Need some help with a pain in the neck....

Neck pain can affect us at any time, and in most cases, there is a lot that remedial massage therapy can do to help.

If you are niggled by headaches, feel that you can't turn your head properly, or are struggling with neck ache there are several causes...

The first is our tendency to  hunch our shoulders when busy or stressed shortening the cervical trapezius and levator scapulae muscles. Eventually the muscle will remain shortened and in permanent tension.

The second is a tendency in some people for gritty pockets of lactic acid to gather in the tissues. You may notice some small knobbly lumps in the back of your neck. Stress, dehydration, whiplash and not cooling and stretching down after exercise contribute to how this lactic acid builds up rather than being broken down in the normal way.

If you put these two factors together you will end up with shortened, aggravated and often spasming neck muscles. And one of the often observed consequences is a referred pain which is felt shooting up to the eyes or temples, causing migraine-like headaches.

Deep tissue massage will help break down the lactic acid deposits making for more healthy and flexible muscle. Trigger pointing can be used to target the central point of spasm in an individual muscle and  dissolve it. Often headaches lessen or disappear after trigger pointing. Special gentle stretching techniques can then be used to further lengthen the affected muscles for optimum range of movement.

As I specialise in posture and spinal alignment, I can also advise you on the best way to sit, stand, exercise and walk to  improve the angle of your neck. This helps prevent further problems and can defer the onset or worsening of vertebral degeneration and arthritis.

Muscle Injury Therapy and Remedial Massage Therapy has been used successfully many times to treat whiplash after a cycling, car or horse riding accident, or even after a heavy fall.

I am also able to help detect whether there may be some deeper cause of your neck pain such as a prolapsing disc and I will work alongside your GP or a local chiropractor to help further if this is the case.

Vitamin rich curry, you can make at home...

But here's the catch - you have to make it yourself...

Worry not though, The Eco-Fitness Book easy cook curry is ultra-simple and you may even burn a few calories up during the chopping!

Inspired by my Pakistani and Indian friends as well as Sri Lankan cooking, this veggie curry is delicious and much more authentic than the kind you might buy in a restaurant. The secret is using some good quality 'garam masala' - the powdered spice mix used by all Indian/Pakistani families. The ethnic section of supermarkets sells it, or try visiting an Indian or Halal supermarket.

You can make it in a casserole dish, or in a large pan on the hob.

Makes approx 3 portions. (If you don't use it all, freeze or refrigerate some). Most of the effort goes into chopping, and having the right ingredients in your cupboard. After that, it's effortless...

Into your casserole dish or large saucepan pour a mug and a half of orange lentils and just cover them with boiling water. Add a teaspoon of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and a table spoon of rapeseed oil (or olive oil but rapeseed is better because it has the right balance of omega oils).

Chop a large onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic and chuck those in too. Peel and chop 2/3 large organic carrots and 2 large organic potatoes. Cut roughly into pieces about as big as a walnut so they cook through. Pop those in the pot. You can then add greens such as spinach (a couple of frozen chunks is great or you can use fresh leaves), brocolli, kale and/or rocket depending on what's your favourite - a large mug full is fine. Stir in a mug of frozen or fresh peas too. You can also add green beans, sweet potato, parsnip or whatever you have in your veg rack.

Then add some chilli and ginger - either finely chop it yourself from fresh, or use half a teaspoon of each from a jar. (You may wish to add a bit more than just half a teaspoon of chilli if you like hot curry). And half a teaspoon of tumeric - considered a medicinal spice for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Then stir in a heaped teaspoon of wonderful garam masala mix. Finally, roughly chop or tear half a bunch of fresh coriander and chuck that in too.

Cover with a little more boiling water so all the veg is just covered.

This will take about an hour to cook. If you are cooking in a saucepan, bring almost to boiling point, then cover and simmer for a further 50 minutes.

If using a casserole dish, just put the lid on and place in the middle of a PRE-HEATED oven for an hour - at 200 degrees C or gas mark 6.

There's no desperate need to eat this curry with anything else as it already contains protein, veg and carbohydrates. But if you want to stretch it out a bit, boil up some brown rice or wholemeal chapattis/flat bread (also available now from nearly all supermarkets).

This is a hotch potch curry influenced by many different cultures but most people enjoy it - it has good depth of flavour. It doesn't always look as pretty as a picture but it is a great basic meal to eat a couple of times a week and you don't need to sweat over a stove to make it. The quantities are variable, and as you practise, you may wish to experiment with more chilli, more garlic or more ginger. You may wish to add 5-6 cardamon pods or more/less coriander. And you may wish to try your own favourite vegetables.

Just experiment - it's what any Indian family would do - there is no right or wrong - just what suits your taste buds.