Gut health has been one of my main reasons for loving Naturopathy. It has become a bit of a fad in the last few years and everyone from health coaches to famous chefs are talking about it.
For us old school Naturopaths this is what has always been our foundation for improving most conditions that present in clinic. If we look at simply digesting foods, it starts with our brain!
1. We think about what we want to eat – brain
2. What will that food look like- eyes
3. What will the food smell like – nose
4. This activates our stomach to prepare for the food – digestive enzymes
5. The food goes in- mouth/oesophagus/hits the stomach
6. Enzymes & acids are released to breakdown the food & pancreas may pump out some bile to break down the fats
7. It goes on and on, you see how complex the gut can be, before we even talk about microbiomes!
As we evolve as practitioners, our methods may change over time, I know mine has, and what we use to do, does not fit what we thought at the start of practising. As professionals we have to keep up our professional development points to stay qualified, but furthur more, we are continuing learning, and it doesn’t stop at gaining the points to stay registered.
I have been studying post-grad with some amazing mentors in the health field, and my love of herbal medicine has been ignited again.
So if you come and see me you will get my many years of learned experience-(20 plus years! plus more in clinical practice.)
My own experiences of suffering with gut issues, childhood asthma, skin issues, Hodgkins lymphoma -cancer, thyroiditis, Lyme disease, Hashimotos and menopause to name a few! I have trialled and tested many programs, detoxes, weird health hacks, spiritual practices and other plant medicines.
I am now at a stage where I can finally create my own programs with all this knowledge.
My first Kickstarter program – a 10 day Spring Cleanse is the first of my seasonal range of programs- so four times per year, I will offer these up. My Gut Health Reset Program is also nearly completed, and this is only offered “in clinic” at the moment, but watch this space once I bring it online too!
Starting is the hard part- everyone has different ways of healing and is on different healing journeys, we can support each other, that is what I love to do.