We all have had tight shoulders from time to time, but when your shoulder becomes painful and the movement is severely restricted, we have what is medically known as adhesive capsulitis, but more commonly known as Frozen Shoulder.

With Frozen Shoulder, it is common for the capsule and surrounding tissue to form fibrous scar tissue. With less lucubration from synovial fluid, movement generally becomes even more limited and painful.

Now there are number of theories why someone might develop Frozen Shoulder, such as genetics, age, bad luck (such as an accident), and some sports commonly tennis, cricket, golf and baseball.  What I was surprised to find is that Frozen Shoulder is very common in people who have Diabetes, Parkinson’s, Hypothyroidism, Chronic Hypoxia, and Dupuytren (the thickening of the tissues in the hand, causing the fingers to curl inwards.)

All symptoms seemed to have a common factor of chronic low-grade inflammation, but the two strongest established risk factors for developing Frozen Shoulder are Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.  The hypothesis argues that like Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, the inflammation and capsular fibrosis which is seen in Frozen Shoulder is precipitated by chronic low-grade inflammation, thus sympathetic dominance of autonomic balance, and neuro-immune activation which are out of balance.

In the book Inflammation Solution, Dr William Sears’s said, “Your body is not meant to experience a constant state of inflammation”. The term inflammation comes from the root word meaning ‘on fire’. “The root cause of inflammation is that your immune system is out of balance and confused”. Inflammation can be a good thing when your body is fighting infection, injury, or disease. If your body’s signals get crossed however, you can experience chronic, low-grade inflammations.

The next question then is what we do at ALTA when we have a client presenting with a Frozen Shoulder and what does this have to do with low grade inflammation? While we are not doctors or classified as allied health, we do know that what we do, as part of an overall healthy lifestyle plan. If we do not have a referral already, we will refer out. We have a large reference network of Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Doctors, Nutritionists, Exercise Physiologist, that we can rely on for advice.  Once we have a diagnosis for your particular case, we can then create a plan for you and your needs.

Here at ALTA, we like to look at movement from the ground up.  Meaning how well do your feet move in relation to your ankles, how well do your ankles move in relation to your knees, how well do your knees move in relation to your hips, etc.  In creating a plan of attack, we may use many forms of exercise to help you on your quest to free up your shoulder. Which could be a gentle Feldenkrais Method to Pilates to even a hefty deadlift exercise.  There is no single ‘one size fits all’ treatment for Frozen Shoulder.  What may work for you may not work for another. In some instances we may stay completely away from the affected shoulder and work on you as a whole i.e. creating a stronger base of support, improving posture and thoracic mobility which can often improve the effected shoulder. As with any chronic issue the healing takes time.

If you know us, you know we have 3 decent size veggie patches and we’ve spent a lot of time over winter turning over, weeding (lots!), mulching, growing mainly lettuce and herbs and now spring planting. And whenever I get out there, I’m glad I’m strong and have endurance because once I get started, I don’t like to stop until I’ve finished my ‘imagined’ task for the day.

I’m guessing you all have in some way planted a veggie patch at some time in your life, mine started helping dad in his, by force then, but now it’s my own choice and I gain great joy out of it. Growing a veggie patch can be as small as a pot of herbs or tomatoes on an apartment veranda, to one of the fabulous, raised patches (think corrugated iron or wood) in a small backyard, to ours which is 3 big beds as we have a decent size block, or even ones you have at your farm, if lucky enough to have one.

So, what is the exercise, health and wellbeing part to a veggie patch? There are so many and I’m going to stick to my top 3.

1. Exercise – oh yes this is to me number 1. You squat, push, bend, walk, reach, lift, basically you can use all your major muscle groups. From glutes and quads to squat, hamstrings, core, back, as you bend (correctly is to hip hinge!) pushing soil around or pulling out veggies we are using our grip and all associated muscles to arm and shoulder muscles. It’s quite a workout and inevitably I’m feeling it the next day
2. Health – I don’t think we can be classified organic vegetable patch growers however we probably are to the most degree, we only put in organic soil, sugar cane mulch and feed on our veggie patch. We never, ever use chemicals, we live with the pests which we actually don’t get that many of, we go snail hunting in the dark with our torches (yes we do!) and we weed by hand. And, importantly the health is also not just in the vegetables we pick, it is putting our hands in the soil with its microbes and when I wash my freshly cut veggies I do a quick once over (from our filtered water tap) and it’s the soil-based microbes that stay on my produce that today we commonly call probiotics and prebiotics. They help us to digest our raw ingredients and herbs and contribute to the thriving healthy balance of our own microbiome. There is a great article I read here which explains just one of the things that happens to our fruit and veg from our supermarkets which kills off these important microbes.
3. Wellbeing – Ahh the joy of a good, hard day’s work and the joy that we get nearly every night from picking, making, and eating salads and herbs from our healthy veggie patch, with our children. Joy is one thing, and it is not out there obvious with a big grin on my face, it’s the inner thoughts, feelings, and satisfaction I get. The other is being out in nature, well it is only our backyard but over the years and particularly the last 2 of lockdowns, it has been our haven, we have fruit trees all now blooming with spring, the insect houses we have, the honey eater birds suckling nectar from trees around our neighbours houses and ours, the magpies pulling worms, green grass to lie on and all the sounds in the air. And, this year we have planted more bee friendly flowers, hoping we are contributing to their health and wellbeing. I can’t wait to see the sunflowers come up, maybe I’ll have a harvest of sunflower seeds to share!

So, this is my desire for you all reading this, get out in your garden this weekend, if you have a veggie patch started wonderful, if not start planning a spot in your garden or a pot and get busy. If you ever want advice there is tonnes of it out there but we are always up for a chat about veggie growing, we have failures and abundance and we never stop learning!

This lockdown has been hard, what we’re seeing is that even people who are normally upbeat, are feeling the effects more intensively and as much as we try to remain positive how long can we stay upbeat for? I use gratitude to bring me back to my usual positive, resilient place but I’ll be honest I have had some bad days – one where I didn’t get out of bed ALL day! JC who has handled lockdowns really well has found this one tough and he had a morning he stayed late in bed, this is someone whose alarm goes off at 5am most mornings and he literally bounds out on the first ring of his alarm.  This is something that struck me, in light of our #ALTAkindness month…We need to be kind to ourselves, be kind to our mental health, acknowledge it and when you feel low or just in a slump and maybe, some of these things will help you if you feel this same.

1. Be grateful – this is my Number 1 go to! Sometimes I write it down mostly not, I say it in my head, to JC, my family and frankly anyone who might listen! Sometimes it is hard to come up with one thing, let alone more but I only have to look around me to give me inspiration, for example as I write this, the sun is on my back, I’m in my garden with some horse poop rejuvenating my plants which was delivered by a lovely client, what more could I want right this second!
2. Food – what we consume – eat healthy – is it good for me or bad for me? If you ask this question to yourself and you say ‘yes to good’ then you’re doing the right thing by your body – did you know that gut-brain axis is linked to mental health – this is a whole other topic for another day. Eat well, eat healthy, keep hydrated and stay away from as much processed foods and take away as you can.
3. Move every day – every day we need to move, some light and easy, some a work out, lift heavy stuff, work up a heart rate, sweat a little, get online (yes we are doing zoom!) or walk with a friend.
4. Get out in nature and the sunshine – We need Vitamin D and spring is here! It can be as simple as sitting on your deck, lying on the grass at home or in a park, get your hands in the dirt. Did you know that exposure to some soilborne bacteria (mycobacterium vaccae) can reduce stress responses and anxiety levels as well as affect immune status? I’ve just been weeding my veggie patch!
5. Turn commercial television off – often! Look to something more positive, doom and gloom is only a small space for me as I’d rather look for something to resolve and work on so the future is brighter.
6. Have regular check-ups with your chosen health professional – I keep up with regular blood checks and my doctor will always ask about my mental health. I also regularly see a Chiropractor and JC will see Osteo/Physio/Remedial Massage therapists to ensure our bodies are well maintained.
7. Lastly, yes be kind to others – this is so rewarding, every day I am thinking and acting on doing something kind, whether that be simply a smile or nice words, this is worth every bit of effort I put in.

They originated in the Mediterranean region and Central Asia and have been part of the human diet for thousands of years. They are rich in omega-3 fats and contain higher amounts of antioxidants than many other foods and are known as a superfood. Now I always thought ‘superfoods’ were something more exotic like ‘the debatable’ wheat grass or pomegranates. Walnuts to me, have been around forever, when we were kids they were fun but a pain to open with the nutcracker but as I learn more about foods, I realise that something I thought was a bit boring, a staple and messy is yet again another example of a wonderful food.

Some of the amazing things about walnuts are;

• They support immunity and help in lowering the risk of cancer. I have never heard of ellagic acid but it is in rich supply in walnuts. Dr Kristi Funk, a well respected breast cancer surgeon, who has make it her job to prevent breast cancer and Dr William Li (Brain health expert) has stated that ellagic acid (also found in berries) has the power to block carcinogenic action, uncover cancer cells so the immune system can eliminate them.
• They contain 65% of good fats, 15% protein and very low carbs much of which are fibre.
• They contain vitamins and minerals such as copper, folic acid, phosphrous, Vitamin B6, Manganese & Vitamin E.
• They are good for brain health as they contain a significantly high concentration of brain-healthy fat called DHA a type of Omega3 Fatty Acids. Walnuts also contain a number of other neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, and antioxidants, they may support brain health, cognition, and memory.
• They may increase Longevity due to being high in antioxidants. A study called Predimed, completed in Spain, looked at 7,400 healthy people who are at risk for heart disease. And what they actually found is that eating about one tablespoon of nuts (about 7 walnuts) each day, reduced mortality by 39% compared to people that didn’t eat any nuts.
• They support detoxification. 3 ways walnuts support our bodies wondrous detoxification pathways are, with the amino acid arginine in walnuts assists the liver to detox ammonia, high glutathione, omega 3 good fats support natural liver cleansing, and lastly Vitamin E can help improve liver health and consequently enhance your body’s detoxifying capabilities.

I love walnuts in salads and we posted onto our website a Beetroot and Walnut Salad some time ago so click here to check it out.

Warning: walnuts are among the eight most allergic foods. Symptoms of a walnut allergy are typically severe and can include allergic shock (anaphylaxis), which can be fatal without treatment. Individuals with a walnut allergy need to avoid these nuts completely.

The Arabesque as I knew it when I was younger was when I used it in Calisthenics or many of you would recognise as a ballet move. We use it as a strengthening and balance exercise.

This exercise increases strength across many parts of our body but mostly it improves higher-level balance, strengthens the gluteals, hip stabilisers, quads, hamstrings and lower back core muscles as well as the ankles. It also is a great exercise for glute activation and eccentric hamstring loading and can be a good exercise to complete after a hamstring strain and kicking sports. The arabesque also trains the body to move over a stable single leg while maintaining a strong and neutral lumbo-pelvic position and teaches the body how to move under load but protect against poor position and abnormal strain.

A correct Arabesque should involve standing on one leg with a slight bend at the knee or as I say unlocking your knee.  With a hip tilt forward slowly bringing your chest to the floor and moving the back leg out and up. Your back should stay straight and there should be minimal rotation of the pelvis at the hip that is hips square to the floor then return to an upright position.

There are different levels to start you may hold lightly to a wall or stick and only move to a 1/3^rd of the exercise and build up as you get stronger. Or if at a higher level do the full movement holding a kettle bell or dumbbells to a full stand with the opposite knee raised in front.

Ultimately, by increasing functional strength, balance and technique, a person can accomplish daily tasks successfully without excess load and injury. So, if you are looking to reduce your risk of injury, or improve your general strength and conditioning ask us if we haven’t shown you already.

You may be asking “Hara Hachi Bu WHAT”????  Let me fill you in!!  Hara Hachi Bu is a term in Japan used to describe only eating until you’re 80% full!  It originated in the city of Okinawa located in the south west. The people of that city boast some of the lowest rates of illness in the country, as well as being some of the longest living community members.

Obviously we live in societies these days whereby we consume far more than needed to fuel our bodies on a daily basis, and obesity is a major health issue globally, eating less therefore comes as no real surprise. But how does this principal actually work?  Well, you need to stop eating when you feel only slightly full!

The key to this working is to actually be mindful of what quantities you are putting on your plate.  When dishing up, you actually need to look at your plate and decide what amount you think will make you full, then either take away 20% of that, or only place 80% on the plate in the first place.  The second and step to this, is to “SLOW DOWN!” Did you know it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send messages to your brain to say you are full, give your body time to recognise its full!

If you would like to read more on the benefits of the Hara Hachi Bu method, please click here to access further information.