Better known as "Dr. Christian", he is not a medical doctor, but is a Spinal Health Specialist and consults for the BodyWell Group, located in the heart of Blean, near Canterbury in Kent.  Mr. Christian has more than 20 years experience in Chiropractic and brings a true international component for wellness and healthcare at the BodyWell Group in Canterbury.  He elected not to study medicine and become a medical doctor because he felt that it does not get to the root cause of problems.  No longer does he consult as a Chiropractor in the UK but draws on his extensive clinical expertise and experience to provide patients and professional sportspeople with a solution, rather than a temporary fix.

Below are some of Dr Christian Reviews...

"My dad was really finding it difficult to walk just 100 yards. Poor sleep and his mobility was deteriorating fast. Muscle weakness and pain dominated his life. So I took him to Dr. Christian and Dr. Tracy at The BodyWell Group. They were so kind and caring, spending time to listen and fully understand my dad's condition. They ordered x-rays and did nerve scans, then got the results back in a couple fo days. They started treatment immediately and after 4 weeks of chiropractic adjustments and corrective exercises, my dad can walk 2 miles without pain. He isn't perfect, but the improvement has been incredible. We know he has a long way to go, but we are forever grateful for the expertize we have received from BodyWell."



"Our family's ONS STOP CENTRE for health.

Our entire family of 6 go to BodyWell. Their user-friendly family plans make it affordable for all of us to enjoy the many benefits and all the services provided at BodyWell."


Since graduating from university studying Chiropractic at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and receiving the most prestigious Graduate of the Year Award and Clinical Sciences Awards, Dr Christian Farthing has extensive post graduation education in Electro-Diagnostics, Paediatrics, Nutrition, Digital Radiography, Clinical Neurology, Mindfit and Total Body Conditioning. Dr Christian Farthing provides premier service of principled wellness chiropractic and spinal health care he set out to achieve from the very beginning.

To get fast, safe and effective relief, follow these simple instructions:

Dr. Christian’s Wellness Wisdom

Whether you have a new injury or an old one, here are some really useful tips on helping your recovery. Remember it is always best to seek the advice from a qualified health care professional who specializes in identifying the cause of your pain, rather than treating the pain.

NEW INJURY

1. Get a good quality ice pack.  If you don’t have one, use real ice in a plastic sealable bag.  A proper ice pack is easier, more effective and less messy!  Icepacks available here.

2. Wrap the ice pack in a tea towel or two layers of paper towel to protect bare skin.  (Do NOT apply ice directly to bare skin as it can result in ice burn, which is very painful)

3. Apply the ice pack to the painful or inflamed area for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, remove it and place in the freezer to become frozen again for approximately 30 minutes.  Remove from freezer and apply again to the affected area for a further 15 minutes.

Here’s what you can expect:

When the area is numb it means that you’re controlling the swelling and slowing down the production of pain chemicals, promoting faster healing and fewer adhesions and scar tissue.  Your body will possibly experience the following upon using an ice pack:

 First stage: Cold, lasting about one to two minutes.
 Second stage: Warmer, lasting about five minutes.
 Third stage: Pain, lasting just a few seconds.
 Final stage: Numb, the most important stage.

Keep the ice on for about five minutes after the numb stage is reached - then promptly remove!  This usually happens right around eight to 10 minutes.  The entire icing session should not exceed 15 minutes - EVER!  Otherwise, you can bruise the tissues and it will hurt more the next day.

If the gel ice pack (or frozen peas) is of inferior quality, the tissues will never get to the numb stage and not getting the true benefit of icing.  That is why we recommend the use of a quality ice pack.

After the area goes numb, the ice should only be on for another 5 minutes, then it should be removed and the tissues allowed to rest and come back up to body temperature for at least 30-45 minutes

OLD INJURY

To increase blood circulation and improve flexibility from long-standing problems, use moist heat.  A hot water bottle wrapped with a moistened towel can work nicely.  Wet the towel then wring the water out of it, wrap it around a water bottle and place it on the area of concern.

To ensure that the heat doesn’t aggravate your condition, apply it in increments of 10-20 minutes, followed by equal periods where the heat is removed and monitor the results.  Applying ice afterward for just 5-10 minutes can also be very effective to prevent any reactive inflammation.

Avoid the dry heat of a heating pad or applying any heat directly to the spine.  Increased blood circulation in the vicinity of delicate spinal nerve roots can sometimes worsen inflammation.  We recommend a hot water bottle so in case you fall asleep or lose track of time there is less chance of being accidently burned.

We hope this information has been useful and naturally, these are general suggestions.  To learn more about correcting the cause of your pain and/or problem, read more about Principled Chiropractic.

To learn more about returning to the best of health, losing weight, increasing your fitness levels, achieving deeper sleep, reducing stress and having the quality of life you desire, just reserve a seat at our next MasterClass and we will show you how.

Whilst pain is telling you something is wrong, no-one likes it.  Pain is a symptom and your warning signal to tell you that something is wrong or changing within your body.  To dull your senses to pain by medication is not the answer.  Seeking and correcting the cause is.

In the meantime, if you are experiencing pain, let me share with you some insights to help yourself when you experience and pain to help others. Too often, new patients come to BodyWell and tell us that they have been putting heat on their injury, yet what they should have been doing is using ice.

So to help you understand WHAT to use and WHEN… and WHY will help you prevent unnecessary suffering in the future.  No one likes pain and we want you to help live a pain free life, whilst respecting and understanding how your body works.

To help you get some immediate relief from acute or chronic pain, we would like to give you some advice and straighten out some myths about pain.

If you have pain or a condition that causes inflammation, irritation of muscles, joints and/or nerves, it is recommended that you seek advice from a health professional who is trained and specializes in pain.  For further information about what can be done to help you, read more here.

In Dr. Christian’s Wellness Blog, he speaks about pain and what it actually is.  He also explains what happens if you ignore the pain and fall prey of the pharmaceutical companies clever sales techniques, which have you think taking pain-killers is a safe option.  Pain is your body’s warning signal to indicate something is wrong or changing inside your body.  Read more about Dr. Christian’s Blog here.

Safe and effective pain relief is found in ice and heat.  When applied correctly, ice and heat offer you natural and effective pain relief.  The other benefit is, when you apply an ice pack or heat bag to an area, you are placing it right on the area that is painful.  Pain medication, on the other hand, has to be swallowed, digested and assimilated, affecting your entire body.  Therefore, it leaves a trail of potential side-effects.


Many times over, people wonder whether to use ice or heat for a condition like neck pain or lower back pain.  This can be a controversial topic.  Often patients will be told by their medical doctor, physiotherapist or even friends to use the opposite of what we recommend to our patients.  This is why we have prepared this special report to let you know what the experts and our doctors at BodyWell have to say about what is most effective.

The BIG question is, do you use ice or heat?

In general, when pain is present there is inflammation so we should use ice or cold to reduce swelling and pain.

If heat is inappropriately utilized during this inflammatory phase of healing, an increase in blood flow to the already swollen, injured area often results in an increase of pain.
As long as pain is present, ice is usually safer and more effective.

Think about it for a second: what would you place on a swollen ankle?  That’s right, ice!

When we use ice or cold in our office, we use high quality gel-filled packs.  They are far more effective than most other ice packs on the market and far better than ice cubes in a bag or frozen peas.

It is also important to apply the ice pack frequently. Three applications of ice per day will typically bring desired results.

Keeping a couple ice packs ready and available in your freezer will make it easy and convenient to use should an unfortunate mishap arise.

We tell our patients: “Ice is nice” and “Make friends with your ice pack”.

PAIN
Just the sound of the word pain causes us to wince.  Pain is the message sent through your nervous system to notify your brain that something is wrong.  Pain can range from mildly uncomfortable to completely debilitating.

WHY ICE?  Ice is Nice!
When pain is present, your body sends extra blood supply to the affected area.  Is it bleeding?  Clotting agents are delivered to slow and then stop the flow.  Muscles, ligaments, tendons, bone and other tissue need to repair, so your extra blood delivers the necessary molecules to start repairing cells in the damaged area.

The extra blood flow causes inflammation, resulting in pain. This pain is helpful, in that it encourages you to rest the affected area and avoid increasing the damage.  But a little pain goes a long way, and the quickest way to reduce pain is to reduce the inflammation by using ice.

WHY HEAT?  Heat is Neat!
When you have had a problem with muscles, ligaments and tendons for a long time, your body forms scar tissue in and around the affected area.  This can result in muscle guarding and increased muscle tone.  Arthritic joints can also be incredibly painful.

To allow the soft tissues to relax and arthritic joints to ease, heat can be effective initially.  However, to avoid triggering an inflammatory response, it is also recommended to apply an ice pack afterward.

For muscle tightness and rheumatoid arthritis, the best option is heat.

Learn more about what to do for a new injury or an old injury here.


For the best of health!
Dr. Christian BAppSc(ClinSc); BCSc; FCBP; M.A.O.
Chiropractor (Australia); Wellness Doctor (UK)
For more information call 01227 789 977 or visit www.bodywellgroup.com