The Blurb:
Notting Hill is home to the latest of four London-based Westover clinics, all of which offer a comprehensive one-stop shop for conventional and complementary healthcare. Located behind a discreet Georgian façade, the Westbourne Grove clinic is deceptively large inside, its winding staircase leading to quiet and airy treatment rooms across several floors. Brazilian Ana Mattos, the resident osteopath, has been at the clinic since its inception. With her long list of post-graduate qualifications, she is an authority in her field.
The Process:
Ana took a thorough medical history, and was unusually knowledgeable about complex and obscure medical conditions. By placing her hands along my spine, she could tell my autonomic nervous system was overactive. She could also tell I have difficulty sleeping from what she described as a ‘wired’ quality to this energy. Her diagnosis was spot on, correlating exactly to extortionate medical investigations conducted by my GP.
Having recently injured my coccyx (a stiletto and staircase incident), I had become accustomed to a grumbling ache in my posterior. After some painful prodding of the coccyx, Ana worked on the cranium (top of spine) and the sacrum (base of spine). These should have a small amount of continual movement, but in my case, had become stationary, which had affected my energy levels. Ana ‘opened up’ the base of the spine to allow the sacrum to start moving again. She also taught me some simple exercises to encourage the lower back to stretch out, and make space for the sacrum to move freely.
The Result:
Having previously experienced the benefits of osteopathy, but having only been treated by one osteopath, I was eager to see how Ana compared.
As with most osteopathic treatment, it wasn’t until afterwards that I felt a difference. The manipulations were so subtle, it seemed as though Ana had just placed her hands on the areas she was treating.
That evening I had a nap at 6pm, and slept like a baby until midnight. I then slept soundly from 2am. I always find cranial osteopathy is good for my erratic sleep patterns, but this was exceptional. The pain in my coccyx soon dissipated, and by the following morning I felt more relaxed, energised and attuned to my body.
After years of loyalty to my own osteopath, who I travel to Hertfordshire to see, and espouse the benefits of to anyone who’ll listen, I was almost tempted to deflect to Ana.
