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Welcome to our November newsletter.
This month we give thanks to those organisations such as Movember who support men's physical and mental health initiatives by raising awareness and money to fund ground breaking health projects across mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
In our mind health article we discuss men's mental health, the stigmas, suicide risks and the support available.
We also provide information on understanding the prostate and prostate health from our chiropractor Camilla.
This month our inspirational video is a TED talk by Olympian Leon Taylor on the power of movement in supporting mental health.
We have articles on knees and our chiropractor Frida has provided us with some ways in which we can support the important work the knees do, including some exercises to help.
Check out our Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for other exercises and well-being inspirations over the coming month.
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What's On at Durham House
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Thanks
Since drafting the newsletter, further Government announcements have been made. We are now currently reviewing the changes we may have to make to our wider business in light of these new lockdown measures.
Chiropractic treatments are not effected by the lockdown and will continue as normal.
As soon as we have clarity on our other therapy services we will be communicating this.
With regards to the The Studio, we will be sadly closing this on Thursday 5th November for 4 weeks.
In the meantime, in a month where giving thanks is traditionally celebrated, we are humbled by the wonderful support and positive feedback we receive from our patients and class participants.
We don't take for granted the role we play in peoples well-being and keeping our patients, staff and students safe is always our priority.
Thank you.
Giving
This year as well as the support we give to
Glad's House www.gladshouse.com
and The Source www.thesourceforyou.co.uk
we are also supporting the work of Fleet Phoenix with their Christmas toy appeal.
After a very tough year, they want to make sure that as many children locally as possible get to have a special time this Christmas day.
Our Fleet clinic is one of the drop off points for the appeal and we are starting to take donations of NEW toys and games for children and young people aged 0-16 years old.
If you are unable to buy and drop gifts off at one of the donation points but would like to donate, there are options to buy from an Amazon wish list or to pledge money. Please go to their Facebook page for more information on the appeal.
Fun
Our in house news this month is that a team of staff are taking part in the Movember Move campaign - this movement based challenge is to walk, run or move the equivalent of 60km over the month of November to bring awareness to the 60 men we lose to suicide every hour across the world.
We will be tracking our distances for the whole month starting on the 1st - check out our social media to see how we get on.
https://uk.movember.com/ for more information
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Mental Health and Well-being
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Men and Mental Health
In England, around 1 in 8 men have a common mental health problem. However, men may be reluctant to seek support for their mental health or disclose mental health problems to loved ones.
While many of the same difficulties are experienced by both men and women, some difficulties and influences on mental health may be especially relevant for men.
Societal Expectations and Traditional Gender Roles
Societal expectations, that is, the ways in which men and women have been traditionally expected to behave, may play a role in mental health. For men, societal expectations about how men 'should' behave and what masculinity is includes the expectation that men be the breadwinners of their family and that they display what have traditionally been perceived as masculine traits like strength, stoicism, dominance and control.
While wanting to feel strong and in control are not inherently negative things, some research suggests that a reliance on these traditional ideals of what it means to be 'a man' may negatively impact men’s mental health.
The research on this suggests that behaving in a way that conforms to these expectations, specifically expectations of self-reliance and power over others, is associated with increased distress and poorer mental health. Some research also suggests that men who feel as though they are unable speak openly about emotions may be less able to recognise symptoms of mental health problems in themselves and less likely to reach out for support .
Seeking Help
In England, men have been found to be less likely to access psychological therapies than women, with males making up only 36% of referrals to Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). Men may also be less likely to disclose their mental health issues to family members or friends and more likely to use potentially harmful coping methods such as drugs or alcohol in response to distress. However, there is research to suggest that men will seek and access help when they feel that the help being offered meets their preferences and is easily accessed, meaningful and engaging.
Suicide
In 2017, 5,821 suicides were recorded in Great Britain. Of these, 75% were males. Suicide represents the largest cause of death for men under 50.
Higher rates of suicide are also found in minority communities including gay men, war veterans, men from BAME backgrounds and those with low incomes. One group that may be particularly vulnerable to death by suicide are middle aged men from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This may be due to the interaction of a range of complex factors that include: socioeconomic hardship, unemployment and underemployment, relationship breakdown and lack of social support, all of which are common risk factors for suicide. Further insights about risk factors for this group can be found on the Samaritans website..
If you're concerned that you're developing a mental health problem, you should seek the advice and support of your GP as a matter of priority. If you're in distress and need immediate help and are unable to see a GP, you should visit your local A&E.
If you need support or want to learn more about men’s mental health, the below organisations are sources of further information and advice.
The Samaritans are available on 116 123 (UK) for free, 24/7. They are there to talk to, listen and won't judge or tell you what to do.
C.A.L.M - national helpline for men to talk about any troubles they're having. Call 0800 585858. They are available 5pm to midnight 365 days a year. www.thecalmzone.net
For support in a crisis text Shout to 85258 if you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support. Shout can help with urgent issues such as suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self harm, bullying, relationship challenges.
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Four simple steps – use ALEC to help you navigate a conversation with a friend who might be having a difficult time.
Ask
Start by asking how he’s feeling. It’s worth mentioning any changes you’ve picked up on: has he stopped replying to texts? Does he sound different on the phone? Has he gone quiet in the group chat?
Use a prompt like "You haven’t seemed yourself lately – are you feeling OK?”
Listen
Give him your full attention. Let him know you’re hearing what he’s saying and you’re not judging. You don’t have to diagnose problems or offer solutions, but asking questions lets him know you’re listening.
Ask a question like "That can't be easy – how long have you felt this way?"
Encourage Action
Help him focus on simple things that might improve how he feels. Is he getting enough sleep? Is he exercising and eating well? Maybe there’s something that’s helped him in the past – it’s worth asking.
Suggest that he share how he’s feeling with others he trusts. This will make things easier for both of you. If he’s felt low for more than two weeks, suggest that he chat to his doctor.
Check In
Follow up your conversation with a phone call or FaceTime. This helps to show that you care, plus you’ll get a feel for whether he’s feeling any better.
Credit to R U OK? for developing the ALEC model.
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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. It usually develops slowly so there may be no signs for many years.
Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).
When this happens, you may notice things like:
- an increased need to pee
- straining while you pee
- a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied.
These symptoms should not be ignored, but they do not mean you have prostate cancer.
It's more likely they're caused by something else, such as prostate enlargement.
For more information on the prostate gland click on our article link below and check out these websites.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/
https://uk.movember.com/mens-health/prostate-cancer
https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information
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Looking After Your Knees
Knee pain is a very common thing and tends to get more noticeable with age. The older you get, the more likely it is that the knee pain is caused by osteoarthritis (wear of the knee cartilage).
Many people think that once you’ve got osteoarthritis there's nothing you can do about it - luckily this is far from the truth.
There are many thing that you can do to look after your knee - ideally you want to put off a knee replacement for as long as possible.
To read more about how to protect your knees, click on the link below.
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What is runner’s knee or iliotibial band syndrome?
In its simplest form, runner’s knee is an over use injury that causes inflammation, resulting in pain and reduction of movement of the knee.
The pain is usually very intense and can be disabling. It’s often present with the heel strike phase of walking going up or down stairs and on running. It can be accompanied by a popping or cracking sound too.
What is the iliotibial band or IT band?
The iliotibial band is a thick band of fascia (tissue) that runs from the lateral (outside) part of the hip and pelvis, down the lateral part of the thigh and crosses the knee to attach into the top part of the tibia or shinbone. It also has fibres that integrate seamlessly into the capsule of the knee.
Its job is to stabilise, enclose and separate tissue from one another so they can work independently. The IT band helps stabilise the outside part of the knee through its range of motion.
The IT band is probably the most distinct piece of fascia in the body. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much research on it but the more we look at it, the more our knowledge of the importance of fascia grows.
We used to think of it as being inert, though it appears that fascia covers large parts of the body, therefore creating a kinematic chain (a path for physical forces to move along) connecting parts of the body together, resulting in facial tightness having knock on effects on other parts of the body.
In the case of the IT band where it blends seamlessly with the knee capsule, it can have a knock on effect to other knee issues (especially patella femoral knee pain). It also attaches up into the hip and pelvis meaning that a healthy functioning IT band aids a healthy knee, hip and low back and a problematic IT band can create issues in the hip and low back. Equally, problems with the knee hip and low back can negatively affect the IT band.
What causes runner’s knee?
This list is long and varied and one issue is not necessarily independent of another. Essentially asymmetry is the largest cause, such as leg length difference, a twist in the pelvis or low back, the knee collapsing in slightly on walking or running, muscle imbalances, feet being turned out or in, over pronation of the feet and the list continues.
What you can do to help with runner’s knee?
- Initial treatment includes rest, and ice
- Try and isolate the main activity irritating it and minimise or stop that for a while.
- Try some soft tissue massage on the side of your leg and stretches.
- See your chiropractor to check your muscles and joints are balanced.
- Use a foam roller to release the glutes which can add tension to the IT band. Rolling of the IT band itself may also provide some temporary symptom relief.
- Prevention is better than cure - make sure your legs are moving symmetrically and through a neutral line (not moving in or out) when walking and running, keep flexible, maintain good spinal health and vary training activities to minimise overuse injuries.
- Some runners need to look at their footwear to make sure their feet are staying in neutral.
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Sue Masters Holistic and Beauty
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A message from Sue Masters Holistic and Beauty
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How To Manage Your Mental Health - Leon Taylor
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