My mother was riddled for years with cancerous and benign tumours in every organ of her body. The first tumour started to grow in her spine and eventually virtually suffocated her by growing in her throat chakra and thyroid area in her neck. I always remember as a child she wore the colour blue as she tried to find her voice, which had been muffled from childhood. She had to tip her head back to even breathe. I was so frustrated and always trying to save her. As I learnt the hard way, you cannot save another person, you have to lead by example and save yourself first and hope others will follow. A butterfly flapping its wings in Japan has a vibrational effect across the other side of the world. Learning to say ‘NO’ to choices that take us further into ill health is truly the way forwards.
As Mums years progressed, her health complications got worse and multiplied. I have learnt so much from family constellations and lifestyle habits that this has been my biggest blessing and gift in life. We actually cause most of our illness at a subconscious level as well as the environment in which we live and process life each day. Of course this is not on purpose. It’s our poor decisions, habits and choices that lead us further down the rabbit hole. We remain disempowered in life, so that we are waiting for someone else to save us in every way. We then gravitate towards people who are on the same level of consciousness and health. Why is this? Because it’s easy, and we are not challenged.
I started out years ago as a Pilates and yoga teacher but then moved into holistic training. This was because I was puzzled in the amount of people turning up at the studio needing more than just movement. The body works as one, we cannot separate the mind and body. Our belief system and ego is so strong that it can take us to a painful early grave because we are so reluctant to change. Most of us say we want to change and get out of pain, when in fact I have worked with clients who actually feel more benefit by staying in pain, in that it is an easy get out of jail card for work and family.
Our mental, emotional, spiritual and physiological state are always linked with back pain and neurological disorders. Having a job we hate, being in a relationship of any sort including family, partners, boss at work or colleagues that we don’t like, again, can show up as physical symptoms. The soul always knows and any disconnection to the self has an outcome in symptoms, my experience is usually dis-ease, dis-connection or de-pression.
I never treat the symptom, I coach and work with the person who has the symptoms. I always get results for those clients with chronic pain and back trouble if they are truly ready for results. Be warned and beware many of us will throw money at something and say that we want change, but deep down inside, its a no. Those who stay the same are somehow addicted and attached to the emotion that comes from the pain, plus the attention they get from friends and family.
Working with lifestyle factors such as hydration are key for back pain. The reason being a dehydrated body is a dehydrated spine. When the spine reduces in size, it contracts the surrounding tissues and fascia. For example S1/L5 can shrink and tighten with a result of lower back pain. If the whole spine has not been assessed and only the symptom is being addressed you are missing the root cause. For example the cervical neck is connected to L5/S1. A state of tightness and contraction develops into what’s called: ‘CREEP’.
If you sit at a desk all day whether that be at work or working from the home office you need to get up off your chair every 20 minutes and do some sort of gentle stretch or mobilization. Standing desks are great but not so good for those with breathing pattern disorders and varicose veins. Your day should always start with some sort of gentle movement such as stretching and gentle twisting. This takes the synovial fluid into the spinal segments and acts like WD40. Dehydrated discs rub, like the blade of an ice skate scouring across the ice. Also having a pillow behind the lumbar spine can help, the size will depend as to whether you have a large lordosis or a flat back.
If you come to me for a CHEK assessment it takes a minimum of four hours. I will assess what you need to mobilize and stretch rather than just random stretches. For example if your hamstrings are long and weak, they will not need more stretching. If you are quad dominant, you will need to reduce exercises such as squats and get more balance in your primal patterning. Hydration and movement will dramatically change your body composition. A great way to test your hydration is to pull the skin on the back of your hand, if it pings back its hydrated. When we wake up in the morning, a pint of good quality filtered water is always the bets way to start the day, with some natural electrolytes such as Himalayan sea salt. If you are dehydrated especially from alcohol, the body takes the the toxic fluid from your bowels and puts it back into the body. A distinct smell and aroma can then be smelt through your skin from your toxic sweat. The main organs of detoxification are always the liver and kidneys. In Chinese medicine the liver governs the eyes and tendons and the kidneys governs the bones.
My top tips to assist your back pain, constipation and prevent neurological conditions are:
- Do fascial, mobility and stretching work
- Use a massage gun on areas of tightness
- Drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water each day. Paul Chek says the average adult should drink about half their body weight in ounces of water each day — for example, a 200 lb person should aim for roughly 100 oz (about 3 litres) daily, plus extra if sweating more. If you weigh 180 lb, drink 90 oz (≈ 2.7 L) per day.
- Do a good targeted strength and conditioning program that includes corrective exercise and functional movement
- Balance your working out with working in activities such as pilates, yoga, tai chi, chi kung, breathwork and or meditation
Remember 75% of the population has back pain. Lost muscle and tonicity in areas of the body is sarcopenia. The majority of clients that visit me have some sort of leaky gut syndrome, hence their chronic pain.
Constipation is one of the most common early non‑motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and emerging research suggests it may be linked to the disease’s origin in the gut via the gut–brain axis. Constipation is both a symptom and a possible early indicator of Parkinson’s disease, rooted in the gut–brain axis and gut microbiome changes. Addressing gut health through diet, hydration, exercise, and targeted supplements may be worth exploring, but early diagnosis and medical management remain essential.
How the gut and brain are connected
The gut–brain axis is a two‑way communication system between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system, mediated by the vagus nerve, immune signals, and the gut microbiome. The microbiome — the community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the gut — influences brain function, inflammation, and even drug metabolism.
Constipation in Parkinson’s
Constipation affects up to 70% of people with PD and often appears years or decades before motor symptoms like tremor or rigidity. This is consistent with the “first‑gut” hypothesis, which proposes that misfolded alpha‑synuclein proteins may first aggregate in the enteric nervous system (the gut’s nerve network) before spreading to the brain.
A pub med 2025 research paper stated; ‘ Non-motor manifestations such as lower gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances are increasingly recognized as early indicators and contributors to disease progression. This review examines the gut-brain axis and the role of lower GI issues, particularly constipation and gut dysbiosis, in the pathogenesis and management of parkinsons’. PMCID: PMC12825857
These are the neurological conditions most commonly associated with bowel dysfunction, nerve-related pain, or changes in mobility:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Lewy body dementia
- Vascular dementia
- Multiple sclerosis
- Motor neurone disease (ALS/MND)
- Peripheral neuropathy
So if we know the answer, why do we continue to sell ultra processed products, food injected with antibiotics, foods sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and rodenticides when we know this causes so many problems. Would we make money from an independent healthy society? Pharmaceuticals save lives every day, there is no doubt about it, but many become reliant on long term drugs which cause more problems long term.
‘All disease starts in the gut’ – Hippocrates
Bibliography
Louise Hay books
Paul Chek media
Warren Williams media
Paul Leedeteese media
Bryant media