Andy and June Millward

 

 

"I was taking very strong painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for more years than I care to remember. I was literally in debilitating pain, spending nights crying and I was only 30 years old. All the plans for my future seemed to come to an end."

 

ANDY MILLWARD

In my lifetime I have had quite a few car and motorbike accidents. In 1996 I had my worst accident avoiding a car that pulled out in front me. I ended up tumbling off my bike in a field with the motorbike on top of me. As a result of the injuries to my back and neck, I was out of work for 4 years. As a consequence of this and the other accidents, I was left with severe pain, restricted movement and poor circulation to my neck and back. I also had numbness and loss of feeling to my right arm and fingers, and sciatica. I was taking very strong painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for more years than I care to remember. I was literally in debilitating pain, spending nights crying and I was only 30 years old. All the plans for my future seemed to come to an end.

I spent many years seeing one health professional after another, including consultants, physiotherapists, osteopaths, Reiki healers and chiropractors, to name but a few. In November 2005 my wife spotted an advert for a 'Free Spine and Health Check' at the Ideal Spine Centre and persuaded me to go for a consultation. Following my examination and x-rays Dr. Farthing found I had 7 areas of subluxation at stage 2 degeneration and a severe negative "C" curve in my neck. Whilst I saw Dr. Farthing, I explained that I had already had an appointment booked to see a consultant and a have an MRI scan done. He encouraged me to go to the appointment to find out what the consultant suggested in the way of treatment. He said it would allow me to be informed about the other options available to me. So I did.

Following the MRI scan, the consultant pointed out the same areas of subluxation, and also that the discs in my neck were protruding onto my spinal cord. He went on to explain that the only way this could be rectified was by surgery, to cut down the front of my neck, move my other body parts to the side and replace 2-3 discs in my neck with artificial carbon fibre ones and creating a cage around my spine . They actually wanted me to be a guinea pig for new technology, of which there were no guarantees. This would be followed by an operation on my middle and lower back. I had reached a cross roads in my life where I had to make a decision that was going to have a dramatic effect on my future.

I decided to enrol myself into the corrective care programme at the Ideal Spine Centre. Following 90 days of adjustments, exercises and soft tissue treatment I had a follow up assessment and x-ray on my neck. This revealed that I had started to dramatically regain the "C" curve to my neck. I have also regained a significant amount of sensation in my right arm and now had reduced pain and more flexibility in my neck and back. It doesn't stop there as I have also managed to stop taking the painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, so I am now drug free! To add to that, I have just recently completed a 1,200 mile motorbike ride across to the "TT" on the Isle of Man and even survived sleeping on the camp bed!

I know, for me, this is still early days in a lengthy process of repair and healing, but it just goes to show what can be achieved in a relatively short period of time given the right advice and care. I cannot praise Dr. Christian Farthing and his staff enough for their professionalism, care and friendliness. I now look forward to what the future holds for me, in the knowledge that, when faced with the decision at the cross roads, I took the right path. That advert and spinal screening has changed my life . Thank you.

JUNE MILLWARD

For some years I had been suffering from a mystery problem with my right wrist. As a right handed person this could give me some problems - placing weight on it could, at times, be unbearable and occasionally a 'flare up' would prevent me doing something as simple as lifting a kettle. I had visited my G.P. and at first he told me it was old age - I was 32! When I dismissed his comments with a suitable retort, he referred me to the Rheumatology Clinic at the hospital for further investigation. An x-ray, MRI scan and bone scan on the wrist all proved OK and the consultant discharged me with the comment, "We can't find anything wrong. There's nothing we can do, you'll have to live with it!" Over the years I have tried the usual practitioners, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths and Chiropractors, all with no long term results.

Towards the end of 2005 my husband had a severe flare up with his back, which he had been suffering from for the past 10 years. He organised an MRI scan through the usual channels, but I had seen an advert in the Focus magazine for a 'Free Spine and Health Check' at the Ideal Spine Centre and suggested he try it. His situation was very bad and so he booked an in-depth consultation and examination including x-rays. Dr. Christian stated that he could help and his adjustments started immediately. I was amazed and impressed by how swiftly results occurred and, with some encouragement, decided to have a spine and subluxation check-up myself.

The x-rays showed I had subluxations, including between my shoulder blades, exactly at the point which would affect the right shoulder/arm/wrist. I'd always had a suspicion that the pain in my wrist was referred pain, and Dr. Christian's explanations and detailed diagrams showed that I was probably right . I had other areas of subluxation in my spine, and examining the areas they affected, I realised I had problems in those areas, albeit minor, and that I just lived with them because there was no major impact on my life.

I was initially hesitant as the Ideal Spine Centre presents health care in a different way to the norm for this country and it took me a short while to become at ease with it. But gradually I began to realise that the centre promotes ongoing wellness care to keep us healthy and well for life.it doesn't just treat our illness when pain or sickness occurs. The spinal corrective care is combined with ongoing information and workshops to allow our knowledge to improve and teach us how to look after the whole body through good nutrition, exercise, positive thought and a healthy nervous system.

The wrist pain has been significantly reduced, and my shoulder pain is also much better. But what has amazed me the most is that the adjustments have led to a remarkable reduction in my depression, something I had suffered with for many years without any obvious cause. I had no explanations of this happening, and as a consequence the Ideal Spine Centre has improved the quality of my life much more than I expected. From hoping that I could do a simple press up (each to their own!), I now have a whole new outlook on life and I have a much more positive future to look forward to.

I'd recommend the Ideal Spine Centre to anyone who seeks to improve their health for the whole of their life. Dr. Farthing and his staff are professional and friendly and I can't praise their care enough. Wellness care is an investment in our own healthy future and something everyone should invest in.