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Acorn Health Blog

What we love is great health...

...and we like to write about how we can all achieve better health, naturally. Sometimes tips on how you can DIY to better health and sometimes on the therapies that can make a difference to you, your health and wellbeing.
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Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility: Understanding Symptoms and Support Options

General Health & Wellbeing, Personal stories, Therapies Posted by JadwigaPosted on Fri, May 01, 2026 12:54PM

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility: Understanding Symptoms and Support Options

May is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) Awareness Month. These conditions affect connective tissue in the body, which plays a key role in supporting joints, skin, blood vessels, and internal structures.

For many people, EDS or HSD is first noticed through joint hypermobility, frequent sprains, or ongoing pain that does not fully explain itself. Others may experience fatigue, digestive issues, dizziness, or a general feeling that the body does not hold together in a stable way.

Although hypermobility is sometimes described as being “very flexible” or “double jointed“, EDS and HSD are medical conditions where that flexibility comes with instability, discomfort, and a wide range of additional symptoms that can affect daily life.

What are EDS and HSD?

EDS and HSD are conditions that affect connective tissue strength and stability. When connective tissue is more fragile or overly elastic, it can affect how joints and other structures behave.

Common symptoms can include:

  • Joint hypermobility and instability
  • Joint pain or frequent subluxations and dislocations
  • Muscle fatigue and weakness
  • Digestive issues such as IBS-type symptoms
  • Headaches or dizziness
  • Slow recovery after physical activity
  • Anxiety linked to unpredictable symptoms

HSD is used when hypermobility causes symptoms but does not meet full diagnostic criteria for EDS. The experience of both conditions can overlap significantly.

How EDS and HSD affect daily life

Living with EDS or HSD is often unpredictable. One day the body may feel manageable, and the next day simple movement can feel exhausting or painful.

Many people describe needing to plan activities carefully, pace themselves, and manage flare-ups that can come without clear warning. Because symptoms are not always visible, others may not realise the level of effort involved in everyday tasks.

Over time, the body can also develop protective patterns, tightening muscles to create stability. While this is a natural response, it can add further discomfort and fatigue.

Why a whole-body approach matters

EDS and HSD rarely affect just one area of the body. Instead, they involve multiple systems, which means support often works best when it is individualised and layered.

The aim is not to “fix” the condition, but to support comfort, stability, energy, and nervous system regulation so that daily life feels more manageable.

Support available for EDS and HSD

At Acorn Natural Health Centre, different approaches can support people living with hypermobility-related conditions. Each therapy works in a different way, and many people find that combining approaches is helpful.

Jadwiga James – Homeopathy, Bioresonance and EMTT
These approaches focus on the body as a whole system, working with energetic and regulatory processes. They are often used by people looking for gentle, non-invasive support for long-term patterns and imbalance.

Anne Marie Walker – Massage Therapy
Massage can help reduce muscular tension that builds up when the body is working hard to stabilise joints. Treatments are adapted carefully to avoid overstretching and to focus on comfort, circulation, and easing strain.

George Timby – Sports Massage and Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation-based work can support muscle strength, movement control, and joint stability. This is often useful for improving function and reducing strain on overcompensating areas of the body.

Jan Cooper – Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional therapy can support digestive symptoms, energy levels, inflammation, and recovery. Many people with EDS and HSD experience gut-related issues, so a personalised approach can be helpful in identifying triggers and improving balance.

Sally Race – Hypnotherapy and EMDR
Living with ongoing physical symptoms can affect the nervous system. Hypnotherapy and EMDR can support stress regulation, reduce anxiety linked to symptoms, and help the brain respond more calmly to physical sensations.

Ranjana Mitra – Counselling
Counselling offers space to process the emotional impact of living with a long-term condition. This can include frustration, fatigue, uncertainty, and the effect on identity, relationships, and daily life.

EDS and HSD are complex connective tissue conditions that affect the body in multiple ways. While symptoms can be challenging, understanding the condition and accessing appropriate support can make a meaningful difference to daily life.

Awareness helps more people recognise that these experiences are real, valid, and deserving of informed care and support.

If you want to find out more about living with EDS and HSD, visit EDSUK– the only UK-based charity supporting people with connective tissue disorders.

Where we are

Acorn Natural Health Centre
17a Market Place, Heanor, DE75 7AA

Supporting clients across Heanor, Derbyshire, and surrounding areas.



Reclaiming Your Gut Health: How Nutritional Therapy Can Support IBS

General Health & Wellbeing, Therapies Posted by JadwigaPosted on Thu, March 26, 2026 10:50AM

by Jan Copper, Nutritional Therapist at Acorn Natural Health Centre


Living with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) can feel like navigating a maze without a map. You may have received a diagnosis, but little clarity on why your symptoms are happening or how to manage them. For many people, this uncertainty can be just as distressing as the condition itself. You may find lots of contractions online and just be unsure what to do next!
Improving gut health is key to transforming how you feel—both physically and emotionally. Nutritional therapy offers a personalised, root-cause approach that can help you regain control and confidence in your daily life.


What Is IBS?


IBS is a common digestive condition that affects the gut, leading to a range of uncomfortable and often unpredictable symptoms. These can include:
• Bloating and abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea, constipation, or alternating between both
• Excess gas
• Urgency to go to the toilet
• A feeling of incomplete bowel movements


But IBS is more than just digestive discomfort. It can deeply impact your quality of life and prevent you doing the things you love to do.


The Emotional impact of IBS


If you’re living with IBS, you might recognise some of these feelings:
• Anxiety about being too far from a toilet
• Cancelling plans or avoiding social situations
• Feeling embarrassed or self-conscious
• Frustration when flare-ups seem to come out of nowhere
• Exhaustion from constantly trying to manage your symptoms


Many people say they feel stuck—like they’ve been given a label, but no real solution.


Why managing symptoms isn’t enough


Conventional approaches to IBS often focus on symptom control rather than addressing underlying causes. While this can provide short-term relief, it doesn’t always lead to long-lasting change. Symptoms are masked but the underlying issue isn’t resolved.


IBS is complex and can be influenced by multiple factors, including:
• Imbalances in gut bacteria
• Food sensitivities
• Chronic stress
• Poor digestion or nutrient absorption
• Inflammation in the gut


This is where nutritional therapy takes a different approach.


How Nutritional Therapy Supports Gut Health and IBS


Nutritional therapy looks beyond the diagnosis to understand you as an individual. Instead of a one size fits all approach, it focuses on personalised nutrition strategies designed to uncover and address the root causes of your symptoms.

Here’s how it can help:
• Personalised Nutrition Plans

No two people with IBS are the same. A nutritional therapist will assess your diet, lifestyle, and symptoms to create a tailored plan that works for your unique needs.

• Identifying Food Triggers

Through guided elimination and reintroduction, nutritional therapy can help pinpoint foods that may be aggravating your gut without unnecessary long-term restriction.

• Supporting Gut Microbiome Balance

Your gut bacteria play a crucial role in digestion and overall gut health. Nutritional strategies can help restore balance, reducing symptoms like bloating and irregular bowel movements.

• Improving Digestion and Absorption

Targeted support such as mindful eating habits and specific nutrients can help your body break down and absorb food more effectively.

• Reducing Inflammation

Using anti-inflammatory foods can soothe the gut and promote a healthy gut lining, which is essential for long term IBS management.

• Addressing the Gut-Brain Connection

Stress and emotions can directly impact gut health. Nutritional therapy often includes strategies to support this connection, helping to reduce flare-ups linked to stress.


Turning Things Around


Imagine being able to:
• Leave the house without worrying about the nearest toilet
• Enjoy meals without fear of triggering symptoms
• Say yes to social plans again
• Feel comfortable and confident in your body


With the right support, this is possible.


Nutritional therapy empowers you with knowledge about your body and gives you practical, sustainable tools to improve your gut health. Instead of feeling at the mercy of IBS, you can begin to understand how your body reacts and to take control.


You Don’t Have to Navigate IBS Alone


In my experience, as a nutritional therapist specialising in gut health, clients will often come to me saying ‘I’ve tried everything!’ and in some ways that’s absolutely true. They will have been to the doctor, often multiple time, and will have tried some of the things they have read online with underwhelming results. They will have followed ideas that have worked for friends which have not worked for them. This is because IBS is not simple, there are multiple reasons why the gut doesn’t work as we’d want it to and my job is to find out why.


If you’ve read this and would like to know more, why not book in for a free 30 minute call where we can explore what’s going on for you and talk through your options. No obligation to book, just an opportunity to chat things through.


Book a FREE call with Jan: https://p.bttr.to/3RUXER0

Jan Cooper is a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist working at Acorn Natural Health Centre in Heanor, Derbyshire as well as offering online sessions.



Hypnotherapy for IBS: Evidence-Based Relief for Irritable Bowel Syndrome | IBS Awareness Month

General Health & Wellbeing, Therapies Posted by JadwigaPosted on Thu, March 26, 2026 10:40AM

by Sally Race, Clinical Hypnotherapist at Acorn Natural Health Centre

April is IBS Awareness Month, which feels like the perfect time to talk about a condition that millions of people quietly struggle with… usually while scouting the nearest toilet.

If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), you’ll know exactly what I mean. One day you feel fine. The next day your stomach decides to audition for a disaster movie. Bloating, cramping, unpredictable bowel habits, and that lovely feeling of your digestive system staging a protest at the worst possible moment.

Not exactly the lifestyle most people are aiming for.

The good news is that IBS isn’t “all in your head”. But the brain and the gut are very closely connected. And that connection is exactly why hypnotherapy can be so powerful in helping people regain control.

Let’s talk about why.

The Gut-Brain Connection (Your Gut Has Opinions)

Your digestive system is closely linked to your nervous system through what scientists call the gut-brain axis.

In simple terms:

your brain talks to your gut… and your gut talks right back.

Stress, anxiety, anticipation and even embarrassment can trigger changes in digestion, sensitivity and muscle movement in the gut. That’s why many people notice IBS flare-ups during stressful periods or big life events. (Patient.info)

This is where traditional approaches sometimes struggle. Medication may help symptoms, and diet changes like the low FODMAP diet can help some people, but they don’t always address the nervous system side of IBS.

Hypnotherapy does.

What Is Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy?

Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a specialised form of hypnosis designed to help calm the digestive system.

It works by helping the brain and gut communicate in a healthier, calmer way. During hypnosis, the body enters a deeply relaxed state where the nervous system becomes less reactive. From there we can use imagery, suggestion and visualisation to reduce gut sensitivity, regulate bowel function and break the stress-symptom cycle. (BSCAH)

Think of it as teaching the gut to stop being so dramatic.

The Research Is Actually Very Impressive

Hypnotherapy for IBS isn’t a fringe idea. It’s one of the most researched uses of clinical hypnosis.

Multiple clinical trials and reviews have found that gut-directed hypnotherapy significantly improves IBS symptoms, including pain, bloating and bowel irregularity. (PMC)

Some studies show 70 to 80 percent of people experience meaningful improvement, with benefits often lasting long after treatment ends. (monashfodmap.com)

Even more interestingly, a randomised clinical trial found hypnotherapy can be as effective as the low FODMAP diet in reducing IBS symptoms. (PubMed)

Because of this growing evidence, hypnotherapy is now recognised within medical guidelines as a treatment option for IBS, particularly when symptoms have not improved with standard approaches. (bmjopengastro.bmj.com)

In other words… this isn’t woo-woo.

It’s neuroscience.

What Clients Often Notice

When people come for hypnotherapy for IBS, they’re often exhausted.

They’ve tried the diets.

They’ve tried the tablets.

They’ve Googled every symptom known to mankind (always a mistake).

What many of them notice after hypnotherapy is:

• fewer flare-ups

• less bloating and pain

• reduced anxiety around food or leaving the house

• better digestion overall

• a feeling of being “back in control”

And sometimes something even more valuable… confidence that their body isn’t working against them anymore.

Real Words From Real Clients

One of the most rewarding things about working with IBS clients is hearing the change in their lives afterwards.

Here are a few comments from people who have experienced hypnotherapy for IBS:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Simply life changing. I suffered with IBS and was unable to live my life fully. Medicine helped with symptoms but not the root cause. After 7 sessions with Sally I feel much less anxious and able to begin living my life without worrying as much about where the nearest toilet is and if it’s unoccupied and clean. Sally is experienced and considerate. I’d highly recommend for any anxiety, stress, fear conditions.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I came to see Sally having been recommended by my friends husband. I was barely leaving the house as I was so anxious about my IBS and always having to know where the toilets were wherever I went. It was a constant worry. I was very unsure if it would even work on me, but I didn’t have anything to lose and I ended up having everything to gain. I have my life back and I think that I’m actually even more confident than I was before. I wish I had done this years ago. 

These are the stories that make this work so meaningful. Because IBS isn’t just about digestion. It affects confidence, social life, work, travel and relationships.

Helping someone feel safe in their own body again is a big deal.

IBS Is More Common Than You Think

Around 1 in 20 people in the UK live with IBS, and it tends to affect women more than men. 

Yet many people suffer in silence because digestive symptoms can feel embarrassing to talk about.

IBS Awareness Month exists to remind people that:

• they’re not alone

• their symptoms are real

• and there are effective treatments available

I’m very comfortable listening to people and helping them to find relief

Could Hypnotherapy Help You?

If your IBS symptoms seem linked to stress, anxiety, life changes or simply a gut that refuses to behave itself, hypnotherapy could be a helpful option.

It’s gentle, non-invasive and designed to help your nervous system and digestive system work together again instead of fighting each other.

And if your gut has been running the show for years… it might be time to politely take back the microphone.

Ready To Calm Your Gut?

If IBS symptoms are affecting your life, hypnotherapy may be able to help.

You can book a consultation with me at Acorn Natural Health Centre, where we can talk about your symptoms and explore whether gut-directed hypnotherapy is right for you.Book a consultation

Your digestive system may never send you a thank-you card…

…but it might finally decide to behave.

#IBS #hypnotherapy #gutdirectedhypnotherapy #IBStreatment  #Heanor #Derbyshire #IBSsymptomsrelief #hypnotherapyfordigestiveissues #SallyRace

Sally Race is a Clinical Hypnotherapist working at Acorn Natural Health Centre in Heanor, Derbyshire as well as seeing clients online.



Why Your Stress Won’t Shift (And How Your Subconscious Holds the Key)

Therapies, Workshops & Classes Posted by JadwigaPosted on Thu, February 26, 2026 09:55AM

by Giorgia Bettili

You’ve booked that spa day. You’ve downloaded the meditation apps. Perhaps you’ve even treated yourself to a massage. And whilst these things feel wonderful in the moment, the stress always seems to creep back in, doesn’t it?

There’s a reason for this: most stress-relief techniques work at the surface level. They address the symptoms: the tight shoulders, the tension headache.. but they don’t reach the root cause. That’s where your subconscious mind comes in.

Understanding Your Stress Response: It’s Not Just “In Your Head”

Deep within your brain lies a small but powerful structure called the amygdala. Think of it as your own personal security guard, constantly scanning for threats. When it perceives danger, or even thinks it spots danger, it triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response.

This is brilliant when you’re facing an actual threat. Your ancestors needed this system to survive encounters with wild animals.

The problem? In our modern world, this ancient alarm system is constantly triggered by things that aren’t actually life-threatening. A deadline. Traffic jams. Financial worries. Your body can’t tell the difference between a genuine threat and a perceived one.

The Power of Thought

Here’s where it gets really interesting: your body responds to thoughts about threats in exactly the same way it responds to actual threats.

When you repeatedly think anxious thoughts or mentally rehearse worst-case scenarios, your body experiences the full stress response, even though you’re just sitting at your desk. Unlike your ancestors who could run from the tiger and discharge that energy, you’re left holding all that tension in your body with nowhere for it to go.

Why Surface Solutions Don’t Last

Now we can see why surface-level stress relief often feels temporary. A massage might release the physical tension in your shoulders, but if your subconscious mind is still running the same stress patterns, those tight shoulders will be back within days.

Your conscious mind, the part of you reading this article right now, represents only about 10% of your mental activity. The other 90% is happening under the surface of your awareness, in your subconscious mind. This is where your automatic responses live, where your habits are formed, and where your stress patterns are found.

The Subconscious Solution: Rewiring from Within

This is where hypnotherapy comes in. Unlike surface-level relaxation techniques, hypnotherapy works directly with your subconscious mind to address stress at its root.

In hypnosis, you enter a deeply relaxed state where your conscious, analytical mind quietens down. This isn’t sleep, you’re fully aware and in control, but you’re in a state where your subconscious becomes more receptive to positive change.

During this state, we can:

Help your internal security guard distinguish between actual threats and perceived ones, so it stops sounding false alarms.

Build new neural pathways. Every time you repeat a thought or behaviour, you strengthen the neural pathway associated with it. Through guided hypnosis and positive repetition, we can create new pathways that lead to calm instead of stress.

Release stored tension. Your body holds onto stress in ways you might not even realise. Progressive relaxation in hypnosis helps release this deep physical tension.

Shift your default mindset. Rather than unconsciously rehearsing worst-case scenarios, you can train your mind to access more resourceful states like gratitude, confidence, and inner calm.

The Role of Repetition

You didn’t develop your stress patterns overnight, and meaningful change requires repetition. This is why a single session, whilst beneficial, isn’t enough to create lasting transformation.

Think about how you learned to drive a car or ride a bicycle. At first, you had to consciously think about every movement. But through repetition, these actions became automatic, stored in your subconscious mind. The same principle applies to stress responses. Through repeated hypnotic work, we can make calm and resourcefulness your new automatic response.

Moving Forward

Understanding how your stress response works is the first step. The second step is doing something about it.

If you’ve been struggling with stress that won’t shift, it might be time to work at a deeper level. Hypnotherapy offers a scientifically-grounded approach to rewiring your stress response from the inside out, addressing the root cause in your subconscious mind.

Your body and mind are capable of deep calm. Sometimes, they just need a little help remembering how to access it.

Giorgia is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist specialising in sleep issues, stress release and subconscious transformation. She runs group hypnosis workshops and 1-2-1 sessions online and at Acorn Natural Health Centre in Heanor. To learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you, visit lucidmindhypnotherapy.com



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