caring whilst often having to cope with the emotional stress of caring for a loved one.
Given the enormous pressures on these carers it is probably not surprising that 70% of them suffer from back pain and are at greater risk of developing chronic pain. In a third of cases this is highly disabling and for the majority life long.
It’s fantastic that the BackCare charity is championing this highly deserving group of people who do so much for others with little if any recognition.
As one of the UK’s first chiropractors to qualify as a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner, Arif, who is also a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association, attracts new mothers and pregnant ladies from across Essex (and further afield) who are looking for Chiropractic treatment to help them.
Many people are unware that chiropractic treatment can be effective during pregnancy and for the care of babies and children. However, a specialised approach is required for this level of chiropractic care.
You can read more about the pregnancy care and paediatric care we offer at Cliffs on our website.
We believe that it often helps to hear our patients’ own experiences of the care that we offer. Here is feedback that we received on our Facebook page recently from two of our patients.
“If you are considering chiropractic care whilst pregnant then without a doubt do it. I had my first child without chiropractic care (was kicking myself after!) the labour was much longer as I suffered hip pain, this I discovered much later was due to a variety of issues which led to the womb becoming the shape of a 3D figure of eight. labour took much longer as the head wasn’t engaged since baby was at the top and took a considerable time to move further down. Anyway the long and short of it was a long labour with the need for a drip etc to speed things along!! However when I had my second child I had discovered the wonders of chiropractic care. The labour was the total opposite, the womb would have been balloon shaped with the regular adjustments and was much better without the need of medical interference. I gave birth at home (as planned!) in much less time and a great deal more pleasant. All I can suggest is that with chiropractic care you will give both you and baby the best advantage possible at a stressful time! If anyone would like to know more feel free to ask. Arif was amazing and soooo enthusiastic too.” Col Wright
“I have been coming to see the team here since 2011. My daughter who is now 4 has been seen by Arif since her birth in 2012.
The team are fantastic, I can leave Sophia in capable hands whilst I have my treatment and she is in safe hands. She will be a great receptionist when she grows up.
Sophia has been seeing Arif since birth and she draws him pictures. She’s gone from a babe in arms to now lying down on the table and enjoying her treatment.
Sophia has a life shorting condition and her health and welfare is paramount. We will do everything we can to keep her healthy.
I believe that her treatment here benefits her condition.” Lisa Hyde
You can read more of our Patients’ stories and testimonials on our website.
If you are pregnant or have concerns about your child or baby’s health then please give us a call and we can answer your questions and if appropraiet book an appointment for you to visit the clinic.
Own up! Who’s going to admit to using their mobile phones just a little bit too much? Just take a look around and you’ll see plenty of people of all ages hunched up over their mobile phones.
In a recent interview with Sadie Nine on BBC Essex, Arif shared the dangers of ‘Text Neck’ and what we all need to do to protect our necks while on our mobile devices.
In this 10 minute interview, Arif also answers questions that Sadie had on other issues for protecting our backs and necks. These included:
Listen to the interview now:
