MEADOWS WELLBEING IN BILLINGSHURST
Meadows Wellbeing in Billingshurst brings together expert health professionals offering a wide range of osteopathic, complementary and alternative treatments and therapies. AAH visited to find out more...
FANTASTIC TEAM
Meadows Wellbeing was founded by Jon Meadows, who first established an osteopathy practice 25 years ago. Having grown up in nearby Shipley, Jon attended The Weald in Billingshurst before embarking on a career in the Army. He served for five years before a road traffic accident left him with a fractured lower back and pelvis, curtailing his career.
After returning to the area, Jon’s injuries and subsequent rehabilitation led him towards a career in healthcare. He took A levels in physics and human biology before studying at the British School of Osteopathy in London, graduating in 1996. After working in various practices, he established his own business, Billingshurst Osteopaths, in 1999.
Jon said: ‘Having gone to school in the village, I never envisaged returning to set up a practice in Billingshurst. However, I found osteopathy fascinating and something that I wanted to pursue. I ran my practice above an estate agent on the High Street but always dreamed of opening a multi-disciplinary practice, as I felt many of my patients would benefit from the care of therapists with different skills to mine. My vision was to have a centre that offered not just osteopathy, but a wide range of trained therapists and counsellors as part of one fantastic team.’
BRANCHING OUT
In 2018, Billingshurst was rocked by the closure of three banks on the High Street. Whilst there was disappointment, it presented an opportunity for Jon to realise his dream of a wellbeing centre at what had been a Natwest branch. He visited the site with wife Salli and immediately fell in love with the building.
He said: ‘It was a run-down, 100-year-old building but we could see its potential and embarked on an extensive renovation project. Throughout the work, we recruited skilled people to expand our team, finally opening the doors in June 2020, by which time the building had been transformed into a professional, welcoming Wellbeing Centre that Billingshurst could be proud of. We now offer treatments and therapies including osteopathy, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, reflexology, counselling/psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, massage therapy and foot care, with therapists committed to giving patients the best possible care.’
OSTEOPATHY TEAM
Jon and his team from Billingshurst Osteopaths are just one aspect of the centre. Structural osteopathy is the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries including back and neck pain, trapped nerves, headaches and sports injuries. These can be treated by manipulating joints and working the muscles, tendons and ligaments using stretch and massage techniques. Naomi Earthrowl has been part of the team since the Wellbeing Centre first opened and is one of five osteopaths at the practice.
Naomi said: ‘A lot of people come in with neck, shoulder and lower back pain. Sometimes, they have undergone medical treatment and rehabilitation therapy and are either looking for something else to complement these treatments, or still have persistent niggles and pains and hope alternative therapies can provide a solution, which they often do. With some clients, their problems can be partly attributed to age, whereas others may have arthritis that causes pain and inflammation. At this time of year, we also see an influx of clients with ankle and knee pain, as people start running and cycling again! We have all witnessed wonderful results from the various osteopathy treatments provided here.’
Jon has also attended courses in cranial osteopathy, which can help release stresses and tensions in the head and body. This remains a strong passion of his. He said: ‘Studies suggest that our cranial bones move about a dozen times a minute. Our entire bodies are in constant motion and these subtle fluctuations in cerebrospinal fluid pressures are part of a beautiful rhythm that courses through us. Cranial osteopathy involves a gentle, hands-on massage technique that encourages fluids into different areas, helping to relieve headaches or neck pain.’
‘Cranial osteopathy can also be used on children and babies. Sometimes, a child is delivered with the help of forceps or a vacuum cup, or in some cases a caesarean is required. This can lead to tensions and stresses that could contribute to disrupted sleep, feeding issues, as well as other symptoms such as sinus congestion or ear infections. Of course, cranial osteopathy with babies is very subtle work, but I firmly believe that by adjusting and releasing these tensions it helps with a wide range of symptoms.’
POSTURAL SUPPORT
As well as osteopathy, Meadows Wellbeing has three sports therapists, including Ian Kulka (above). Ian draws on a range of techniques to address musculoskeletal issues, postural imbalances and pain related to soft tissue injuries.
He said: ‘As well as symptoms such as runner’s knee, tennis elbow and muscle and ligament sprains, we see a lot of clients with back pain and postural issues. Sometimes it is related to desk work, as spending hours in front of a computer does impact your posture. As well as identifying problems and treating them with massage, I can refer clients to other services if they need help in other areas, for example to relieve headaches and migraines. As we rely more and more on computers, we are seeing postural imbalances in people of all ages. We are even speaking to parents whose children have neckache because of screens.’
The Meadows Wellbeing team also includes specialists in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and homeopathy, a holistic form of medicine which uses highly diluted substances to trigger the body’s healing mechanisms. Other complementary therapies include aromatherapy massage, Indian head massage, and spiritual healing methods such as Reiki.
Meadows Wellbeing also has a Foot Clinic, with Karen King among the foot health practitioners. Karen offers regular foot health check-ups to treat symptoms and ailments including in-growing toe nails, athletes foot and dry skin. Aromatherapy is designed to help maintain physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing by the application of pure essential oils. Its primary uses are to calm, detoxify and reinvigorate.
Diane Chandler has been a complementary therapist for over 25 years and is based at Meadows Wellbeing two days a week. She said: ‘I started out as an aromatherapist and had such a passion for it that I also trained in reflexology, flower remedies, Indian head massage, hot stone massage, Reiki and ear candle therapy. There is a connection between our mind, body and spirit and these therapies help to reduce stress and anxiety and improve our overall wellbeing.’
‘Lots of people are struggling to see a doctor, not only for issues relating to stress and anxiety, but also for physical symptoms. So, they’re taking responsibility for their own health while awaiting medical appointments. Sometimes, people have received a gift voucher for therapies they would never have had otherwise. They can sometimes be reluctant about complementary therapy, yet leave feeling far more positive about their health and wellbeing.’
HUMANIST APPROACH
Almost everyone, at some stage of life, will need someone to talk to about their feelings and emotions. So, Meadows has a counselling team on hand to talk to clients about modern day life and its associated pressures such as relationships, social media and money worries.
Lisa Williamson said: ‘I am a humanist counsellor, which is built on a person-centred approach to counselling. Another school of therapy would be psychoanalytic or psychodynamic counselling, which can help delve into issues such as childhood trauma. A humanist approach tends to focus on the “here and now” and gives clients the chance to talk about relationships, work stress or anything else.’
‘Men are sometimes more reluctant about accessing therapy and talking about their emotions. Fortunately, it has become common parlance for younger generations to share their struggles and well-being, which is a positive step. Whatever the situation, I believe talking things through with somebody who is neutral, rather than being part of your family or friendship group, can be extremely powerful. Just to be seen, heard, understood and for your feelings to be validated can do a world of good.’
Jill Corbey adopts a more pluralistic approach, calling on a range of therapeutic skills from hypnotherapy to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and psychodynamics to help clients. She said: ‘Particular problems such as anxiety, childhood trauma or OCD is best approached using CBT, whereas breaking a habit such as smoking or overcoming fears such as flying might be better dealt with through hypnotherapy. That is why it’s good to have a wide range of complementary therapists at Meadows Wellbeing, as we can refer a client to someone else if required.’
While perhaps not everyone is in need of complementary and alternative therapies, Jon says that the services offered at the centre can make a huge difference to a person’s health and wellbeing. He said: ‘Scientific research can be very difficult when it comes to treatments such as cranial osteopathy and I know that an individual’s response can be subjective. However, after 25 years, I can say with certainty that we have a highly dedicated team here and our clients leave feeling more positive about both their physical and mental wellbeing.’
Further information:
Meadows Wellbeing, 57 High Street, Billingshurst, RH14 9FJ.
(01403) 786081
