Agree entirely…
Surgery is absolutely last resort for things like a cyst in spinal cord, or crumbling of alantoaxial joint. Personally I go for exercise and stretching rather than mind/body. Looked at the weblink - but only lasted a few minutes as didn’t give me much of an idea of what they were talking about so was not attracted to explore at all. But great that it sorted your OH’s problems.
You are correct Jane, I used the wrong word.
Cheers Denise… and thanks for the info on arthritis… 
Thanks you Stella, I have updated my name.
cheers
It worked for me too.
Exercise is part of mind/body.
Read “What doesnt kill you” by Scott Carney. Its about a dutch guy called Wim Hof and his cold therapy thing. Its taking off big time in europe and in the states. Lots of people claim that swimming in cold water, or taking the ice bath, have helped them with different illnesses, really bad arthritis, Parkinsons, all sorts of immune disorders. Interestingly enough there was a bbc doc called something like " the doctor who gave up drugs" documented a case where regularly swimming in 14 degree water helped a girl over major depression. Hoping to get into this myself as soon as possible, working up from lake swimming in the cold season. Its a good read if you’re interested in this kind of thing, although very testosterone,testosterone. There’s a lovely group in dublin that do it together, all ages, check “breathe with niall” on instagram. In france i only know of some people in paris and some guy in annecy, i haven’t come across, for the moment, a nice friendly bunch of all-age people going winter swimming together. I would just die to find this around lyon where i live. Maybe I’ll have to start it myself, God help me.
@Helen_O_Brien, I’m ignorant on arthritis and scared to death of even the thought of wild-water swimming. But the way you write so compellingly makes me think that when you write “I might have to start (a group) myself, God help me!” I feel pretty sure you are the perfect fit for that mission. And She will! 
I do see people swimming in the Lac de Vouglans in winter - which is not that far from you for a weekend day trip and at 35km long it’s not really a lake. Next time I get close enough I’ll ask them who they are and whether they are a “group”…
I have a rhumatologue in whom I have total confidence
be a use i have a problem called « pseudo polyarthrite rhizomélique » but that’s another story for simple Arthritis he prescribed me Chondrosulf.
Wow thanks for the information!!! I am definitely going to check that out. Anything in a group is so much easier than going it alone.
I also found a guy around Annecy who charges 90 quid a session, and then aother guy also around Annecy who charges a whopping 900 quid for 2 days. The thing is these courses are completely unnecessary, all you have to do is find a clean body of water and get in. The wim hof breathing method is well explained on youtube and there’s no reason to pay money for it.
This swimmers’ forum has a post that’s only 6 months old from someone in your area looking for a swimming partner.
https://www.nageurs.com/forum/forum_piscines_lyon/79536_Nager-en-eau-froide.html
My much better OH managed to break her arm back in the summer. Unfortunately it hasn’t healed particularly well due to the apparent onset of osteoporosis , but she has also developed a complex pain syndrome - algodystrophy - on the arm around the break area. Just wondering if a CDB product would help, and if so, what sort of product.
Another complication is that she takes 400mg tramadol/day to cope with a long term back problem, so not sure about the safety of taking something else as well.
Any advice gratefully received on her behalf…