OUR INSPIRATION
“While it was yet twilight, a figure appeared silently and suddenly on a little hill above the city, dark against the fading darkness. For it was the end of a long and stern night, a night of vigil, not unvisited by stars. He stood with his hands lifted, as in so many pictures and about him was a burst of birds singing; and behind him was the break of day…
… From that cavern that was a furnace of glowing gratitude and humility, there came forth one of the strongest and strangest and most original personalities that human history had known …
To him a man was always a man and he did not disappear in a dense crowd any more than in a desert. He honoured all men; that is, he not only loved but respected them all. What gave him his extraordinary personal power was that from Pope to beggar, from the Sultan of Syria in his pavilion to ragged robbers crawling out of the wood, there was never a man who looked into those brown burning eyes without being certain that Francis Bernardone was really interested in him; in his own inner individual life from the cradle to the grave; that he himself was being valued and taken seriously, and not merely added to the spoils of some social policy or the names in some clerical document. Now for this particular moral and religious idea there is no external expression except courtesy. Exhortation does not express it, for it is not mere abstract enthusiasm; beneficence does not express it for it is not mere pity. It can only be conveyed by a certain grand manner which may be called good manners.
We may say, if we like, that St Francis, in the bare and barren simplicity of his life, had clung to one rag of luxury: the manners of a court. But whereas in a court, there is one king and a hundred courtiers, in this story there was one courtier, moving among a hundred kings. For he treated the whole mob of men as a mob of kings”
St Francis of Assisi, G.K. Chesterton
And so, it was a call to the soul that brought me to the sanctuary of San Damiano, hidden in the hills of Assisi in the picturesque Umbrian countryside. A simple place which speaks to one in silence that you can listen to. For it was here that St Francis composed these indelible words of inspiration.
“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy.”
St Francis of Assisi
A picturesque sight in Assisi. Province of Perugia, Umbria, cent
Assisi, Italy
I felt a burning need to bring back with me a memory of the sense of inner peace and joy I felt walking in the footsteps of St Francis in San Damiano. He had pierced my heart with a sense of love and compassion and transformed my mind to look for beauty in everything that surrounded me. It was in an artist’s gallery in the cobble-stoned streets of Assisi that I caught sight of this painting of my beloved icon – the apotheosis of simplicity, compassion, generosity and humility that I so lacked and craved for in my life. I then bought the painting from the artist, Paolo Grimaldi, also a fervent admirer of the great saint or “Il Poverello” as he is fondly known by in those parts.
“The dove represents the celestial hemisphere, the toad the terrestrial hemisphere – when it comes together, perfection is born. The flower St Francis is receiving is the symbol of perfection. The Latin inscription is “OMNIA RERUM”: which means “all together”. On the right is the Church of Santa Chiara with gold and jewels inside because at that time with the indulgence, the church was thinking more about money than its spiritual obligations. The snake is the symbol of temptation and water is the symbol of purity. Then there is the leper with the face of Leonardo Da Vinci. On the left of the painting there are rock faces, symbol of memory, while at the lower right corner the head of the Lamb.”
Paolo Grimaldi
As I contemplated this picture, the words of Cicero also echoed in my mind:
“Omnia rerum principia parva sunt”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
the-dove
St Francis of Assisi by Paolo Grimaldi
The sentiment is the same, this is how one must see oneself – humble beginnings where one must strive to bring everything together to achieve beauty, harmony and perfection in this chaotic world we live in.
Like St Francis, I was searching for a way to help others. What should I do? What can I do? For some years, we had been looking after dying, sick, elderly and vulnerable people through our parent company, San Damiano Corporation Ltd. A common and unfortunate theme in their life was pain and suffering. While we did our best to make them comfortable, most of the options available to relieve their pain and suffering were short-lived or unsatisfactory. And so, I decided to help those in pain in whatever shape or form it manifested itself. My instinct told me that any panacea to their pain and suffering should offer options for pain relief therapies matched with specific pain management programmes with a holistic approach that incorporated lifestyle choices and preferences. Thus, Omnia Lifestyle was born.
Francis Mirandah, Founder & CEO
OUR PURPOSE
Assisi, Umbria Italy
“For it would be better to die once and for all than to suffer pain for all one’s life.”
Aeschylus
Our aim is to help people suffering from pain due to poor health, illness or injury. We want to improve their quality of life and alleviate their suffering as much as possible by addressing the person as a whole – their mind, body and spirit.
Chronic pain is broadly defined as pain persisting or recurring for more than 3 months. It can affect several areas in the body and can cause significant functional disability and emotional distress: an estimated 48% of people with chronic pain have depression and other mental health conditions such as anxiety are also common.
The socioeconomic implications of chronic pain are equally daunting, with many people facing job loss, strained personal relationships, and financial hardship. In the UK alone, studies estimate that between one-third and half of the population is living with some form of chronic pain. Primary chronic pain i.e., pain with no underlying cause such as that associated with conditions like fibromyalgia is estimated to affect between 1% to 6% of adults in England 1.
At Omnia, we fervently follow The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which issues guidance for healthcare practitioners. Its recommendations for treating chronic pain include the following best practices:
- Holistic Assessment: We assess pain not just by its physical symptoms but also by its impact on psychological well-being, socioeconomic status, social relationships, and overall quality of life. This approach allows us to tailor treatments and care plans more effectively.
- Patient-Centred Care Planning: We actively involve patients in shaping their care plans, prioritising their needs and preferences. We take into account their current situation, preferred treatments, existing coping mechanisms, and future goals and support requirements.
The journey is centred around healing, lifestyle, and health screening provided by 3 overlapping approaches:
- Omnia Therapies addresses the relief of acute and chronic pain using a carefully selected range of therapies that have been proven to be effective. These range from cutting-edge treatments such as Photobiomodulation and Compression Therapy to conventional treatments like Manual Therapy to time-tested traditional systems of medicine like Acupuncture and Ayurveda. Clients are given the opportunity to make informed choices about which treatments best work for them.
- Omnia Lifestyle is concerned primarily with the management of chronic pain. It features tailored lifestyle programmes which, when combined with the therapies chosen, offer clients more permanent and comprehensive healing. They include Diet & Nutrition advice, and Exercise & Fitness regimens featuring Yoga and Tai Chi.
- Omnia Performance offers clients objective measures of improvement in acute and chronic pain relief through health screening. State-of-the-art testing technology employing safe, non-invasive techniques are used to inform clients about the state of their health as well as the effectiveness of the treatments they undergo before, during, and after therapy sessions. Many of these tests are designed to assess and monitor recognised biomarkers such as metabolic rate, heart rate variability, body composition, and mobility which can also help detect and identify health problems and risk factors for conditions such as cardiac disease, lymphoedema, and diabetes.
This holistic approach, based on individual choice and preference, lifestyle, and measurement, is often touted as the ultimate solution to pain relief and management by medical professionals. For the first time, the technology and expertise involved have been brought together under one roof in Omnia. This is also largely in accordance with the NICE guidelines and recommendations on the management of chronic pain in adults.
1 NICE. Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain. NICE Guideline 193. NICE, 2021 (amended April 2022). Available at: www.nice.org.uk/ng193
OUR FACILITY
Our Facility
Imagine a world without pain. No need for man-made drugs or invasive surgery that relieve suffering, while simultaneously and subconsciously, causing dependencies and side effects amongst their users.
Patients suffering from chronic or acute pain through sports injuries, illness, or poor health often have one thing on their mind: ‘How and when will this stop?’. While it’s all too easy to reach for paracetamol, the side effects and long-term health issues surrounding such medications are often not considered or addressed. When used properly, of course, pain relief medication can be a useful short-term solution for simple physical discomforts.
But when pain takes its form in a long-term effect or is brought about by physical injury, unwholesome lifestyle choices, or chronic illness, the need to decipher what is wrong and why it is wrong is the most crucial aspect of such health issues. Without discovering the source or root of the problem, it can reoccur again and again.
Enter Omnia Lifestyle, a pain relief and management centre now open in leafy Chiswick, London. Situated just off the Chiswick Roundabout, directly in front of the Gunnersbury Tube Station, and easily accessible by bus or car, it provides a comprehensive approach to the management and relief of pain, whether brought about by poor health, illness, or injury. The clinic offers clients a wide array of pain relief options.
With a team of experts on board to help with any pain relief requirements you need, there’s a treatment to suit everyone. Photobiomodulation, or Red Light Therapy, Compression Therapy, Acupuncture, and Ayurveda are some of the treatments offered on-site or via home visits. Qualified pain relief therapists always begin appointments with an initial consultation to determine specific needs, and treatments are followed up with a 15-minute discussion to monitor the effectiveness of the assigned therapy using objective assessment and measurement tools and techniques.
Not only does Omnia Lifestyle seek to provide pain relief and therapy through evidence-based clinical practices such as Photobiomodulation, Compression Therapy and Massage, but we also focus on long-term solutions for patients such as diet and exercise to incorporate their recovery into their everyday lifestyles. This balance of using uber-modern technology and ancient medicinal therapy is what makes the Omnia Lifestyle practice so exceptional.
Omnia Lifestyle provides patients with a choice of pain relief therapies matched with specific pain management treatments to suit an individual’s requirements. By using a holistic approach and incorporating lifestyle and fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, both short- and long-term issues are investigated with the goal of healing.
Take a look around…
