thefamilypractice

Malai Sontheimer BAc MB AcC Dip Psychosynthesis


Malai is a qualified Acupuncturist and Therapeutic Counsellor/Psychotherapist, with more than 20 years experience. Acupuncture is an ancient system of medicine which started in the East and is now firmly established in the West. In this system of healing, illness is seen as an imbalance of vital energy. By inserting very fine needles into acupuncture points, balance is then re-established. This may help to resolve symptoms by stimulating a natural healing response.




Click on the Telegraph for full news story.

TELEGRAPH Article:



NEWS FLASH ! 2/10/2007

German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for Chronic Low Back Pain
, Multicenter, Blinded, Parallel-Group Trial With 3 Groups

Michael Haake, PhD, MD; Hans-Helge Müller, PhD; Carmen Schade-Brittinger; Heinz D. Basler, PhD; Helmut Schäfer, PhD; Christoph Maier, PhD, MD; Heinz G. Endres, MD; Hans J. Trampisch, PhD; Albrecht Molsberger, PhD, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:1892-1898.

Background To our knowledge, verum acupuncture has never been directly compared with sham acupuncture and guideline-based conventional therapy in patients with chronic low back pain.

Methods A patient- and observer-blinded randomized controlled trial conducted in Germany involving 340 outpatient practices, including 1162 patients aged 18 to 86 years (mean ± SD age, 50 ± 15 years) with a history of chronic low back pain for a mean of 8 years. Patients underwent ten 30-minute sessions, generally 2 sessions per week, of verum acupuncture (n = 387) according to principles of traditional Chinese medicine; sham acupuncture (n = 387) consisting of superficial needling at nonacupuncture points; or conventional therapy, a combination of drugs, physical therapy, and exercise (n = 388). Five additional sessions were offered to patients who had a partial response to treatment (10%-50% reduction in pain intensity). Primary outcome was response after 6 months, defined as 33% improvement or better on 3 pain-related items on the Von Korff Chronic Pain Grade Scale questionnaire or 12% improvement or better on the back-specific Hanover Functional Ability Questionnaire. Patients who were unblinded or had recourse to other than permitted concomitant therapies during follow-up were classified as nonresponders regardless of symptom improvement.

Results At 6 months, response rate was 47.6% in the verum acupuncture group, 44.2% in the sham acupuncture group, and 27.4% in the conventional therapy group. Differences among groups were as follows: verum vs sham, 3.4% (95% confidence interval, –3.7% to 10.3%; P = .39); verum vs conventional therapy, 20.2% (95% confidence interval, 13.4% to 26.7%; P < .001); and sham vs conventional therapy, 16.8% (95% confidence interval, 10.1% to 23.4%; P < .001.

Conclusions Low back pain improved after acupuncture treatment for at least 6 months. Effectiveness of acupuncture, either verum or sham, was almost twice that of conventional therapy.

Gosia Gray MCH (Lon) RS Hom

Gosia has over 15 years experience as a practicing Homeopath. She is an excellent Homeopath who has a great ability in helping people with acute and chronic problems. Homeopathy is a system of treatment that uses minute amounts of natural substances to help the body self- heal. Homeopathy may produce a rapid and gentle improvement in a wide variety of physical and emotional illnesses. It may also be incredibly effective in stimulating the individual’s natural immune and defense system. Gosia is also a Kinesiologist.

Dominique and Rex are experienced Relate counsellors specialising in work with families.
Including: Communication breakdown, parenting separation, anger, conflict resolution, step-families.
Together they offer a balanced male/female approach to the difficulties families experience.

Adam Carter dip ITM ITEC



Adam is an experienced therapist providing treatment and management for a wide range of muscle-related & postural problems. He is influenced by both Western & Chinese Medicine and is currently studying Osteopathy.

He uses a range of treatment approaches and combines this with detailed hone exercises in order to provide an individual treatment plan to best suit you. Common problems treated include poor posture/ general muscle tightness, neck & shoulder pain, lower back pain, sciatica and repetitive strain/ sports injuries.

www.bristolthaimassage.co.uk

Gosia Gray

Reflexology is an ancient therapy with its roots in many countries – Egypt, China, Africa, India and North America, to name a few. Reflexes are stimulated on the feet and hands by using different holds and pressures.

Reflexology is deeply relaxing and re-energising. It is this deep relaxation that may allow your immune system to be stimulated and enable the body to begin healing itself. Many conditions benefit from this non-invasive therapy.
Please get in touch to see how you will benefit from receiving Reflexology.

Malai Sontheimer BAc MB AcC Dip Psychosynthesis


Psychosynthesis is a form of psychotherapy which looks at the patterns that were created in childhood and the past, combining this with what the present offers and with our dreams and visions for the future. Psychosynthesis acts like a conductor bringing different musicians together in an orchestra. It helps a person to look at all the different, often conflicting parts of him or herself, in order to find a more integrated whole.

Malai is also experienced in providing counselling for people with special needs as well as for their families and carers.

www.xspecial.co.uk

Jeanette Buttler MCSP SRP MMACP

We have worked with Jeanette for many years. She is an extremely experienced Physiotherapist who combines her unique blend of sensitive, intuitive hands-on treatment with exercises and advice rehabilitation. She excells in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and imbalances. Her warm and friendly approach provides patients with a gentle rehabilitation treatment.

Systematic Kinesiology (SK)
Allergy Testing & Therapy

Gosia Gray MCH (Lon) R.S.Hom P.G.Hom I.T.E.K Dip ASK Kinesiologist



SK therapy involves applying gentle pressure to the muscles to find weak muscle and then uses special correcting techniques to aim to balance the energies of the body, which are believed to flow in the channels called meridians, SK uses many of the concepts of Chinese Acupunture but without needles.


Minor problems may be corrected before they become more serious illnesses. SK may be effective in pinpointing sensitivities to food ingredients and a wide range of natural and synthetic substances.


SK is a gentle and safe therapy suitable for all ages, even babies, infants and pregnant women. SK may help with allergies, aches and pains, phobias, anxiety, stress and much more.

Beth Greenway – Pilates Instructor

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure."
Joseph Pilates, Return to Life Through Contrology, 1945

The origins of Pilates
Pilates, as we know it today, was originally called ‘contrology’, and was developed in the early 1900s by an Austrian called Joseph Hubertus Pilates. Joseph was born and grew up in Germany and from an early age showed a natural aptitude for sporting activity. However he suffered from rickets, a disease affecting children where the bones become soft and weak; but this only seemed to spur him on to achieve greater fitness. By his early teens he had reached an incredible level of fitness considering his ailments, and was even asked to be a model for artists illustrating anatomical charts.

In later life, Joseph moved to England and taught self-defence to the English Police, but after the outbreak of WW1 he was placed in forced internment in Northern England. It was here he began to devise the exercises we know as ‘Pilates’. He worked with other detainees who were suffering from diseases and injuries. As he had no access to rehabilitation equipment, he created apparatus out of everyday items, such as bedsprings and beer keg rings, to create resistance exercise equipment for his patients. This was the crude beginnings of the Pilates equipment we know today, such as the reformer.

(Above: Joseph Pilates at 75 years of age!)

After World War 1, Joseph moved back to Germany and continued to develop his exercises and apparatus, working with the Hamburg police, and after several years he moved to America where he met his future wife, Clara. Clara suffered from Arthritis and Joseph was determined to cure her; together, they set up a studio in New York teaching the ‘contrology’ method to clients and patients. Leading New York dancers quickly became fascinated by the Pilates philosophy and its popularity grew and grew.

What is Pilates

Pilates is a form of exercise which emphasises the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement. It is a gentle but intensive exercise method.
The method is now prevalent all over North America, Europe and Australasia with over 12 million people practicing the method, and the numbers continue to grow. The method is still taught in its pure form but there are also many variations that have evolved from the original exercises.
I teach the ‘Body Control’ method which involves performing varying progressions of the original thirty-four exercises which can be tailored towards clients of all ages and abilities. The exercises are mainly performed on the floor and focus on increasing core strength, muscle tone and flexibility. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement. Back pain sufferers are often referred to Pilates Instructors because developing the core strength helps you develop stability throughout your entire torso - as the trunk is properly stabilized, pressure on the back is relieved and the body is able to move freely and efficiently, thus overcoming the pain.

How Pilates can benefit you:

Pilates can benefit all sorts of people; from others wanting to get their figures back after having babies to top athletes and people at various stages of physical rehabilitation. Just some of the benefits of Pilates are shown below:

About me
I have been practising Pilates for over ten years and have found it has greatly increased my flexibility and core strength. To this day I have never suffered from any aches and pains or any back problems - even though much of my early career was spent hunched over a desk.

I decided to train as a Pilates Instructor in 2008 when I came to the conclusion I didn’t want to spend the rest of my working life at a computer, I wanted to do something active. I had been passionate about the benefits of Pilates for several years and I wanted to help others realise these benefits.

I trained with ‘Future Fit’ for two years to reach my advanced level Pilates Instructor qualification. I am currently level 2 on the Register of Exercise Professionals with the view to reach level 3 in November 2010 after collating ten months of case studies.
Come along for a session with me and see how Pilates can help you.

Pilates "is not a fatiguing system of dull, boring, abhorred exercises repeated daily 'ad-nauseam.' Neither does it demand your joining a gymnasium nor the purchasing of expensive apparatus.
Joseph Pilates, Return to Life Through Contrology, 1945