Stigma and discrimination ruin lives. They deny people with mental health problems the opportunity to live their lives to the full. They deny people relationships, work, education, hope and the chance to live an ordinary life that others take for granted.

This massive campaign includes local community projects and activities, a high-profile anti-stigma campaign, legal challenges, training for student doctors and teachers, and a network of grassroots activists combating discrimination.

Time to Change is shown to be having a positive impact on public attitudes and behaviour towards people with mental health problems.  Since the campaign launched, there has been a 4% reduction in reported discrimination and a 2.2% improvement in public attitudes.

We will also be highlighting the link between Mental Health and exercise particularly walking and hosting a short led walk around the local area.

Come along on the day and join us to the sign the ‘Time to Change’ pledge and help us end Mental Health Discrimination.

Free step counters and refreshments will be provided.

The research was carried out at the University of California and assessed the health of 1455 men who had been diagnosed with localised prostate cancer. Over 31 months researchers assessed the men and found that the men who walked briskly for 3 hours a week or more were less likely to suffer events such as disease recurrence, bone tumours and deaths caused specifically by prostate cancer.

Research shows that gentle walking does not have the same effect as brisk walking or power walking. Lead researcher Erin Richman comments “The benefit from walking truly depended on how quickly you walked. Walking at an easy pace did not seem to have any benefit…Walking is something everyone can and should do to improve their health.”

To see the full report visit the BBC Website.

Although Walk to School Month is a festival for children, you too can include walking in your day. It can be as simple as including a 20 minute walk during lunchtime, walking to the shops or walking all or part way to work.

Improving your health doesn’t need to be difficult and making small changes to your routine can have a big impact on your health. NHS Choices Get Active Your Way has loads of information about simple activities your can include in your day including walking.

You don’t need to walk miles to get the most out of walking and the benefits are numerous. As well as improving your general fitness and helping you to lose weight it can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, osteoporosis and arthritis. It’s also good for your mental wellbeing by helping you to deal with anxiety and stress.

As part of Walk to School month there are plenty of events and activities going on across the country to encourage children to walk to school. For more details visit www.walktoschool.org.uk/

Dr David Ashton says: Burning feet can have several different causes. It may be a sensivity to the fabrics or dyes in your socks or shoes, or even the detergent you use to wash the socks. If you haven’t tried so already vary these to see if one may be the cause.

You could also try in-soles or gel pads, and swap cotton or wool socks for those made of artificial fibres that draw sweat away from your feet to cool them down.

It is also possible that you may have damaged the nerves in your feet. Burning is one symptom of peripheral neuropathy (most commonly caused by diabetes), but it can also be a pins and needles sensation, numbness or tickling.

As well as all the above suggestions, try soaking your feet in cool water – don’t use ice – and try a pain reliever such as aspirin. Unfortunately you may just be one of those people with little padding on your feet.

Useful Links

Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet from N.I.D.S.

Do you have a health issue that affects your walking? Send us a message from the ‘Get in Touch‘ page and we’ll ask our resident health expert!

Dr Helen Crawley says: Your symptoms are most likely due to a problem with a nerve supplying your toes – a condition called Morton’s Neuroma. It is caused by pressure on a nerve as it passes between two metatarsal heads (the spot where the toes join the foot). Another possibility is that the shape of your foot has altered with osteoarthiritis (wear-and-tear) arthiritis causing uncomfortable compression when you walk.

Make an appointment with your doctor or podiatrist – simple footwear adjustments or shoe inserts could solve your problem.

For the full article and response, see Walk Magazine’s website.

If you would like to ask our health experts a question, please contact us here.

Dr Helen Crawley says: A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac that cushions movements between bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Bursitis means that the bursa is inflamed. Simple measures for bursitis include rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, in tablet form or as a gel rubbed onto the skin. I would suggest resting your hip until your symptoms have settled and then building up your exercise, starting with short walks. If the problem persists, contact your GP about specialist help.

For the full article and response see Walk Magazine’s website.

If you would like to ask our health experts a question, please contact us here.