Tag: Arif Soomro

Driving This Easter? Keep Your Back Safe

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Easter is nearly upon us and many if us will be taking to the roads to get away. While it’s great to get away unfortunately spending hours at the wheel can take its toll on our bodies including our backs.

In a survey undertaken by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA), 25% of people surveyed felt that driving affected their posture. This is important to consider as if your driving position is negatively impacting your posture it may lead to back pain or neck pain.

One of our experienced chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend, Arif Soomro, wants to share some tips to make your driving more comfortable and to give you less chance of getting neck and back pain.

The first step to consider is to enter your car comfortably. That means try and avoid twisting your back and keep your knees close together.

There are several stages to finding a comfortable driving position which requires adjustments to the back rest, seat, steering wheel, headrest and safety belt.

Arif has created a video to take you through step by step the necessary adjustments. You can watch the video below.

 

Of course driving comes with a lot of stress which can also cause tension in the back and neck. To avoid as much stress as possible here are a few tips to follow:

Allow plenty of time for your journey. Take into account traffic and weather conditions that could impact on the time and factor in plenty of breaks if it’s a long journey.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Leave the tight clothes and high heels at home.

Take regular breaks. Stop for a break at least every two hours and get out of the car and have a walk around and a stretch. If you are in discomfort then you should stop more frequently.

If you are stuck in traffic, and it’s safe to do so, do some exercises in your seat. Buttock clenches, shoulder shrugs and circles are all good stretches you can do in a seated position.

Remember to relax and enjoy the journey.

If you heading away this Easter then drive safely and have a great journey.

 

 

 

 

A Back Is For Life – So Look After It

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Echo, Back Story, 80s, 9.1Iris Goldfinch may be 95 years old but she is intrepid as they come. Iris first came to Cliffs when she was 81 years old and had fallen off a ladder!

As part of our Back Story Campaign, the Echo published an article with Arif focusing on how octogenarians can help themselves keep fit and healthy and features Iris and her treatment at Cliffs over the years.

Iris says “I wouldn’t be moving about today if it weren’t for Arif. I’ve been having regular chiropractic treatment for years, which was vital when I was caring for Kev (her husband).”

In the article, Arif, provides advice to people in their 80s and 90s on ways they can help themselves keep fit and healthy.

Arif says, “When we enter our 80s and 90s the senses that guide balance: vision, touch and spatial awareness, may all start to deteriorate, and this can make us unsteady on our feet which can lead to falls. The NHS estimates that around one in three adults over 65, who live at home, will have at least one fall a year, and about half of these will have more frequent falls. There’s always a risk that a fall could lead to broken bones, which can sometimes lead to a loss of confidence, so making the time to do regular exercises like yoga and tai chi, can really help to keep our sense of balance strong, and restore what’s already been lost.”

Arif and his team recommend that people in their 80s and 90s should never stop exercising and that there’s nothing better than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like a brisk walk where you’re not breathing so hard that you can’t carry on a conversation) five days a week. But you mustn’t neglect your upper body, lower body and core as you need to keep your whole body strong to avoid too much loss of muscle mass.

This is just some of the advice Arif offers in the article so be sure to read it here.

Arif developed ‘The Back Story’ campaign to help all of us, whatever our age, lead a healthier, happier life. The Back Story page on our website provides invaluable advice on how you can take better care of yourself whatever age you are.

How Well Are You Taking Care Of Yourself?

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functional medicine offered at cliffs chiropracticResearch shows that people who take time to recharge and restore are more creative, happier and more successful.

So how well are you taking care of yourself? To check, take a test put together by the Institute for Functional Medicine. It is designed to help you identify the areas of your life that are well-tended and those that could use more time and attention.

You may be surprised by the results!

Click the link to download the Functional Medicine test: Self Care Questionnaire

How Can Functional Medicine At Cliffs Help You?

Functional Medicine asks how and why illness occurs and restores health by assessing the root causes of disease for each individual.

In the Functional Medicine model the patient’s full story is of central importance. Instead of preoccupation with how to name a disease the critical questions become:

  • Where does the symptom come from?
  • What has caused or triggered it?
  • What keeps it going?
  • And what can be done to change that dis-eased state?
  • Where intervention and treatment can be most effective?

A timeline of the patients’ life is created beginning at prenatal time through birth and childhood to present day. It is surprising how often when creating this there is a revelation of a “never been well since moment”.

This is then integrated with the patient’s clinical imbalances, assessing the systems of digestion and absorption, defence and repair, elimination, structure, transport, communication and energy regulation. Mental, emotional and spiritual well- being is also put into the Functional Medicine framework. An individual personal plan is created and presented to the patient with personalised treatments and lifestyle modifications which may include advice on diet, nutrients, herbs and exercise.

The right treatments that address the cause of illness or dis-ease will have lasting benefit way beyond symptom suppression.

Melanie and Arif are Members of The Institute for Functional Medicine, British Chiropractic Association and British Medical Acupuncture Society, Melanie is also a Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and Arif a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner. Being very experienced and having such a varied background with a wide range of treatment options they are ideally placed to take a holistic approach and identify the root cause of your problem and devise a treatment a treatment plan to match your needs and lifestyle.

If you are interested in this approach please give us a call and Arif or Melanie will be happy to discuss your options before making an appointment.

You can find out more about Functional Medicine on our Southend and Chelmsford websites.

What’s Chiropractic Ever Done For You (Part 1 & 2)

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A few weeks back Arif took the opportunity to ask some of his patients at Cliffs what chiropractic has done for them.

The feedback from these patients is very uplifting and demonstrates the positive effect that chiropractic has on the lives of people.

You’ll need to Unmute the videos to hear the fantastic feedback from our patients:)

 

Staying Fit & Healthy In Your Forties

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Echo 40s“HOW can I be 40; I’m still 23 in my head!” Does that ring a bell? So, what does turning 40 mean to you?

The truth is there’s never going to be one easy answer, because – and this has never been truer – you’re as young as you feel. However, there’s no escaping the fact that for many people approaching their forties is a time of reckoning.

In a recent article published in the Echo, Arif offers some great advice for ways that you can look and feel great in your forties. His advice includes the best forms of exercise to take in your forties along with golden rules for your diet.

Arif stresses, “While we can’t slow the aging process, if we develop the right attitude we can feel younger and more energetic and that will show in the way we walk, talk and look.”

“Forty, is, as they say, only a number”.

Click here to read the full article.

Could Poor Deskbound Posture Be Causing You Health Issues?

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echo back story 20sWorking mum, Laura Clegg, was suffering headaches from morning through to night. On the advice of her husband she paid Arif at Cliffs a visit and was astonished by Arif’s diagnosis, the results of Arif’s treatment and the positive impact of doing the exercises that Arif prescribed to help her.

Click the link to read the Echo article of Laura’s story and get the exercises you can do if you are deskbound: Poor Deskbound Posture To Blame For My Night And Day Headaches

 

 

Why Mobile Mania Leads To Text Neck In Teens

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why mobilemania leads to text neck in teenagersThe truth is out there. Figures show that British teenagers now spend more than NINE hours a day online, including around 40 minutes a day on social media.

The rise of the ‘selfie culture’ has meant teens also spend 15 minutes a day taking pictures of themselves to send to their friends or post online.

In a recent article published in the Echo, Arif highlights how the ‘selfie culture’ is storing up health problems for teens …

Click the link to read the Echo article: Why Mobile Mania Leads To ‘Text Neck’ In Teenagers

 

Congratulations To Our Official Blood Suckers …

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Don’t worry we haven’t recruited Dracula or a host of Vampires.

Arif and Melanie are now both certified phlebotomists. Congratulations to both of them as they bring new skills to the clinic to help more of our wonderful patients.

Arif and Melanie trained to be phlebotomists at Maxis Healthcare. The instructor at Maxis was excellent. They also spent a day in an NHS clinic to gain experience in order to become fully qualified.

Arif says of their qualification “This will expand our services to our patients we will be introducing some comprehensive screening services for many conditions including cardiovascular disease analysis. We’re very excited to be able to offer these services to our patients.”

Just another example of the progressive attitude Cliffs has to the health and well-being of our patients.

A few shots of Arif & Melanie in training.

phlebotomy training

 

Meet Eddie Who’s Now A Happy Baby

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eddie video stillRecently Eddie’s mum, Siobhan, brought him into Cliffs Chiropractic to visit Arif. Eddie was having trouble settling himself and feeding. Siobhan was also concerned that he was generally leaning to one side.

After his first treatment with Arif, on a Monday, Siobhan was amazed at the transformation.

On the Monday evening it only took Eddie 20 minutes to settle and go off to sleep. The next day Siobhan found she had a really happy baby. Eddie was happy to play on his mat by himself, giving out lots of smiles and generally seemed more content in himself.

Watch the video of Siobhan describing the transformation.

Cliffs Awarded WhatClinic 2017 Patient Service Award

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patient service award 2017Our team at Cliffs are proud recipients of the WhatClinic 2017 Patient Service Award.

In 2016 over 17 million people visited the comparison site to find and compare clinics. WhatClinic reviewed data covering patient review scores, feedback responses and clinic contact rates and Cliffs was only one of a small number of clinics that met the exacting standards needed to qualify for this award. Not only must the clinic have a consistently high ServiceScore™, the rating measures the clinic’s commitment to customer service over a whole year, and so represents long term commitment to dealing with patients. Less than 2% of clinics on the site qualified for the award this year.

Speaking about the award win, Arif said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to customer service for the second time in WhatClinic’s seven-year history. As a practice, we set great store by looking after every single one of our patients. Being welcoming, warm and mindful is our culture and to receive such positive feedback about it is a reward in itself.”

WhatClinic.com CEO Caelen King congratulated Cliffs and said: “Our awards are now in their 7th year, and this year, for the first time – we have made the data that we use to calculate awards visible on our listings. Consumers can see which clinics have rated well with lots of other users, and clinics can evaluate their own performance against others in their market, ideally with the goal of getting better and better at serving their patients, which is ultimately good for everybody.

“We believe that by giving consumers as much information as possible that we can improve private healthcare services for everyone. With these awards, we honour clinics that are dedicated to the highest level of customer care and consistently putting the patient at the heart of what they do.”

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