Written by Suzanne Rath, Director. Having just completed 4 days studying Craniosacral Therapy & the Immune Response (Brisbane 2024) I could write for days about inflammation and its role in mediating many modern day illnesses and symptoms! We spent lots of time looking at the organs and cells of the immune system, strategies for calming the immune system down (in the case of dysregulation or autoimmune conditions), as well as allowing it to work more effectively. For the purpose of not boring you to death however, let’s break it down! My Story With Inflammation. Many people know that in 2013

More than just one day a year, “R U OK? Day” has been a sign for Australians that we often need to check in with the mental health of others and ourselves. Unfortunately, many Australians don’t discuss their mental health, from concerns of appearing weak, vulnerable, burdensome, or that others won’t understand what they’re facing. Addressing mental health stigma is important, and simply asking others if they are ok, can allow people to see that others are aware that they may indeed be struggling, and that it’s ok to talk. There are different ways we can ask if someone’s ok,

Please note that on 11 December 2023, the Wellness Embodied Cairns City clinic will be moving from its current Sheridan Street address to a new location at Level 2, 80-86 Abbott Street. This is in the Mantra Trilogy building. We will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Trinity Plastics, as shown in this photo. In opening this new city clinic, we are also moving some of our team members around, across our other clinics. This will occur at the same time as the new clinic opening. To help prepare for this, please see the below, which highlights who

Play is not just entertainment for children. Play is a child’s equivalent to work – it is their main occupation, and the task through which they begin to develop complex skills. These skills include social intelligence, use of language, fine and gross motor competency, emotional understanding, empathy, understanding of right and wrong, concentration, imagination, problem solving and so many more! Even the simplest of games have a wealth of learning opportunities. For children, everything is a learning opportunity. Even kids who are too young to be educated begin to explore and learn from their surroundings. You might not give much

Had a recent surgery or trauma and notice a restriction of movement because of your new scar? A wound will progress through stages to become a mature scar – though the duration and outcome can be impacted with physiotherapy. There are different types of scars, determined by the cause and management. A well healed incision will have a fine lined scar, that does not normally impact movement or even appear different to surrounding skin. A keloid scar is an overgrowth past the original injury which occurs gradually, because of excessive collagen which can appear raised and impact movement of the

Exercise is an essential component of managing Parkinson’s disease and can greatly improve quality of life for those living with the condition. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and can lead to tremors, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, regular exercise has been shown to be a powerful tool for managing the disease and its symptoms. One of the primary benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s is that it can help to improve mobility and flexibility. Stretching and strengthening exercises can help to loosen tight muscles and improve

Mindfulness and meditation have long since been a great method of addressing feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness. But more recently, it is becoming more useful in the management of various injuries and chronic pain. Even more specific to us, is the use of mindfulness and meditation in rehabilitation for concussion injuries. What Exactly Is Mindfulness And Why Is It Useful In Concussion? Mindfulness is a form of meditation that is designed to orient yourself back to the present moment, improving your awareness of what is happening in your immediate surroundings, and what is happening within yourself. It is task-orientated

CrossFit is a one of a kind sport. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but hey, what is? You wouldn’t catch me at a yoga class! CrossFit is one of those sports that attracts high energy, competitive, very enthusiastic athletes. Once you start to see improvements in your skills, physical appearance and strength, you truly can become addicted. Did you know, CrossFit has been around for over 20 years now!? It started in one gym (owned by Greg Glassman) in California in 2000 and now has over 12,000 affiliated gyms worldwide. The problem with CrossFit is that sometimes athletes forget to

Fatigue and tiredness are something that everyone will experience during their lives. It can be short-term, in response to an event, activity or occasion, or it can be long-term. Regardless of the cause, tiredness and/or lack of energy and fatigue can have a widespread impact on wellbeing. Fatigue can decrease safety, judgement, memory, problem solving, motivation and emotional regulation, whilst increasing pain, headaches, posture, and other symptoms. While many people will experience issues with energy conservation, those experiencing the following conditions/injuries may have worse symptoms: Stroke Headaches (especially ongoing) Ongoing pain in muscles or joints Stress and anxiety Depression Post

Sleep hygiene is something that not many people know about, and yet so many struggle with sleeplessness and/or poor, broken or restless sleep. This leads to our bodies not being able to function at their best. Hence the purpose of this story, the importance of Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene. Firstly, what are some of the causes and conditions which may impact sleep? There are many, some of which are outlined below and can be treated and supported by the professional team of allied health professionals at Wellness Embodied – which includes an Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapists, Osteopath, Exercise Physiologist and Remedial

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of the ways you can monitor your health and empower yourself. What is it? ~ Simply put, it’s a measurement of how quickly our body can shift between parasympathetic (a relaxed, calm, sleepy, slower digestive state) and sympathetic (an excited, adrenaline based, fearful, faster state) nervous states. If you’re training, stressed, starting to feel a little off, or want a spur to begin better breathing practices, checking out HRV is a great place to start! Most people understand the concept of heart rate and can make a stab at taking their own pulse (the

Wellness Embodied is proud to support the Glenoma parkrun. This Cairns parkrun takes place every Saturday morning from 7am at Glenoma Park, visit the parkrun website for more information. Supporting parkrun is just one of the ways the Wellness Embodied team strive to attain their vision, of making Cairns the healthiest city in Australia. In conjunction with our support of this event, we are working with our local GP’s to improve the physical health of our Cairns community, and work towards more “social prescribing”. What’s that? ~ Social prescribing is a new initiative for health practitioners to use a more

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease characterized by progressive airflow limitation and tissue destruction. It’s most commonly caused by smoking and is seen in people over the age of 40. The disease is linked with ongoing airway limitation and inflammation. It causes problems with breathing, especially breathing air out of the lungs, and problems with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the lungs. Other problems that may be caused by the disease are changes to the breathing mechanics (pattern), breathlessness, reduced heart function, problems with skeletal muscles and lower overall fitness. Usually, the most common

Diabetes is a serious, chronic metabolic condition that results in abnormally high blood sugar. For our bodies to work properly, we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. Insulin is the essential hormone in our bodies that controls this process. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and allows the glucose we get from food, to be absorbed from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. In someone with diabetes, this process can’t occur and instead of being absorbed, the glucose from food stays in the bloodstream, resulting in abnormally high blood glucose levels. There are a few types of