 Seasons greetings! 2019 has been a busy and exciting year. Much of it has brought the culmination of a significant amount of work and growth, both professionally and personally. It has seen the completion of many courses that bring together all my passions and special areas of interest in osteopathy i.e. paediatrics, biodynamics, cranial osteopathy and teaching. When I began work at the Ngaio Natural Health Centre seven years ago (how time flies!) the aim with my UK experience, was to continue and strengthen the ethos (begun by osteopaths Liz johns and Jane Burns) in providing a strong family orientated practice, particularly in the areas of interest mentioned above. I’m looking forward to 2020 which is equally shaping up to be a fantastic year, though I hope a little quieter, we will see... Wishing everyone love and a very peaceful and happy Christmas, Gavin Crisp  Completion of the ARA Institute of Canterbury course - Infant, Child + Adolescent Health in Osteopathy. When you see an osteopath you are seeing a regulated primary healthcare professional. Some of us already specialise and have qualifications in paediatrics, but this course (spread over two years) is aimed at raising the benchmark for paediatric osteopathy across the whole profession. Importantly, it will guarantee minimum standards in safety and practice as a basic pre-requisite for anyone seeking osteopathic care for their child. It very much deepens the awareness of current child related NZ health issues. Some osteopaths may not wish to pursue further specialisation in paediatrics, but this certification will give them the necessary skills to recognise when and whom to refer if something is outside of their scope. NZ will be the first country to have this recognised in their Osteopathic Standards (‘capabilities’) for practice. Well done us! Completion of Phase 9 of a Biodynamic View of Osteopathy I am very proud to announce I have completed Phase 9 of a Biodynamic View of Osteopathy. To be listed as a ‘Biodynamically trained’ an osteopath has to have completed Phase courses 1-8. This ‘odyssey’ is a deep interest and passion and represents well over a decade of work and study with thousands of hours of deliberate practise and reflection. Arriving at this point we do not think of having ‘completed’ anything, rather it is just another step along the most wonderful life-changing path of personal development and continued learning. Completion of Treatment of Children with a Biodynamic view of Osteopathy Also, to further my learning in Paediatrics, in March this year I also completed Phase 3 of a three year program on the Treatment of Children with a Biodynamic view of Osteopathy. This really is a specialty area that adds to my paediatric knowledge and skills. It deepens, guides and and shapes my private practice and group work in the charity clinic (more below). .....Biodynamics, what is it? In response to many questions here is a very brief note on Biodynamics and it’s rich osteopathic history. (Please look out for a new year post explained and referenced in much more detail). Biodynamics has a direct lineage that can be traced to osteopathy's founder, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Through Dr.Still and his many wonderful teachings osteopaths are charged with ‘finding the health’ in the patient, as he says ‘..anyone can find disease...”. This has become an important and living concept for us. His student William Garner Sutherland pioneered the development of cranial osteopathy and the discovery of ‘primary respiration’. The work of Dr.Sutherland and his exceptional students deeply inspired (and through their mentorship) present day American osteopath Dr. James Jealous DO. It is Dr. Jealous who chose the name Biodynamics as a new curriculum in osteopathy after he recognised that embryologists and the work of Dr. Sutherland had much in common. Biodynamics is a fascinating field that has continued to evolve in osteopathy. To those who show an interest Dr. Jealous and the remarkable international faculty continue to teach post-graduate osteopaths i.e. who have first completed full osteopathic study and training. The importance of this can’t be understated because it requires a high degree of clinical skill and understanding developed over many years in practice. The Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation of Australia & New Zealand sctfanz.org.au I am thrilled to announce that this year I have been invited and welcomed on to the faculty of the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation of Australia and New Zealand. Another deep interest and passion, it is an honour and a privilege to continue the work and pass on the teachings of osteopath Dr. William Garner Sutherland to successive generations. He has joined the international team on three courses so far, in Auckland and Melbourne.  The Osteopathic Children’s Foundation OCF
This is pretty special. I am a proud trustee and part of a small team of passionate individuals who wanted to set up a clinic to treat children who would not normally have access to osteopathy. We don’t want affordability and/or serious health issues to be be barriers to access. We are very excited because the clinic celebrated it’s first birthday in October this year. It has been a fantastic year and a huge success that has exceeded all our expectations. We feel very supported. From 20-30 osteopaths come together and donate and devote their time one Saturday per month in Hamilton, NZ. Osteopathic Children’s clinics are special places where treatment is based around the family unit and where we treat in an open-plan space with lots of tables, and toys! Bringing the community together is a very important part of what we do. At each clinic we are blessed with the presence of our Kaumātua who leads us in a Karakia before and after our sessions. We are developing strong links with local services, including the children’s hospice, and we are very fortunate to have already been joined by paediatricians, other health professionals and many overseas visitors. I will definitely write about this some more.... For now, if you would like any more details please follow the link above.
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  Megan Martin Dip Hom. CBP, Cert Exercise Science With the cold and flu season in full swing, many people turn to vitamin C for a little bit of support. I often hear people say “if you have too much vitamin C, you just wee the excess out”. This is true – however before you wee it out it has interactions with every cell, organ or body part it comes into contact with.
Many of the minerals and vitamins in our body work together in pairs, these are important nutrient ratio’s. It means if one of the pairs is in excess compared to the other, then neither of the minerals are utilised properly. Many of the supplements you can buy over the counter take this into account and will have the pair as part of the supplement, for example many Magnesium supplements will have Calcium in them. However, when you get too much calcium your body will ‘beg, borrow and steal’ Magnesium from where ever it can get it – often depleting organs that require it to function optimally. So having a supplement with both in it is only going to make your Magnesium deficiency worse. Vitamins are not produced in the body (with the exception of Vit D and a small amount of Vit K and B3). We need to eat food that contain these vitamins. Vit C’s pairs are Copper and Iron. We have all heard, if you want to increase your iron ‘eat some red meat and have a glass of orange juice with it’. This is why. If you end up with too much Vitamin C it can result in an Iron overload and the flow on effect is a Copper deficiency. Your Copper and Zinc ratio is the key one to keep an eye on, in particular during winter. If you have too much Copper and not enough Zinc you will be susceptible to viral infections, if you have too much Zinc and not enough Copper you will be susceptible to bacterial infections. It can be a tricky trying to work out what are the right levels of minerals and vitamins in your body. Having a hair tissue mineral analysis is a great way to assess what supplements will be beneficial to your health.  It has been an absolute delight teaching infant massage at Ngaio Natural Health Centre over the past year. I have met such wonderful parents with their beautiful babies.
It is a joy to see the connection that parents and their babies have during a massage session. I see parents grow in confidence in the way they interact and use touch to communicate with their little ones, all while the babies become increasingly eager to experience massage. The more I research about the positive effects of touch on a baby’s development, the more I become impassioned to pass on the amazing skills of infant massage. In babies, positive touch can reduce stress levels, improve sleep patterns and support muscular development. In the longer term, the child has improved ability to access the relaxation response, self-sooth and build resilience. *If you'd like to know more, check out the links I recommend below. It has been lovely hearing from parents on how much they have enjoyed the course; the impact massage has had on their babies and their relationship. “My baby is calmer, relaxed and sleepy straight after a massage” “It has been a wonderful opportunity to further connect with my baby” “Really enjoyable, great to create a stronger bond with my baby” * Recommended links for more info about the benefits of Infant Massage www.iaim.net/benefits/ www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/research/enhancing-development-through-the-sense-of-touch www.iaim.net/infant-massage-stress-and-relaxation/ www.parentingscience.com/secure-attachment-relationships.html by Amy Dawson Massage Therapist Infant Massage courses with Amy Dawson at Ngaio Natural Health Centre |
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