Smith Family

Tankerton

"I look forward to continuing lifetime family wellness care with my wife and two boys at the Ideal Spine Centre and a big thank you to Dr. Farthing and his team." Malcolm Smith

 

SUE SMITH (Mum) - 51 years old

I was lucky enough to enjoy a holiday in Portugal this summer with my family. During that holiday I swam every day, walked miles, spent hours lying on a sun-lounger reading and indulging in plenty of retail therapy.
I feel very fortunate indeed because this time last year I would have been physically incapable of doing any of those things due to my health challenges and the pain I was suffering from a chronic back problem.
It is only due to Dr. Farthing and the Ideal Spine Centre that I was able to enjoy such a holiday.

I have suffered from back problems for the past 20 years and from ME for the past 16 years. My lower back pain has worsened gradually and
I have been a frequent visitor at various chiropractors and osteopaths who offered relief but no long term solution. I have had periods of remission from ME but this has always affected my energy levels leaving me exhausted on many occasions and unable to do what other people accept as normal everyday activities. The ME has worsened considerably over the last six years due to a lot of personal stress -
(I now know that stress can cause subluxation and these in turn can affect our immune system).

My back problems really took a turn for the worse about four years ago when after a long drive in the car I woke up to find I had lost the use of my right leg. This was terrifying and I was told by my GP that this was probably due to the ME - rest was prescribed. My leg seemed to improve with rest but driving seemed to aggravate the problem and at one stage I ended up in a wheelchair, convinced that the ME had got the better of me and I was on a downward spiral of ill-health. I was also experiencing pins and needles and numbness down my leg and this progressed down my right arm and into my hand. My future looked very bleak.

However, a couple of years ago a shiatsu practitioner who was treating me suggested that I might have a problem with my back which could be causing the numbness in my leg. This had not occurred to me but a visit to a chiropractor confirmed that I was suffering from something called sciatica, not ME. He suggested an MRI scan which showed that I had deterioration of the cartilage between my lower lumbar and sacral discs which was putting pressure on my sciatic nerve. I embarked on a year of chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy, water-based exercise, pilates and many different types of pain relief. These all helped but I was told the damage to my back was irreversible and that I faced increasing disability and pain. I had to learn to manage my condition. No-one could tell me why this had happened and with two young children to look after, things did not look good. My general health had also deteriorated over the years - I was suffering from almost daily migraines, depression, recurring infections, constant exhaustion and my head and brain felt as if they were encased in a plastic bag. Driving had become almost impossible and I could just about walk to the end of the road before my leg would give way and my back pain would become unbearable.

It was then that I saw an advertisement for the Ideal Spine Centre, offering a free spinal check-up and x-rays if necessary. A friend of mine had been attending the Ideal Spine Centre with a similar problem to mine and had seen an impressive improvement in her overall health. I felt very sceptical having tried so many things before, but felt I had nothing to lose, so booked in. I found the Ideal Spine Centre quite a shock as compared with everywhere else I had been - It seemed very modern, clean, professional, efficient and friendly. Everyone smiled and remembered my name! After Dr. Farthing assessed my problem, I was told that I was putting over 20 lbs more weight on one leg than the other with obvious postural distortions indicative of vertebral subluxation, which was why my back problem seemed to be one-sided - I wondered why no-one else had discovered this before! I also learned that I have five areas of subluxation in my spine and I had lost the healthy C-curve in my neck (the cause of my migraines) - Subluxation (spinal misalignment) was causing pressure on my central nervous system. In just one visit I had learned why I had sciatica, migraines, constant exhaustion and even why the ME had got worse because my immune system was being constantly compromised by interference to my nervous system. Eureka!

Dr. Farthing explained that with an intensive programme of adjustments and exercise, subluxation could gradually be corrected so that the pressure would be taken off my nervous system, enabling my body to heal itself. He was offering a solution to my problem rather than just relief - this seemed too good to be true. I must admit I was sceptical at first but after eight months of adjustments and exercises I am now able to do things I could never have considered last year. I can weed the garden again, go for long walks, swim regularly and drive the car for short distances. I can push the trolley round the supermarket instead of relying on other and have had very few migraines. I also have much more energy. This has all taken a lot of effort, perseverance and discipline (my own as well as Dr. Farthing's!) but it has been well worth it. I know that I have a long way to go yet but I am sure the improvements in my health will continue.

I would like to thank Dr. Farthing and all the staff at the Ideal Spine Centre who are amazing - always cheerful, helpful, patient and positive. In my work as a Reflexologist I would not hesitate to recommend the Ideal Spine Centre to my clients.

'Lifetime Family Wellness'

MALCOLM SMITH (Dad) - 52 years old

Dr. Farthing works miracles! My health and that of my family has dramatically improved since we all joined his spinal healthcare wellness programme at the start of this year.

After 52 years of poor posture my 6 foot 4 inch frame was bent and my spine misaligned. No wonder I was always suffering from recurring low back problems, sometimes so acute I would be stuck laying on the floor and need a home visit from a chiropractor for relief treatment just to get me moving. I was never offered a solution, just told to stop playing golf and not lift anything heavy.

What a difference 9 months, under the care of Dr Farthing, has made. My posture has changed dramatically and I feel I have grown 3 inches. All the wall mirrors at home are now far too low and I have to duck under the shop awnings when walking down the high street. I have even started to play golf again.

Through my regular adjustments by Dr. Farthing, my exercises at home and doing my best to follow his 'Rocket Fuel Nutrition' eating lifestyle, my general health levels have also improved.

I look forward to continuing lifetime family wellness care at the Ideal Spine Centre and a big thank you to Dr. Farthing and his team.

 

TOBY SMITH - 14 years old

Before I came to the Ideal Spine Centre I didn't think I had any problems with my spine or my overall health, but when I saw my x-rays I was surprised to see that my hips were a crooked and my neck didn't have the healthy C-curve in it because of all the time I have spent on the computer and 'Play Station'. Dr. Farthing told me all about subluxation and how these can affect your nervous system and your immune system. He also told me about how important it was to take care of my spine and my posture and that he would help me to get the C-curve back in my neck again.

Since coming to the Ideal Spine Centre and getting adjusted, my immune system is working better as I get fewer colds and when I do get one, it clears up very quickly whereas I used to have a cough for weeks. I also haven't had hay fever at all this year. I try to sit up straighter and remember my posture all the time and don't sit for too long at the computer. I hope that if I carry on seeing Dr. Farthing I won't get the back and health problems my parents have both had when I am older.

 

'An Optimal Spine equals Optimal Health'

 

HARRY SMITH - 12 years old

I used to get lots of headaches and often felt dizzy. Since getting adjusted at the Ideal Spine Centre I don't get headaches very often and haven't felt dizzy at all. Dr. Farthing found that my spine was a bit crooked and I had one bit of my spine where there was a problem. I had also lost the healthy C-curve ("Arc of Life") in my neck because of the time I have spent slouching in front of the computer and playing on my 'Game Boy'. Dr. Farthing said he could put this right with adjustments and exercises but I have to think about my posture and sit up straight.

I like coming to the Ideal Spine Centre because everyone is friendly and smiling. There is always something different on the walls to read and I like the music.

 

'Posture is the Window to your Spine

and your Health'