Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Foot Health Practitioner
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The conditions that a Foot Health Professional would treat include corns, calluses, warts and fungal infection. As a FHP I will trim nails and help prevent nail problems developing as well as offer individuals guidance on foot care to ensure their health and comfort.  I also include a Neurovascular foot health check.

I will also treat and diagnose: callus, corns, cracked heels, fungal nails, verrucas, thick & Ingrowing toe nails & athlete’s foot, foot pain and diabetic foot care.

Home Visits Available
Ear Care: Irrigation & Microsuction

EAR IRRIGATION involves using an irrigation machine to squirt lukewarm water into the ear canal. This dislodges the softened plug which then falls out with the water. Washing is stopped if you feel discomfort.

The ear, especially the canal and eardrum, is very sensitive. Earwax buildup can cause damage to these structures over time. This can affect your hearing. Removing excess earwax with ear irrigation is a safe way to minimize the risk of damage to the ear. This method cannot be used if there is a history of any perforation of the ear drum.

EAR MICROSUCTION involves using a microscope and a suction tube. Wax is removed from your ears. The process is generally painless, but it can sometimes be noisy and occasionally a little uncomfortable.

Depending on the amount of wax in your ears, you might find that things sound a little different once the wax has been removed. You may notice a small amount of ringing or buzzing in your ears, but this should settle down after a couple of days or soon after the appointment.

Home visits, care home visits and clinic at Conon Bridge Pharmacy are available
Intravenous Vitamin Therapy

This treatment is a fantastic way to help your body get the nutrients in a fast and controlled way, directly to your bloodstream. Whether it’s for overall health wellness, immunity support, better sleep, energy boost or hangover recovery, IV therapy is a proven solution to get your body what it needs.

Home visits available and clinic by appointment at Willow and Blue

Who is not suitable for IV vitamin therapy?
Clients who are pregnant or breastfeeding and anyone with kidney disease, high blood pressure or a heart condition should avoid the Myers' cocktail or other types of high-dose IV vitamin therapy.

Possible risks of vitamin IV drips include:

Allergic reaction
Risk of infection
Rashes
Bruising
Vein inflammation
Blood clots
Air embolism

IV Vitamins – Glutathione
Glutathione offers a multitude of benefits.  It is a water soluble vitamin considered to be safe, low risk, and a natural produced antioxidant that often we do not produce enough of.

It helps support Weight Loss, Anti-Aging and Body Detoxification by repairing damaged cells and making toxins (such a drugs and pollutants) water-soluble to be flushed away as urine.  Benefits include:

• Body Detoxification
• Improving Skin Conditions
• Supporting Weight Loss and Metabolism
• As an Antioxidant – Reversing oxidative damage
• Muscle Recovery
• Improving Liver Function
• Supporting Immune Functions
• Shifting Metabolism from Fat Production to Muscle Development
• Increasing Collagen levels
• Helping with Brain Fog
• Fighting Inflammation
• Improving Sleep
• Increasing Energy Levels
• Increasing Fertility in Men
• General Health Benefits

Increasing your glutathione through IV may provide health benefits, including reducing the oxidative stress that can contribute to symptoms in many different chronic conditions, including autoimmune disease.

Glutathione is produced by the liver and involved in many body processes, including tissue building and repair, making chemicals and proteins needed in the body, and immune system function. Levels in the body may be reduced due to a number of factors, including poor nutrition, environmental toxins, and stress.

A glutathione infusion elevates your body's supply of this antioxidant, which can lead to a marked difference in how you feel.

Intravenous Biotin
Biotin supports your skin, hair, and eye health, as well as plays a role in other body functions including pregnancy. You can find biotin in food sources like egg yolk, nuts, and mushrooms.  Also known as vitamin H, biotin is one of the B complex vitamins that help the body convert food into energy.

The word “biotin” comes from the ancient Greek word “biotos,” which means “life” or “sustenance.” B vitamins, and specifically biotin, help keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver, and nervous system healthy. Most people get the biotin they need from eating a healthy diet, but there have been many claims that getting more biotin can regulate your blood sugar, promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.

Because it’s water-soluble, extra biotin will simply pass through your body when you urinate. There are no known toxicity symptoms associated with too much biotin.

Mega / Myers Cocktail / Vitamin mix - Intravenous
Coming soon ...

Pabrinex – Intravenous Vitamin
Pabrinex Intravenous provides and helps maintain levels of vitamins B and C to help correct deficiencies. This may be the case in instances such as in after infections, after operations or excess alcohol consumption.

If you are allergic to any of the ingredients or have a history of sensitivity to Vitamins B and / or C then you must not be given Pabrinex.
B12 – Intramuscular vitamin injection
Vitamin B12 deficiency is a treatable condition that happens if you are not consuming enough vitamin B12 in your diet or if your body is not absorbing it properly. Vitam B12 deficiency can cause physical, neurological and psychological symptoms. It can be treated with Vitamin B12 medications.

Vitamin B12 is a water soluble nutrient that helps your body keep your nerve cells and blood cells healthy. Your body does not make vitamin B12 on its own, so you have to consume food and drinks that have vitamin B12 in order to get it. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products you eat and drink such as meat, dairy and eggs. It can also be found in fortified foods (foods that have certain vitamins and nutrients added to them) such as certain cereals, bread and nutritional yeast.
Adults need around 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12 a day, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more.
 
There are two things that need to happen in order for your body to absorb vitamin B12 from the food you eat. First, hydrochloric acid in your stomach removes vitamin B12 from the food it was in. Next, vitamin B12 combines with something called intrinsic factor, a protein made by your stomach. Vitamin B12 is then able to be absorbed by your digestive system.
Some people have a rare condition called pernicious anemia, which means their stomach does not make intrinsic factor. Because of this, their body cannot properly absorb vitamin B12, which causes a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause physical, neurological and psychological symptoms. The symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can develop slowly and can get worse over time. Some people may have no symptoms despite having a low level of vitamin B12 in their bodies. People with vitamin B12 deficiency can have neurological symptoms and/or damage without anemia (lack of red blood cells) Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet.
Cryotherapy

During cryotherapy, the Cryopen device is applied to the skin tag, verrucae or wart and a fine jet of nitrous oxide gas is sprayed onto the tag. The verrucae, skin tag or wart will freeze and turn white. There may be a slight stinging or burning sensation during the procedure, but it is generally painless. Several sessions may be required for removal.

Cryotherapy is often blended in with other treatments.
Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Recovery Treatment / Post Op Care & Lymphatic Drainage

Proper postoperative care plays a pivotal role in ensuring favourable outcomes for patients undergoing various surgeries as well as VASER liposuction. By addressing factors such as stress management, nutrition, wound healing stages, and personalized therapeutic interventions, I can help support patients throughout their recovery journey.  I will help prevent or reduce fibrosis and help support many complications that might occur after surgery.  Advice on compression garments, foam and padding is available.
Lymphatic Drainage
Lymphatic drainage massage is a form of gentle massage that encourages the drainage of lymph nodes and the movement of lymph fluids around the body. It can help relieve symptoms of lymphedema.
The fluid in the lymphatic system helps remove waste and toxins from body tissues. Various health conditions can cause lymph fluid to build up.

Lymphatic drainage massages may benefit people with lymphedema, fibromyalgia and many other conditions.

Lymphatic massage, sometimes called manual lymphatic drainage, is a specialized type of medical massage. It treats lymphedema, in which lymphatic fluid collects in certain areas of the body because it cannot drain away effectively.

Lymphatic massage aims to improve the flow of lymph fluid, which should reduce swelling. 
Kinesio taping for lymphedema can also be carried out.
Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN)

TDN is an effective therapy to treat muscular tension and spasm which commonly accompanies conditions such as arthritis, nerve irritation, muscular strain, ligament strains and herniated discs.  It is called “Dry” Needling because there is no solution injected as with a hypodermic needle during a flu shot.  With Dry Needling, the needle itself and the effects it produces within the tissue is the treatment.

When dry needling is applied to an affected muscle or trigger point, it can decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow and reduce pain. Patients often report immediate relief after treatment. The needles can remain in your muscle for a short period of time — between 10 seconds and 20 minutes — during treatment.
When an injury occurs from repetitive use or acute trauma, inflammation will be produced from the damaged tissues.  The damaged tissues will also go into a protective tension state or contracture to guard against further damage from utilizing the injured tissue.  This contracture and inflammation inhibit microcirculation which limits both the oxygen rich blood reaching the injury and the waste products leaving the injury.  The injury site becomes hypoxic (decreased in oxygen) which stimulates the body to produce fibroblasts, a cell that produces fibrosis or scar tissue.  This fibrosis and scarring builds up around the muscles and tissues limiting the tissues ability to fully function (lengthen/shorten) and can also cause compression and irritation of nerves (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) – all of which inevitably lead to biomechanical disturbances in gait and function.

TDN uses a small, solid filament needle which is inserted in a contracted painful knotted muscle to create a local twitch reflex which is both diagnostic and therapeutic as it is the first step in breaking the pain cycle as research shows will decrease muscle contraction, reduce chemical irritation, improve flexibility and decrease pain.  When a needle is inserted into muscle it will also produce a controlled lesion and will cut between three to fifteen thousand individual muscle fibers.  The body considers the needle as a foreign invader and will activate the immune system as a response.  The cut muscle fibers also produce an inflammatory reaction that your body will respond to not just locally but all over the body to reduce inflammation systemically.

Mechanical effects
Dry Needling may mechanically disrupt a dysfunctional motor end plate.
Needling results in a Local Twitch Response (LTR).

The LTR results in an alteration to muscle fiber length as well as having an inhibitory effect on antagonistic muscles.

Neurophysiological effects
Baldry (2001) suggests that dry needling techniques stimulate A-nerve fibers (group III) for as long as 72 hours post needling.

Prolonged stimulation of the sensory afferent A-fibers may activate the enkephalinergic inhibitory dorsal horn interneurons, which implies that dry needling causes opioid mediated pain suppression.

Another possible mechanism of dry needling is the activation of descending inhibitory systems which would block noxious stimulus into the dorsal horn.

The LTR may also utilize the excessive ACh in the tissue which previously was triggering increased firing of localized fibres.

Chemical effects
Studies by Shah and colleagues (2001) demonstrated increased levels of various chemicals at sensitized motor end plates such as: Bradykinin, Substance P and CGRP (regulator of Calcium and Phosphate balance). These chemicals were reduced immediately post a LTR.

CGRP enhances the release of ACh from nerve terminals, which results in increased ACh receptors at the neuromuscular junction.

Needle penetration will cause micro-trauma and micro bleeding (localized inflammation) and hence the introduction of PDGF into the area to help promote healing.

Is TDN Acupuncture?
No, Trigger Point Dry Needling is based on Western medical research and principles, whereas acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine.  The main similarity is that the same sterile, disposable solid filament needles are used.  Although Dr. Mulhall is a Fellow for the International Association of Medical Acupuncture (FIAMA) and also practices acupuncture, he was trained through two separate organizations (The American Dry Needling Institute and KinetaCore) to provide detailed and specific TDN therapy and each therapy is a separate and distinct in their methodology, perspectives and practices.

What Types of Conditions Can TDN Assist?
Neck/Back Pain
Shoulder Pain
Tennis/Golfers Elbow
Headaches
Hip and Gluteal Pain
Knee Pain
Achilles Tendonitis/Tendonosis
Plantar Fasciitis
Sciatica
Muscular Strains/Ligament Sprains
Chronic Pain
Athletic Performance

Does TDN Hurt?
You may or may not feel the insertion of the needle. The specific needle manipulation is intended to produce a local twitch response that can elicit a very brief (less than a second) painful response some patients describe as a deep ache or cramping sensation.  Again, the therapeutic response occurs with the elicitation of the local twitch response and is a desirable reaction.