Categories
Holistic Healthcare

Why We Look At The Whole Picture

The main reason most patients visit Leyton Osteopaths is because of PAIN. As unpleasant as it is, we need pain. It is our warning system, letting us know that something is wrong and we need to take action to fix it.

But we believe that the best care doesn’t just treat symptoms — it treats you as a whole person. We want to help you resolve your pain as quickly as possible but also help minimise the chances of future reoccurrences.

That’s why our approach is based on what’s known as the biopsychosocial model of care.


🔍 What Does “Biopsychosocial” Mean?

It simply means that pain and recovery are influenced by three main areas:

  • Bio – your body: joints, muscles, nerves, injury history, fitness, and overall physical health

  • Psycho – your mind: stress, mood, anxiety, sleep, and how you interpret pain

  • Social – your lifestyle: work, relationships, habits, activity levels, and daily routine

Rather than focusing only on what we see on a scan or feel in a joint, we consider the full context of your life — because pain doesn’t exist in a vacuum.


💡 Why This Helps You

✅ We get to the root cause — not just the surface symptoms
✅ Your treatment is tailored to your unique life, body, and goals
✅ We can often help people who’ve been told “there’s nothing wrong”
✅ We work with you — guiding and empowering, not just treating


👐 What This Looks Like in Practice

When you come to us, we might explore:

  • What daily movements or habits are contributing to your pain

  • How stress, poor sleep or work pressures may be affecting your symptoms

  • How we can build strength, flexibility or better movement patterns

  • Whether your body just needs support to recover at its own pace

And most importantly: how we can help you feel confident, capable, and in control again.


A Final Word

By looking at the whole person, we create treatment plans that are more effective — and longer lasting.

Categories
Healthy Living

Arete

I’ve recently been reading a book called Arete: Activate Your Heroic Potential by Brian Johnson, and it’s packed with timeless wisdom about ‘living well’.

The direct translation of Arete is ‘virtue’ or ‘excellence’, but it has a deeper meaning. Something closer to ‘expressing the best version of yourself moment to moment to moment.

While the book covers many aspects of personal growth, it really drives home a powerful idea that resonated with me and chimes with my professional experience.

Having strategies in place to optimise your physical and mental health is the most sure fire way to show up consistently, as your best self.

Here are a few takeaways that I think are especially useful if you’re on a recovery journey, managing pain, or simply aiming to feel and function better:


1. Small wins lead to big changes

You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Small improvements, making better choices and taking better actions moment to moment, implemented with consistency, add up to major transformations over time.

✅ Doing your rehab exercises for 5 minutes daily beats doing them once a week for 30.
✅ Getting to bed a little earlier or drinking more water might seem small, but it matters.


2. Energy is your foundation

Your physical energy affects everything — mood, motivation, healing, even decision-making. The book emphasises the “fundamentals”: movement, sleep, nutrition, breath, and mindset.

✅ When you take care of your body, you’re better equipped to show up for life — and for your recovery.


3. Choose the next best action

You don’t need to be “motivated” all the time — you just need to make the next good choice. Whether that’s standing up and moving, doing one stretch, or booking a follow-up appointment, forward progress is built one step at a time.

✅ Ask yourself: What’s the next best thing I can do right now for my health? Then do that.


Final Thought:

You don’t need to wait until you feel “ready” or “perfect” to improve your health — you just need to start where you are, do what you can, and commit to showing up regularly. That’s what Arete is all about — and it’s a powerful mindset for recovery, movement, and life.