Dr Geoff Alley D.C

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her – her husband had cheated on her and she was devastated. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’ ‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied. Her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to...

At the beginning of this year,I suffered terrible inflammatory arthritis. I was in debilitating pain and popping anti-inflammatory meds by the packet. At the National 7s Championships I hobbled around like a real crock. I just thought that all my rugby injuries were finally catching up with me. My ankles and knees were shot. Blueberries  are one of nature’s perfect anti-inflammatory foods. #Inflammation.It’s implicated in a range of health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. You may not even know you’re living with it. What is it? It’s inflammation, and in its chronic form, it can wreak havoc on the body. What Is Inflammation? Inflammation has been defined as “A localised reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a result of infection, irritation, or injury. Inflammation can be external or internal.” According to nutritionist and dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, temporary inflammation is...

#MediaRelease Chiropractors are poised to play a vital part in the country’s primary health care system, according to the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA). In its submission to the Government’s New Zealand Health Strategy Update, the NZCA says that chiropractors are well placed to deliver high quality, evidence-based, natural and non-surgical care to manage neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. Dr Hayden Thomas, chiropractor and spokesperson for the NZCA explains: `A key premise of chiropractic care is to promote health and wellbeing. As such the chiropractic profession is ideally placed to support New Zealanders to “live well, get well and stay well” also a key objective of the New Zealand Government’s Health Strategy Update. `Neuromusculoskeletal (NMSK) disorders (problems with nerves, muscles and skeletal structure of the body, primarily of the spine) place a heavy burden on the New Zealand health service and have become increasingly costly. This cost goes well beyond th...

Apple(Pear) and Blueberry crumble. I got a sweet tooth after dinner tonight so I set about making this for the family. I substituted a few ingredients as we didn't have everything,and then topped it off with some whipped Coconut cream. Ingredients- 3 large Granny Smith apples ( I used Pears) 1 1/2 cups of Blueberries (frozen organic) Zest and juice of one lime ( I used lemon) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. Topping- 50 grams coconut oil 3/4 cup Almond meal 1/2 cup raw almonds Zest of one lime(lemon) 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts. Method- Preheat over to 180 deg Celsius on fan bake Cut the apples(pears) in to generous chunks and combine with the blueberries,lime zest and juice and vanilla essence. Spoon in to an over proof dish. For the topping,rub the almond meal and coconut oil together to make a crumble-like consistency. (I used a fork and just mashed it like a banana ). Roughly chop the almonds and macadamia nuts and add in with the rest of th...

I had one of those mornings this morning. Feeling flat,tired and generally out of sorts. I put it down to my 'cheat' day yesterday. Being a Sunday I ate what I wanted and had a day off exercise. I paid for it. While the cheat days are a vital part of tricking your body and changing up your metabolism,it can certainly affect your moods in more ways than you can imagine. So when it came time to hit the gym today,a part of me wanted to opt out,and I tried all sorts of excuses to just go and put my feet up! But as I say to my patients who are seeking health and exercise advice.."The hardest part about exercising is actually getting your shoes on and getting out the door!!" But it does go to show just how easy it is to "get off the wagon" and lose sight of our Health and Wellness goals...and the longer we stay off track and off focus,the harder it is to claw it back. It wasn’t that long ago that many of us resolved to make changes in our lives. What happened? C...

‪ Yesterday I had some Acupuncture on my elbow that I injured several weeks ago in the gym. I hadn't been able to fully rest it as I use my hands and arms all day in clinic,plus I'm not the best patient myself..so continued going to the gym as well! Enough was enough though when I struggled to adjust my patients correctly and the pain became too much. I'm thankful that I have James in the room across from me,so he put me on his table and inserted 4 needles in to the acupressure points then used electro-stimulation of the needles. Today it feels about 90% better already,I'm a very happy chappy :) Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese healing which balances the body,mind and spirit.Very fine sterile needles are inserted into the body at carefully selected points to stimulate the body's own healing processes. These points lie on pairs of channels that cover the body and through which "qi" (pronounced "chee") flows. Traditional Ch...

Ask a daily runner why she runs and you’re likely to hear, “It makes me feel good.” Those of us who aren’t fond of exercise of any type might find this really hard to understand. How can something that makes you sweat and pant actually make you feel good? Can Exercise Affect Your Mood? Simple answer – absolutely. Let’s go back to our running example – some might say they run when they feel stressed out. Others might say they run after an argument with a spouse. Why do they say this? Because they feel different after a run. They may feel stronger, calmer or happier; many runners report that they experience a “runner’s high” that helps them to push past physical pain and limitations. It’s a known fact that exercise releases certain chemicals in the brain, including endorphins and dopamine, which affect mood. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain killers – in fact endorphins are more powerful than morphine. They help an athlete to stay in the game and push past their pain after an inju...