When I noticed that my sister-in-law’s family avoided colds and flu, she told me about AGE, a homoeopathic remedy that you could buy in some Health Shops. If you feel you are getting a cold, 2 tablets every few hours staves it off. I buy mine from the Healthy Living shop at the entrance to North City Mall.

Herbal Medicine is an ancient, world-wide system of medicine using plants to prevent and cure disease. To the medical herbalist, a herb is a plant of medicinal value.

In NZ today there are 2 companies, Healtheries who make their own herbal medicines and Blackmores who distribute the Blackmore range of products. Both have full websites to which people go to educate themselves before they buy. They also have information for those who have to avoid wheat, gluten, preservative, artificial colourings, dairy or MSG.

In 1994 I had my predictive test to find I have 45 cag repeats. At 55 I retired from teaching, but continued as a self employed teacher of Tikanga Maori in a few local schools. I loved this.

In 1995 I discovered my osteopath, Grant Morgan, in the Sports Medicine Clinic at my gym. When I started with him I had a muscle in my arm that had gone into spasm, then it moved to my neck, shoulder and relentlessly through my body. I had to have weekly appointments. I was the only patient he could not cure.

Osteopathy is a complete system of health care based on the relationship between the structures and systems of the body and the effect they have on the overall function of the person. You consult an osteopath for lower back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headache, cranial problems, sinus, OOS and tendonitis.

During that time we discussed my insomnia caused by my sleeping hormones not turning on until 6 am. For years, Dr Vic Allcock from the Mana Medical Centre has prescribed sleeping capsules and after they were no longer available I had to go onto Imovane tablets containing a hypnotic drug. This was the only time I could not find a naturopathic medicine to work.  It did not solve the problem but I did get some sleep, sometimes.

At the end of 1999 I was muscle bound and unable to participate fully   in either the yoga or stretch classes. After struggling through the Stretch class I asked the instructor, Jim Oakley, if he could help me. He was only too pleased to help. I gave him a copy of Dr Ed Chiu’s Chapter 5 ‘For Physiotherapists’ from which he has compiled my work with him since then to counter the physical and mental conditions inherent in HD. He is my Physical Trainer and we have met weekly till June this year and now fortnightly.

Unable to participate in the Yoga class I found the book ‘Yoga for Common Complaints’ in the Porirua Library. This contains a really effective Warm Up routine that I have used since then.

The philosophy and practice of yoga evolved in India. It aims to unite body, mind and spirit for health and fulfilment. Practising the postures tones the muscles and stimulates the circulation to improve overall health. Techniques for relaxation and breath control help to calm the mind, increase concentration and develop the ability to cope with tension. It can be a complete system for personal development, promoting total physical and spiritual well being.