Try the South African way to ease aches and pains

There are lots of alternative pain treatments these days. One you may not have heard of is Body Stress Release. Based on a technique devised by retired American chiropractor Dr Richard van Rumpt, it was fine-tuned by South African Couple Ewald and Gail Meggersee to help Ewald with pain and cramps in his lower back and legs. He'd suffered them since falling out a tree when he was five.

Now Kerry Teakle from Edinburgh is one of only 12 UK practitioners and the only one in Scotland. BSR claims to help the body release stored stress and tension. Stress can come from a variety of sources-mechanical (past injuries, knocks, exercising incorrectly, etc), chemical (pollutants, insecticides, some food additives) and emotional (relationship worries, anger, shock, depression). That tension can cause a range of symptoms from back pain, sciatica, headaches, heartburn and indigestion to respiratory conditions and menstrual irregularities. BSR is a gentle procedure, carried out while you're fully clothed and lying down. After finding where the tension lies, the practitioner then gently releases the stress with light pressure.

Kerry (31) found her way into BSR by chance. Her mum was on holiday in South Africa and had been miserable with backache and arthritis. She was persuaded to try BSR and was amazed to find it worked. Kerry had suffered from backache for years, so her mum suggested she give the therapy a go and she, too, was impressed with the results. After five months training in South Africa, the former PR set up a practice last autumn in an Edinburgh medical centre. Kerry says, "BSR isn't a diagnosis or treatment of any specific illness or condition. It encourages the body's self-healing process to take the pressure out of the body's nervous system. "It's suitable for everyone from a new-born baby to the elderly, whether they're sick or healthy." "It's not a quick fix - I recommend patients initially have three appointments. After that some people might not come back for several months, some I see regularly."

For more info contact Kerry on 0131 225 5656 or log on to www.bodystressrelease-uk.co.uk.