You spend about 33% of your life sleeping. Are you sleeping with a good pillow? Using a cervical support neck pillow is important because it helps to align your head and neck for sleeping. This means better sleep, waking up pain free and having good posture while sleeping.

If you have neck pain (acute or chronic), have suffered from
a whiplash-type injury, wake up with a stiff neck or have poor neck posture, then ideally you should get a good cervical support neck pillow. A flat pillow is not going to cut it. Some pillows such as temperpedic neck pillows can end up costing a lot of money. Other orthopedic neck pillows made out of fiberfill, even buckwheat hulls can be a lot more cost effective and very comfortable for sleeping.

Below Source: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2010, 8:48 by Petri SaloArja HakkinenHannu Kautiainen Jari Ylinen

While neck strength training has been shown to be effective in improving neck muscle strength and reducing neck pain, “health-related quality of life” or “HRQoL” among patients with neck pain has been reported as an outcome in only two short-term exercise intervention studies.

Thus, reports on the influence of a long-term neck strength training intervention on HRQoL among patients with chronic neck pain have been not been completed. This study reports the effect of one-year neck strength training on HRQoL in females with chronic neck pain.

In this study, 180 female office workers, ages 25 to 53 with chronic neck pain were put into two groups:
• Group 1: a strength training group (STG) - this group performed high-intensity isometric neck strengthening exercises with an elastic band
• Group 2: endurance training group (ETG)- performed lighter dynamic neck muscle training
• Group 3: control group (CG)- received a single session of guidance on stretching exercises

Health-related quality of life was assessed using the generic 15D questionnaire at baseline and after 12 months.

The study found that training led to statistically significant improvement in the 15D total scores for both training groups (groups 1 and 2), whereas no changes occurred for the control . The STG improved significantly in five of 15 dimensions, while the ETG improved significantly in two dimensions.

Conclusions: One year of either strength or endurance training seemed to moderately enhance the Health related quality of life. Neck and upper body training can be recommended to improve health related quality of life of females with neck pain if they are motivated for long-term regular exercise.

Thanks to a friend who was a student Chiropractor and is now a practicing Chiropractor near Edinburgh, I have developed an increasing interest in Chiropractic. I am a patient at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic, University of Glamorgan, am a member of the Patient Involvement Group at the School and also am a volunteer lecturer at the School! The definition, which I have lifted from the General Chiropractic Council website states, "Chiropractic is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal manipulation or adjustment (World Federation of Chiropractic, 1999)." Personally, I benefit tremendously
both from the soft tissue treatments and the manual manipulations. I am impressed by the holistic view that these highly trained clinicians have and the anatomical and physiological knowledge and expertise that they develop through their training. I frequently have clients attending for reflexology and indian head massage who appear to have skeletal misalignments or are suffering from spinal problems. I always recommend that they attend WIOC due to their thorough consultation and subsequent treatment. There is undoubtedly much still to be done to see Chiropractic accepted within the NHS, but I for one will certainly support the profession to gain wider integration and also support the NHS to undoubtedly save significant monies through a broadening perspective and adoption of the holistic or 'wholistic' Chiropractic approach.

Over the years that I have been practicing reflexology I have been delighted at the positive impact reflexology has had on clients suffering with 'backache'. The ailments have ranged from a twinge in the mid-back, to neck pain, an aching lumber region, sciatica and more. One particular client had been taking strong painkillers for some months to a maximum of 6 in a day. He had two reflexology session, two weeks apart. During the two weeks between his first and second treatment he took two painkillers in total! The relief was visible both in his posture, facial expression and even tone of voice. I have also had clients suffering sciatic pain who have responded well to reflexology. Between two and four treatments and the pain and discomfort has been significantly reduced and even disappeared in some cases. Other clients who suffer back pain and have come for reflexology have reported improved sleep, ability to walk for longer, less general stiffness and improved bowel and bladder function. I am continually impressed by reflexology's ability to improve people's back pain, often after only a few treatments