These knitters and stitchers were experiencing changing attitudes and becoming motivated to do other activities. They were also becoming more confident socially and developing firm friendships.

Not only was there something in the individual activity which was beneficial but there was something special in the quality of the social contact experienced through the activity.

Narratives we've received highlight the need to deal with the issues of –

• Social isolation and loneliness
  
  
• Low self esteem
  
  
• Stress, fear, anxiety and worry
  
  
• Lack of rewarding, purposeful occupation

These need to be dealt with alongside medical treatments to provide a holistic approach. It's my experience that no matter how excellent the actual medical treatment, if these issues are left unaddressed the patient will continue to have significant problems. Quality of life matters. The whole person matters – the mind, body and spirit are one and any treatment needs to address each aspect of the whole to enable a person to successfully self-manage their health and wellbeing.

Those who are fit and healthy should also pay heed to these issues as a preventative measure to ensure they maintain and continue to improve their wellbeing.

Knitting in particular is highly effective in dealing with these issues which makes it an ideal complement to medical treatments.

Doctors and nurses are already referring patients to a therapeutic knitting group I run at a pain clinic at a local hospital. Therapeutic knitting and therapeutic knitting groups are being officially recognised by eminent clincians and academics as having an important part to play in mainstream healthcare. When I first began this work 'knitting in mainstream NHS' was a mere pipe dream but today we may not be far away from the day when doctors routinely prescribe a dose of knitting twice a day!

The lessons we're learning through this work have the potential to change the way the medical profession (and importantly those in managmement) view and treat individuals with long-term health conditions. It also highlights the need for us all to take responsibility and control of our own wellbeing because there's a lot we can do as individuals to improve whatever situation we find ourselves in.

This is just the beginning of an exciting journey.

Please Contact Me to let me know of your experiences.

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