Practice Locations

The Ndu Clinic, 22 Harley Street and The Light Centre in Moorgate (http://www.lightcentremoorgate.co.uk).  The details are as follows:

Ndu Clinic, 1st Floor, 22 Harley St, W1G 9PL - Ndu is a holistic clinic which offers dentistry, Alexander technique, nutritional therapy, osteopathy, and other relevant disciplines.  My hours will be Thursdays 8.30 - 2pm.  Wait in the first floor reception.

The Light Centre, 114 London Wall, EC2M 5QA - a few minutes walk from Moorgate, the Light Centre is a lovely therapy centre which also includes a cafe offering juices, smoothies, and healthy meals. My hours will be Fridays, 8am - 2 pm. The main reception is on the right as you enter the practice and is open 7 am - 10 pm.  Appointments from Friday 7th August.

Please make your appointment directly with me as before, and preferably by text or email.

Beating low back pain with Alexander Technique

The  Alexander Technique is best known as  a method of improving posture in daily activities.  Low back pain is common and can be highly disabling. It is one of the most common causes of sickness absence from work, and can reduce the quality of life of the sufferer.

A trial (Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage for chronic and recurrent back pain) was run by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton, and funded by the General Medical Council. Six hundred patients were recruited from sixty-four GP’s practices in the south and south-west of England.  Each patient had seen a doctor because of recurrent or chronic back pain in the last five years.

The trial found significant improvements after a year among those having lessons in the Alexander Technique. They spent just three days in pain each month compared to twenty-one days in pain among those receiving standard NHS care. There were also important improvements in function and quality of life. One year after the trial started the average number of activities limited by low back pain had fallen by 42% in the group receiving AT lessons.

The study can be accessed on Paul Little et al., BMJ2008;337:a884

Mapping of Alexander Technique Lesson and Teachers (MALT)

The Complementary Medicine Evaluation Group at the University of York is undertaking a new project to map the teaching of Alexander Technique across the UK.

The idea for MALT, which is led by Dr Hugh MacPherson and coordinated by Dr Janet Eldred, was conceived in relation to the ATLAS Trial.

The Alexander Technique is a taught method of practical self-help to restore ease of balance, coordination and poise. People learn how to move with less effort, reduce unwanted muscular tension and avoid causing themselves unnecessary pain. Lessons enable people to stand, sit and move with less strain and greater ease, and maintain a calmer approach to life.

The Alexander Technique is by no means a new intervention; it is regularly taught and used in all major performing arts colleges and Alexander Technique lessons have been found effective in helping people with back pain.

This project will be the first scientific survey to review the current status of Alexander Technique teaching across the UK.

All Alexander Technique teachers associated with the main Alexander Technique professional membership organisations in the UK have been invited to take part in a survey. Alexander Technique teachers are asked questions about their professional background, their practice, the styles and methods they teach and about the people who approach them for lessons, including information relating to the common reasons why people seek help from Alexander Technique teachers.

The survey is taking place September to November 2013, and results will be available in 2014.

Outcomes
The results of the survey will be published on the University of York’s Complementary Medicine Evaluation Group website and in one of the UK medical journals, and will be available from the participating Alexander Technique professional organisations.

Professional membership organisations participating are: 
STAT: Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique 
ATI: Alexander Technique International 
ITM: Interactive Teaching Method

The rise and rise of RSI

According to the Daily Mail half a million workers have RSI. From figures compiled by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 448,000 workers were reported as having RSI last year. And the number of cases is rising.

More and more employers are aware of the cost of employee sickness due to the variety of conditions termed RSI, including tendonitis, tennis elbow, and frozen shoulder. Employers frequently spend a great deal on well designed work stations, thereby tackling half the problem. The Alexander technique can help you with the other half, showing you how to use that work station more effectively. Good use, with the head properly balanced and the spine lengthening, can greatly reduce the chances of RSI developing. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer symptoms already, recovery can be helped with the Alexander technique.