If I didn’t walk into an acupuncturists clinic, 24 years ago, and experience first hand the effects of Acupuncture, I never would have had the tools, to support my years of hospital visits and stays. Serendipity I think.

It was too late, in many ways, to reverse some of the physical damage that had already happened. Sometimes, it is just too late. However, a seed was planted on that day. I wasn’t prepared to envisage a lifetime of complications. I started to realise there are other options out there. Not once ever, did a nurse or doctor or healthcare professional recommend I could benefit from anything, other than the medicine they provided. We know Western Medicine has many limits. For some, because they had no knowledge of anything else. For others, because they flatly refuse to recognise anything, other than what they fundamentally believe as the solution.

I’ve had many conversations with people I both trained and worked with, trying to figure out, why they were and are not open to recommending or trying alternatives for themselves or others. From every angle, in my opinion, it all comes down to fear. Fear of losing a licence to practice, fear of the unknown, fear of being perceived as different to their colleagues, fear of admitting to themselves or others they don’t have all the answers. It is so completely crazy to be so rigid, when working with people who are all so unique., We are so diverse, culturally, environmentally, monetarily, societally, our diets, activity levels, belief systems etc etc…

In my role as Practice Nurse, I met people everyday of the week that I knew could have benefited from complementary or alternative approaches to their health and wellness. Not only from Chinese Medicine, because no one system of medicine has all the answers. I believe there are options for everyone. I am not stupid. I am not fundamental in my beliefs. If I break my leg I want an orthopaedic surgeon not an acupuncture needle! For chronic health issues, I want ;an awful lot more.

I didn’t have the confidence back then to shout it from the rooftops. ‘Look for something that works for you.’ Now I do.. I felt, at that time, I didn’t know enough about other options. I do now. Knowing that there had to be other options for the people I was meeting and for myself, I went in pursuit of answers. And there began my second career.