Hello! A couple of weeks back, I was invited by Natural Healings to try out their services! I'm sure if you've been following me for awhile, you would know that I'm always on the look out for enterprises that cater to re- aligning the body and helping to get rid of all the aches and effects of the abuse I've inflicted on myself (massive long runs last time, rigorous HIIT sessions and binge eating :( ) in the past. I'm now totally into moderate varied eating, moderate exercise and lots of long, slow, stretching sessions and restorative walks (best enjoyed in the company of family and friends!)
I actually do go to a physio clinic for runner's knee but I'm not going to say where because I actually think they are not very good at all. I healed more researching on google and doing squats on my own to strengthen the quads rather than anything the physiotherapist advised me to do (or didn't advise because let's just say the physiotherapist I was under was rather... negligent :( )
Anyhoo! Natural Healings is a really interesting concept because they fuse both Chiropractic services and Physiotherapy services in one super convenient location! I think this is way more holistic than just going for one because your bones and muscles work together so it makes sense right, to have them assessed together?
If you didn't know, Chiropractors are trained in the alignment of the spine. And I've only recently learned that having your spine out of alignment negatively impacts your health SO MUCH. For one, if you work in an office and you are always sitting down and leaning forward, your head may be tilting forward so much that the weight of your head is poorly supported, resulting in unnecessary strain, aches and pain. Read more here to find out how you can tell if your spine is out of alignment and causing a multitude of problems such as body pains, headaches and even constipation!
As for physiotherapists, they focus more on treating muscle injuries or even rehabilitation for stroke recovery and post operation rehabilitation. They use a variety of treatment options just as ultrasound, electrotherapy, heat therapy and massage techniques. If you don't know which one to go for, my opinion is that if you have a muscle problem or impaired joint mobility, go for physiotherapy but for general upkeep of health and wellness and to rid yourself of that constant dull sense of unidentified ache and fatigue, go see a chiropractic!
If you still don't know which is best for you, you should go to Natural Healings because they have both under one roof! Haha!
So I turned up for my appointment and was made to fill in a form. They will ask you all sort of things about yourself and to circle a diagram where you feel tightness, aches or pains. I circled my shoulders, neck, lower back, hamstrings, left ankle- practically the whole body man!
I was made to stand next to this grid to check my alignment. They will take pics of you from different angles, with your head at a neutral position, looking up and looking down.
First up, a consultation with the Physiotherapist. I'm listening to her explain all about how everything is linked. Next, I was brought to a room where I was given a gown to change into and the physiotherapist proceeded to check muscle tension in my back (and everywhere else that I complained about hehheh. )
Then my favorite part- deep tissue massage. I love massages! And this was exactly at all the right places. Looking at the picture of her thumbs on my lower back and all I can think of is- mhmmm I need a massage now.
She made me do this really embarrassing exercise after that. I mean, it was embarrassing to me because I couldn't do it AT ALL. So basically, what I was supposed to do was just to lift up my arm, and she pressed gently down and I was supposed to resist it/ push it up. And I just couldn't do it AT ALL. :( I was really horrified because when I got home, I tested it on my brothers and they all could do it easily! Apparently my back muscles are really weak so in order to compensate, my shoulders strain forward causing all my pain and aches, making me hunch and further weakening the unused muscles. OH MY TIAN. This is why I spend hundreds of dollars at Wanyang when I should be lifting some weights instead. Hurhur.
Next up was Ultrasound and Electrotherapy:
When your body undergoes strain, aches are a symptom but what's really happening is that there is soft tissue damage which leads to inflammation and swelling causing the pain. In order to relax and repair the tissue, ultrasound is used increase the blood flow and break down the hardened tissue. This helps reduce the pain and supports the healing process. I did this for my sprained ankle at my previous physiotherapy clinic as well and I like it! Although I was really suspicious of it at first because there's... no feeling when it's being administered.
The ultrasound massage is complemented with Electrotherapy. Electrotherapy reduces pain by increasing the blood flow to reduce swelling and promote the healing process. It is most often used to treat inflammation and swelling after injury or operations, back and neck pain and muscle injury. For me though, I was given Electrotherapy to help my muscles contract, I think, in a bid to 'activate' them because they are so weak and under- utilised. Electrotherapy can also be used for post op rehabilitative purposes to aid muscle contraction to prevent the muscles from atrophying (shrinking).
A 45 min physiotherapy session comprises of the massage, the ultrasound and the electrotherapy depending on your condition and what you need. After that, I was brought for a consultation with the Chiropractor!
Here she is explaining that the spine is Very Important and needs to be taken care of.
I don't know why but almost every chiropractic place I've been to, the chiropractor always aligns the spine in the open. Is there a reason for this or just simply logistics? Anyway it was quite fun watching other people and hearing all the very satisfying spinal cracks (which I learnt were just air bubbles :( I thought they were cool sounds emitted when my bones snap back into place!) Also very comforting is how everyone looks instantly brighter, lighter and happier once it's over. Maybe it's relief that they didn't snap into half but I like to think it's because their spine is all so well aligned now and they feel fabulous.
Yay! My turn!
I lie down on the chiropractic bench and she assesses me and says my hips are out of alignment. It's not noticeable to the naked eye and I'm surprised she can tell because while I know because I can feel it when I walk, I didn't think it was that much of a big deal. Why didn't I think it was big deal? Because my hips didn't hurt! But I learnt from the consultation that when my hips are misaligned, all my muscles work like mad to over compensate, pulling and straining and causing unnecessary aches and pains! So just because that particular part of you doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's not affecting everything else! In the last picture, I'm hugging the block and the chiropractor literally jumps on me.
Some cracks and bends later, I stagger off the bench and I indeed feel lighter! Which is true right, doesn't everybody feel that way after a visit to the massage parlour or the chiropractor? Having the chiropractor adjust my spine AFTER massage therapy on my muscles was just simply the icing on the cake. I walked out feeling like I'd been taken care of 'holistically'.
If you are keen on merchandise for your spinal health, Natural Living also carries several note-worthy products!
I think the pillow would make an excellent and practical gift for grandparents or parents!
In conclusion, I recommend Natural Living not just because I think their therapists are good (because let's face it, I'm sure there are many good ones in Singapore), but because this is a place that really strives to treat you as holistically as possible. At my previous (well, not previous- technically my package hasn't been used up but I can't bring myself to go back there) physioclinic, I was just an ankle sprain to them and they treated only that one spot. But over here at Natural Living, they take pains (hur) to really understand you and your condition and most importantly, they have the facilities and people to cater to your needs.
So if you know anyone who needs to rid themselves of aches and pains to live life a little more enjoyably, give Natural Living a call to try them out and see if they are suitable for you. Don't suffer in unnecessary, debilitating pain anymore. As for me, I'm definitely going to put in more effort in stretching and strengthening myself as gently as possible and treating myself right!
Till next time,
xxNatural Living
Connect with them on FB: https://www.facebook.com/sg.naturalhealings
Or visit them at:
Chinatown133 New Bridge Road, #B1-38,
Chinatown Point, Singapore 059413
Hotline:+65 6225 2202Hotline: +65 6344 1192
Parkway Parade
Parkway Parade, 80 Marine Parade Road,
#10-08, Singapore 449269
Raffles Place
11 Collyer Quay #11-05, The Arcade, Singapore 049317
Hotline: +65 6225 2202
Jurong East
Jurong East CPF Building 21
Jurong Gateway Road #04-06
Singapore 608546
Hotline: +65 6425 6618
