Always Start with Nutrition

I talk about nutrition with every person that comes to see me. I give hints and tips if as a client you don’t wish to do a consultation. For everyone else I provide a handout and explanations for why I recommend the dietary changes I recommend, in other words the science behind it. So what’s involved…

Form new habits with support

Really simple to follow plan tailored to your needs

No restrictions in choices when you socialise

No special ingredients from special shops needed

No specialist supermarket isles needed

Find out if you actually really have an intolerance!

Heal your gut

Reduce Inflammation

Increase energy levels

Balance stress hormones

Build relaxing hormones

Get rid of cravings

Heal your body

Nourish your body

There are no guarantees in life BUT…

….You will never know if you don’t give it a go.

You will definitely never give it a go if you don’t know something exists that carries possibility. I’m in Denmark right now, trying something, I did not know existed until June 2023. I am in a quaint rural town, on my own, without a single word of Danish. I’m here with the full knowledge that it may not work, for me. ‘Work’ being such a two dimensional perspective. I am also here in the full knowledge, that it may be life changing.

I’m telling you this, because I think people with health challenges, should never limit themselves. I think there is a lot of emotive terminology used when people try things outside of what is comfortable for some healthcare professionals. I often meet people who fully believe that Western Medicine is the only solution and that it always works. How shocking it is, when as inevitably happens as people age, or they become unwell earlier in life, to discover how limited Western Medicine can be. For acute health issues Western Medicine can be phenomenal and literally life saving.

Labelling of people with a chronic disease as vulnerable really irritates me. It is incredibly disempowering and displays such a level of arrogance by the labellers! Everybody is vulnerable at times, it doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you stupid, it simply makes you human.

Get curious. Don’t limit yourself. You might not find the solution you are looking for but you will open up your world. Life is amazing and as long as you are breathing you get to have a lived human experience.

You will never give it a go if you live in fear and respond to life in fight, flight or freeze mode.

The world is not out to get you unless you believe it is. In that headspace you will fight with your own shadow! Skepticism reigns here. Educate yourself, ask questions of yourself and your reactions. We all make stupid decisions at times. This does not mean you are stupid. Ask more questions. Don’t judge the expert in front of you, even the Godsperts! Occasionally they do not realise they themselves are human and therefore they are not perfect. Find another expert.

Running away, avoiding discomfort, getting real busy being busy. Looking after everyone else first is a classic and women are particularly expert at this. What if it makes me worse or what if it doesn’t work. Most scary of all what if it does! RUN, RUN, RUN…

If I just stay here in my fear, and I’m polite and smiley and accepting. Nobody around me gets upset or uneasy. Sur isn’t life grand (eye-roll here please). Or I joke about my issues before anybody else does then I am fine with this, right . Eh no no no no nooo! I fully accept this quality, well 30% 60% 75% quality of life. I’ve just about reached a comfort level in this level of discomfort. If I choose to make changes I might fall apart. In case that is you, take it from someone who knows, you won’t. I’m fitting right in socially and culturally so WHY would I move from this headspace? It’s not that bad really, is it? If you are questioning it then you already know your answer.

You get to choose your direction. If it doesn’t work you can choose another.

To Be or Not to Be... Gifted with a Label!!

How comfortable are you when your body goes belly up! and you’re gifted with a label. Think about a time somebody referred to you as a non person, a time you were objectified. Choose something simple like …move him/her over there and I‘ll deal with them later. Ugh right?

Instead of (t takes 2 seconds) asking you your name and referring to you by your name in a respectful way. What happens after that interaction will be the same, but a totally different experience for you.. I used to be really brilliant at remembering peoples names, and for many years now, I am not. It frustrates me and I have tried lots of different techniques but so far nothing has worked. If i was to use an excuse, I could say I remember the important information which is obviously important. It simply isn’t any more or less important that the person in front of me. Depending on the setting I write that persons name down. People matter to me.

Thankfully, I always remember the persons story, something that person told me about themselves and I always refer to an aspect of that story. It’s important, particularly in the type of work I do, that people feel they matter, they are heard and not simply a label. I have the advantage or training, many years of professional experience working in healthcare and the uncomfortable muscle memory in my body of what it feels like to be objectified as a chronic disease. I don’t ever want somebody I interact with, to feel that tightening of their neck and shoulders or uncomfortable in the pit of their stomach because I effectively looked through them as opposed to engaging with them.

I’d love to know what you think about labelling or being labelled?

The Song Went Like This

Photographer William White Photo

I don’t have have a note in my head, and sadly my piano teacher told my Mum I was tone deaf! so there ended my future musical ambitions. And yet recently I joined a great music group, a community of people that comes together sharing sounds and encouraging one another. Still not quite sure how I got in! Plus it’s great craic. Friday nights get better and better.

It’s interesting how encouragement or otherwise influences the choices we make on a daily basis. Also how encouraging others enables them to try. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do, because everybody is gifted. They might just not realise it yet. I always thought growing up I wasn’t that good at anything in particular. Thankfully it didn’t stop me trying new and different things. Maybe part of me was looking for an area I could excel in.

Quite quickly I realised, not having my own lane enabled me to explore and be open to trying new things, to see what worked for me. To get to know myself by taking action and filling my life with people from an eclectic mix of backgrounds.

Of course I had found what I’m good at. I know where my strengths lie. With the added plus of doing activities I am utterly useless at! But sur, I’ll give it a really good go! Being in unfamiliar environments I am comfortable not excelling and just experiencing. I’m also happy to shine for moments because everyone should.

Being in a room full of strangers and having the opportunity to talk to people I simply have never met, takes confidence and if I’m totally honest deep breaths at times. The ability to smile is quite helpful and its contagious. People feel great when they smile so help them out. The easiest way in a room full of strangers is to forget about yourself and find out about other peoples lives. Be interested. People with ordinary lives can have an extraordinary impact on yours.

I want to enable people who have had to change lanes lots because of a chronic health issue. Perhaps a significant diagnosis with a frightening future or life interrupting anxiety that holds you back from progressing in your life. Sometimes they go hand in hand. With illness often comes a dent to confidence. I do not do talk therapy, although my skillset and training provided a lot of experiential learning. Doing my job requires communication skills that are very different to doing an IT job. Doing my job requires the ability to communicate effectively with people from any background.

It’s my life experience outside of the professional, that gives me an extra level of understanding. I’ve been there, done that and happily glide in and out of lanes, because life is short and I’m never going to stick in the slow lane. I recommend you don’t do that. Nothing will change unless you make changes.

A chronic disease can often feel like a series of rapid lane changes on a somewhat regular basis. It is not something you cannot excel at, although you might try your hardest to be the ‘best’ patient. We can only always do our best and that is enough. Just keep doing that consistently.

And so, the song went like this ’You’re never too tall and you’re never too small, you’re never too fat and your never to thin……. you’re never to anything because that’s where you’re at…’ It was a really amusing delivery that packed a punch, accompanied by a banjo, best happy sound ever. It completely resonated with me, and probably most people in the room. Hello freedom, the healing power of music and community, I love you.

Simple Acupuncture Demo

The Wonders and Downsides of Wearable Technology

We are human and by default we have a different modus operandi!

I love technology, at least the logical side of my brain does.

I’ve been to conferences where the magical attributes of new technologies are beautifully demonstrated, with lots of smiling people, which will save lives… potentially. If the promotional hype won’t save your life, it most certainly will promise to significantly improve your ability to prevent poor health, in chronic disease management, in your future. Great I hear you say, the machine will do it for me I don’t have to change a thing!!

I’ve listened to very excited healthcare professionals about the wonders of this new gadget and how transformational it will be for me or the person in front of them. The irony is, it is hard not to get excited by the potentials and the possibilities, and anything that provides practical advantages and hope is a good thing, right?! I think yes and I also think no.

As a healthcare professional and on a personal level, I’ve seen and used technology on blood sugar testing, go from dipstick for glucose to glucometers the size of a brick! to a neater futuristic at the time glucometer, lots of different designs & colours, to a pen size to a 25mm continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to a €euro size CGM. Fantastic right? Well yes but also no.

As a holistic healthcare provider, I see clients arriving and wearing not only one wearable device but two, for all that extra up to the minute information about how your body is performing! ECGs, oxygen levels, steps, pulse rates, blood pressure. I’m just waiting for a wearable that tells me the length of my telomeres any day soon! Is this a good thing? Well yes and also no.

We are human, and behind all the hype and all the results, managing fear around all this information is key. Give a perfectionist a wearable, there is anguish or frustration ahead. Managing fear that your pace maker might give you a unexpected thump from the inside. Managing fear that your results aren’t as in range, as all those smiling promotional people obviously are! Managing fear around oxygen saturation levels in the middle of the night. Managing fear when life throws you curveballs and all your devices are reassuringly scaring the bejaysus out of you because stress impacts our physiology. Nothings in range.

A constant reminder that you are not ‘normal’, a constant questioning are you good enough? Are you doing enough? Enough? Enough? Enough? Who needs coffee when you have so many devices to speed up your heart rate.

We used to get news every few hours, then on the hour, then on the half hour and now there are channels 24/7 with news. At least you can switch that off. You cannot ignore your health, you cannot switch off a chronic health issue. It is important to get to a happy place, not the smiling people happy place, but the place where a wearable does not create anxiety, does not rule your quality of life and where you can trust yourself and listen to your own body cues. I’ve had a lifetime of training and I still have ‘flip out; moments. I’m just a lot faster at tuning back into my body.

The beauty of your body is that is that it is totally subjective. It is not a machine. It works in a very personal way. It is on your side even when it feels like it isn’t. It is consistently doing it’s best to rebalance your physiology. All you need to do, are the simple things, socialise, laugh lots, exercise (preferably with a dog although optional), healthy eating, keep your brain busy.

One of the reasons I love acupuncture is that it works on the body. Calm the body you calm the mind. Stress and inflammation are reduced and if done regularly, you will not only get an extension on your life but a guarantee of a better quality of life. In fact I’d hazard a guess those smiley happy people had a session before their photo shoot!

What Patients Taught me as a General Practice Nurse

One of the most common complaints I heard from patients whilst nursing, and often still hear is that patients felt they were not listened to. Worse than that many women felt they were written off as 'too emotional' or 'difficult'. Nobody should feel like that when they are with a healthcare professional.

I fully appreciate that staff are busy, sometimes reactive when under extreme pressure. We are all human. Awareness, where appropriate, necessitates a sincere brief apology. No need to gush! Patients, believe it or not recognise you are human. So are they. It takes 30 seconds to change the trajectory of that patients experience, Whether we like it or not not, we are in a privileged position of trust and what we say affects the life quality of the person in front of us.

I have clients that work in healthcare and more than anybody they need to be supported and cared for, even for just an hour or 1.5 hours a week. I also worked with a great GP for many years, who was empathetic, honest and respectful to his staff and patients always. I have worked with others more briefly, because they had a very high bar to equal.

As a patient you are being asked to trust fully in the practitioner. That is a very privileged position for the practitioner and part of their job is delivering information and options to you. As a practitioner, being academically intelligent and emotionally intelligent are two very different types of intelligence. Both are a job requirement. If we make the person in front of us feel 'less than' I believe we are failing abominably in our role as healthcare professionals.

People Do Not Want People to Know

In my work, people do not want other people to know they have a chronic health issue. There is so much unnecessary shame and fear of being found out!

I get such great feedback from clients, which I am very grateful for. Sadly they do not want to let others know why they saw me, which means, other women in the same position are not aware what I do can help them. I fully understand, and would never put pressure on anyone to speak about anything personal to them. It is their privacy which they are unquestionably entitled to.

Sadly, there are both unconscious biases and know bias that are part of our culture. The misconceptions of clients are... I will be seen differently, I won't get the promotion, the responsibility for the big projects, it will be used against me in a competitive environment etc etc The reality is, people see you how you see yourself. It took me a few years to figure that out for myself.

Any kind of health issue, physical or mental emotional is often perceived as weakness. The irony of that, is that fear is the basis of that bias, and fear is what weakens us if we allow it. An example, your boss needs you to do your job competently in order for her to do her job competently. She knows someone, who knows someone! that had IBS…she thinks. That person did not do their job competently…she heard. She is now fearful you won’t do your job, therefor she fears, that will impact her position. I work mostly but not exclusively with women, so it makes more sense to refer to her in this case.

If communication is not open, your stress will feed off each other. Your shame and her fears. If communication is open and things aren’t hidden, it provides an opportunity to confront the fears in a rational and adult way. In order to do that, physically you have to feel strong. That requires energy. That’s where I can help you. That’s what makes those conversations possible. That’s what changes the outcome for you and the trajectory of your career.

So yes, I wish more people spoke publicly about why they came to see me, and in the meantime, I will do my very best to tell you how what I do can help you.

Why women work with me - IBS and Cancer

A little info about the aspects of health I work with and how I see both IBS and cancer impacting life quality. Two completely different types of diagnosis. Obviously a comparison of the these two would be ridiculous, in terms of weight of a diagnosis, The fact is they both hugely impact life quality significantly.

If either affect you as a woman, acupuncture and nutrition or acupuncture, herbs and nutrition can improve your quality of life significantly.

Is Dry Needling different to Acupuncture

Main points: Acupuncturists are required to do at least 400 hours practical training using different types of needles and different needle techniques. Acupuncture is not only used for pain. Each point has many uses including getting rid of pain.

Allied health care professionals do 50 or less hours theory and practical using needles as an add on to their own training. There is no competency requirement. Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturists do regular exams and assessments i.e. monthly, each trimester and end of year each year then final exams.

Dry needling only treats musculoskeletal pain using myofascial trigger points. it is not a holistic approach for pain which is a multilayered health issue.

Dry needling is one needling technique that acupuncturists use. A TCM acupuncturist also uses moxa (heat treatment), nutrition, tuna alongside some needling techniques. I practice using distal needling with the addition of scalp acupuncture for treating pain. Relief is instant. A consultation involves assessment of cause of chronic pain, lifestyle recommendations, addition of herbs where necessary.

TCM Acupuncture is not limited. For example, where certain areas of the body are not suitable for needles, there are many other choices for an acupuncture treatment. Dry needling in these cases is an unsafe practice. The practitioner needs to have training and know all the red flags.