ANTIQUES

Family Health with Jenna Evans

CONTINUING OUR LITTLE tour of our amazing bodies, this month we’re taking a look at the spine.

The spine or backbone, consists of 29 (not including the tailbone/coccyx) vertebrae. From the coccyx we meet the sacral spine, a series of five vertebrae, fused in adulthood into the sacrum. This, along with the ilium, forms the sacroiliac joint which on each side of the pelvis articulates with the hips. Moving up we come to the lumbar spine. Also generally called the lower back, this area has five vertebrae. The lumbar spine is one of the most injury prone areas of the back as it bears a lot of stress when supporting the torso and assisting bending and rotating from the waist. Further up is the thoracic spine, a series of 12 vertebrae and an area with little mobility. The thoracic spine is mostly protective, articulating with the rib cage (think of all those squishy internal organs it needs to keep safe!). Lastly, at the top we have the cervical spine. These seven vertebrae support and mobilise the head and neck – and therefore deal with enormous pressure.

Between all the vertebrae are sacs filled with a cushioning fluid, shock absorbers if you like that allow for smooth motion. The spinal cord runs through the spinal column with many nerves branching out from the spine.

There are three types of muscle supporting the back. The extensors, generally large and located on the back of the spine give support and stability. The flexors on the front of the spine allow movement in all directions and the obliques in the middle aid rotation and posture.

I would imagine most of you have suffered some kind of back or neck pain at some point in this lifetime! Stress, poor posture, bad diets, dehydration, wear and tear and the usual over-doing and indeed under-doing it can all take their toll. For chronic musculoskeletal issues I always recommend you find the support of a good body worker. McTimoney Chiropractic, Bowen & Craniosacral Therapy are three of my favourite modalities, but there are many more from which to choose! We’re still learning about the role of the fascia too –connective tissue that runs through our bodies around the muscles and organs – and therapies that specialise in treating fascia are showing great potential.

For postural work you can look at therapies such as the Alexander Technique as well as Primal Patterns and Neuromovement. All designed to help remind us how to hold and move our bodies in a natural, healthy way.

There are of course plenty of supplements that can help too. If you’ve read any of my recent articles many of the same products apply. For inflammation, turmeric, boswellia, ginger, serrapeptase and devil’s claw are some of the best. For wear and tear/bone health think calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K, glucosamine, MSM and hyaluronic acid.

To finish up this month I want to talk about a topic I’m getting asked about a lot at work – the covid vaccines. This is of course a huge subject! So here’s my take – all medical procedures, including all vaccines, must be a personal choice, based on informed consent. We have the basic human right to risk assess for ourselves the pros and cons of any medical intervention. There is no reason to make this vaccination any different. Personally, I will not be taking any of the covid vaccines. Partly due to concerns raised by many experts in this field coupled with my own extremely low risk from the disease, but also as I had an extreme adverse reaction to a vaccine as a child and will not be taking that risk again. But the really important thing to me is that I respect and support the decisions of other people - and I expect other people to do the same. Medical freedom is intricately tied to our basic human rights. The notion of any kind of vaccine passport for access to venues is therefore abhorrent. And given I and thousands of others were expected to risk assess our own health to work with the public during the pandemic, wouldn’t it be ridiculous to restrict our freedoms now? As I have said before, we have had enough division and isolation this last year, let’s not make the vaccinations another tool of separation!

Join me next month where we will start to take a look at some of the squishy internal organs!

•Jenna is a Holistic Health Coach and creator of bespoke beauty products. She can be found on Facebook at ‘Alchemical Beauty UK’. Jenna is also a multi-award winning Product Advisor at Ceres Natural Foods, Yeovil. To make an appointment, call 01935 428791 for details. Always check with a health professional before making any dramatic changes to your diet and lifestyle or starting a new supplement, especially wth any existing health conditions.

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