Newsletter / Blog

Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it also asks your body to adapt to a lot of change in a relatively short period. As your baby grows, your centre of gravity gradually shifts and the way you stand, walk and move can change. Your muscles and joints are also adapting to different loads, while everyday things like sleeping, sitting at work or simply getting comfortable can start to feel a little different. For some women, these changes can be accompanied by aches and discomfort

Considering a Foot Health Consultation but unsure on whether it's right for you? Tamara, our Foot Health Practitioner at our College Road Clinic in Maidstone, offers Initial Consultations at a price of just £25. If you're ready to come in and enquire, book online below or give us a call on 01622 661 883. But for now, learn more about what services you and your family may benefit from with the below FAQ's... FAQ: What is an ingrown tail nail? An ingrown toenail is a condition

Reflux is one of the symptoms clients bring up most often, quite often as an afterthought - rarely the headline complaint, but often one of the most disruptive, and for some, if left unaddressed, progressive. And it's so common, and so easily managed with Rennies or Gaviscon, that it's become almost normalised. Here are some of the common questions answered... "Is it normal to get heartburn this often?" Common, yes. Normal, not really. Reflux affects a huge number of people,

Around 30% of adults aged 65 and over and 40% of adults aged 80 and over fall at least once a year. Research shows that exercise programmes combining strength, balance and functional training can reduce falls by around 23–30%. We all want to be able to live with independence and confidence to climb stairs, carry shopping, get up from chairs and play with grandchildren later in life! So let's have a look at how we can test & train our bodies to reduce the risk of falls, live m

Play is beneficial across our lifespans- not just in childhood. Growing research in psychology, neuroscience and public health suggests that maintaining opportunities for play in adulthood and older age supports physical, cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing. This year, Wednesday 5th August marks National Play Day, celebrating the importance of play for our health & happiness. Let's delve into why play matters & what the emerging science says about its benefits... What i

Recently some of our Chiropractors attended a fascinating morning of talks by Gastroenterologists, Physiologists and Dieticians at LycaHealth in Orpington (associated with KIMS Hospital in Maidstone, Kent). Discussions were had about the rising epidemic of Fatty Liver Disease (now called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease) & visceral fat, & what we can do both proactively & reactively to tackle this issue within the population. Body fat is not always vis

Weight loss medications such as Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Mounjaro®, and Saxenda® have become increasingly popular in recent years. In fact, 2.9% of UK adults (approximately 1.6 million people) are using glucagon (GLP-1) based therapies for weight management, with a further 7% expressing interest in starting them soon. These medications can be highly effective, helping people lose significant amounts of weight and improve conditions such as type 2 diabetes. However, weight loss affe

Chronic pain affects sleep, mood, recovery, and daily life. Many people reach a point where medication alone no longer feels enough. Some struggle with side effects. Others feel trapped in cycles of tension, anxiety, and pain. Hypnotherapy offers a different approach. It does not replace medical care. It works alongside it by helping the mind and body respond differently to pain. This case study shows how hypnotherapy supported one client during recovery from full knee replac

“You’re in.” The words I had been waiting 10 years to hear. But when the email arrived, alongside the excitement was an equal sense of doubt and dread. I have been a very sporadic runner, with nothing consistent since my last marathon eight years ago. Now eight years older, slightly creakier, and marginally wiser about the demands and struggles of not only race day, but all of the training leading up to it. As a Craniosacral Therapist and Counsellor, I am used to supporting o

In every chiropractor’s career, there are patient stories that stay with you. It might be someone who came into clinic worried that ongoing pain could force them out of a physically demanding job. It might be a patient recovering from injury who has started to avoid movement altogether, unsure what their body can handle. Sometimes the difference is felt in small but meaningful ways. Walking the dog again, getting back to the activities they enjoy, or lifting a grandchild for

What is K tape? When watching a professional sport on the TV you’ve probably noticed colourful strips of tape across elbows, knees, thighs, shoulders… This is kinesiology tape, often called K tape and it’s become a widely used tool not just in professional sports but also in clinics such as ours. K tape is an elastic stretchy tape made of cotton and glue that comes in many colours and styles. It was originally developed by a Japanese chiropractor in the 1970s to provide suppo

An ingrown toenail is a condition where your toenail is putting pressure on the surrounding skin/tissue, causing pain to develop in your toe. This may cause a break in the tissue and lead to the classic infected looking toenail; however, it can also be more subtle. In some instances, there may be more minor rubbing and pressure that doesn’t cause your skin break, yet can still cause a lot of irritation and pain. Why are ingrown toenails are more common in sports? 1) Physical

Migraines aren’t “just headaches.” They can disrupt sleep, focus, mood, and daily life—and for many people, finding gentle, supportive relief is an ongoing journey. This is where foot and facial reflexology can play a powerful complementary role in helping you cope. Reflexology is a holistic therapy based on the idea that specific points on the feet, face and hands correspond to different organs and systems in the body. By applying gentle, targeted pressure to these points, r

Looking for new ways to help with weight loss in 2026? Have you considered Hypnotherapy? Hypno Gastric Band is a structured, non surgical approach to weight loss hypnotherapy. You stay fully awake and relaxed while gastric band hypnosis guides your mind to expect smaller portions and earlier feelings of fullness. This virtual gastric band process supports steady, realistic change rather than crash dieting. We explore your eating triggers, emotional patterns and routines so n

New Year is always a great time to pause, reflect and plan. With the Southcote team we run New Year's 'Reflect & Reset' meetings, to encourage gratitude and learning from 2025, and be proactive with our goals and daily habits in 2026, both as individuals and as a business. If you're a bit lost on how to do this personally, we've laid out a template below for you to do either alone or with your very own accountability buddy. So have a read, get out your pen and get ready to fi

When you’ve got ongoing shoulder pain, back pain, or knee stiffness, it’s natural to wonder: “Should I get a scan?” Scans are useful tools—but they’re only part of the picture. Research shows that what appears on imaging doesn’t always match the level of pain you feel. Some people with “severe” osteoarthritis changes have very little pain, while others with “mild” findings may struggle day-to-day. That’s why its usual to start with your case history and examination before dec

Immune 'boosting' tips and tricks are often around at this time of year and currently respiratory viruses and stomach bugs seem to be rife! But what has been shown to really work to help us get through these seasons of sniffles and better balance our bodies, so we're getting just the right amount of immune system inflammatory response when we need it? A key quote from a great book called 'Immunity, the science of staying well' by Dr Jenna Macciochi, and one used often within

When we think about our core we don't always think about muscles such as our Pelvic Floor or Diaphragm. But, as in exercise such as Pilates, these two aspects are highly important as the foundation of our Inner Core... and are relevant for both men and women. Pelvic floor weakness, caused by either too little or too much tone/tightness, can be linked to lower back and sacroiliac joint pain, pain during intercourse, constipation and urinary continence issues. How Do I Engage

Upper crossed syndrome is a common postural pattern where certain muscles in the chest & neck become tight (e.g. pectoralis major/minor, upper trapezius, levator scapulae) while their counterparts become long & weak (e.g., deep neck flexors, lower/middle trapezius, rhomboids, serratus anterior). The result is rounded shoulders, forward head posture and stiff upper-back/neck mechanics. First described by Vladimir Janda, it’s now a familiar clinical presentation in desk w

Do you suffer with shoulder pain when lifting your arm? You may be suffering with shoulder impingement. Shoulder impingement is one...