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.

When was 'care' removed from Healthcare and does it matter?

7 Reasons I can Provide You with A Unique Service

7 Reasons I Can Provide You With a Unique Service

Let’s work in partnership where you find your solution, your purpose, reignite it, and go after exactly what you want. Life is short lets make it the best quality life you can live.

1. I can work with you using a multi faceted approach. It’s a one stop shop!

2. Get rid of your physical pain with Acupuncture. At the same time, use it as a really powerful tool for any underlying stress and/or anxiety, which is very much part of modern day living. Often that is not what you are portraying to the world, but don’t you find it exhausting wearing that “I’m fine’ face…

3. Provide you with a nutritional plan that’s simple to follow, won’t restrict you socially and is completely unique for you. Nourishing your body is so important, in order to have any kind of balance in your body. Examples: hormonal imbalances, excess weight, excess inflammation. Repairing your body after a period or poor health. And finally a very common reason people work with me, years of putting everyone else first, and neglecting your own self.

4. I can support both physical and mental emotional issues with herbal formulas that are tailored to your needs.

5. My background in Practice Nursing, has provided me with years of invaluable experience, working one on one, with people just like you.

6. Finally, I have the life experience, from my younger years or going from perfectionism to denial to completely rebuilding my life. My life is now filled with purpose and a love of life, no matter what is happening in it.
I see health as a Spectrum. wherever, your baseline is, I can support you in moving closer to where you want to be and ultimately achieving your goals. I also work with you, on your health perceptions, and guide you through any limiting beliefs you may have.

My purpose is to help you, if you are ready to give you, your all.

Pour - Stir - Dissolve - Drink - Easy

Our lifestyle has dramatically changed since Chinese Herbal Medicine first became available in the West. When I first qualified, clients had to boil up, what resembled leves and twigs for hours, spreading an ‘interesting’ aroma throughout peoples living accommodation including hallways!

You then strained and separated the liquid decoction and stored it in the fridge. This odour permeated your fridge and it’s contents.similar to hallways it seemed… The final step involved warming the amount you needed to take. This process had to be repeated every 3 days, with every batch. Of course the herbal decoction still worked but it simply isn’t practical nowadays.

There are a few potential issues with this. Here’s three examples. If you are nauseous for whatever reason, even the thought of the aroma makes this an impossible task. If taking on anything else into your hectic day feels overwhelming, it can impact consistency in taking herbs. Nothing works if you don’t commit and in this scenario another commitment feels impossible. Thirdly, the people you live with might object to the odour. This is another issue you won’t want to spend your limited energy on. People who want solutions, don’t want additional problems and I’m totally onboard with that. KISS principle for every client. Keep clients commitment simple to onboard, easy to use and practical to implement. The smartness is in the complexity of formulas I can provide.

Nowadays, it simply requires that final step above. The herbs I provide just require a mug/cup, a kettle of boiled water and a teaspoon. Pour, stir, dissolve and drink. The formulas are individualised to each client. They are transportable, easy to use, hassle free and equally as effective.

If herbal medicine is an option you have been thinking about, or you are looking into different solutions to your problems, remember , implementing your choice is as important as the choice you make.

Food, Fan or Foe?

Food, Fan or Foe

Weight loss or gain, body image and a healthy body requires more than just a food plan!

I have seen many people over the years struggle with weight management and weight loss.

My own unhealthy experience with food in my younger years, is part of what enables me to work on a human to human level.. For that reason, I don’t work solely with food plans and people ever. There’s far too much emotion and/or belief systems attached to food for people. Weight loss, body image and a healthy body requires more than just a food plan.

People often tell me, they have no emotional attachment to food, “it’s fuel” and yet they control almost every morsel of food they ever eat. Alternatively, they have no idea how food impacts their health. For people who forget to eat because they are time limited. I hear what all those people say. My job is never to judge. My job is to make transitioning to a healthier way of living in partnership with the person in front of me.

With I guess the wisdom of age! And, with hindsight, wasted living time… eventually, I got sick and tired or wasting valuable energy I needed for living my life fully. I found what works not only for me but what could also work for you too. It’s always a choice.

I really wanted to provide a way of eating for clients that has an evidence base. Having studied nutrition for 3 years… oh boy is there a lot of marketing that surrounds the reality of real food. I realised very quickly how much evidence exists for most mainstream marketed ways of eating. Vegan or Paleo. pescatarian, vegetarian, fasting in any direction you want to go, that list goes on…

Clients don’t want to hear all the minutiae or marketing, research studies and endless explanations. People want practical. Can I introduce this into my life right now and can you support the uncomfortableness I feel with change. The answer is yes I can do that with you.

The bottom line for a person who doesn’t want to drive themselves crazy is, use the KISS principle. Keep it Simple Smart. What this says to me is keep it practical, don’t complicate you life, it has to be easy to buy in any supermarket and don’t kid yourself around food.

If you would like to know how the principles behind low carb for weight management and loss work, I’ve done a short video for you to watch. All you need to do is email me for access. It’s on You Tube. I’ll send you the link which enables you to view it. Then you are either ready for change and you are off to the races yourself, no support needed. Or you are a person that needs more. A person who has issues with their health as a result of eating habits or a medical diagnosis you have received. In that case watch the video and/or just get in touch.

sineadd@onthepulse.ie

I don't have burnout. I'm just tired.

Burnout is almost accepted as a ‘normal’ part of modern life. We moderate our use of words to describe it, so it sounds like it is something that happens to us, a politically correct use of words that are more palatable to ourselves and often those around us.

I am tired all the time, my body aches, I can’t think straight, I can’t sleep, I am busy all the time but I don’t seem to get a lot done, I’m frustrated and I don’t know why, I can’t make decisions easily, I question myself all the time, I can’t remember where I put my phone, my concentration is kaput! I have no energy and I feel wired. I simply cannot switch off. I get emotional and I don’t know why. I’m anxious for no reason sometimes. I’m just so tired. 

All signs of burnout, but if somebody described you as a person experiencing burnout, you immediately rationalise how you feel and talk about the changes you are going to make. Deep down you know this  won’t happen. Not because you don’t want to make changes, but you simply feel like you haven’t got the energy to start.

I run a Zentastic 6 weeks Acupuncture with Mental fitness Training Courses on an ongoing basis. Specifically with you in mind. Acupuncture supports the physical recovery as well as mental emotional. Acupuncture is great at relaxing the nervous system, supporting your immune system and getting rid of inflammation in the body. Together with an app for daily exercises which instantly calm, improve clarity of thinking, increase you energy levels and enable you to experience joy in your life on a regular basis. 

Cumulatively the acupuncture and mental fitness brings you to a place where you feel stronger & happier in a very real way. Living with tools you can use enabling you to navigate life with all it’s challenges.

Holidays, Where next and Integrative Oncology Practice

I hope you have all enjoyed some time out over the holiday period getting lost in a movie , or laughing out loud at a daft comedy, chatting to friends on Facetime or old school phone conversations. I hope you were able to indulge in some deliciousness and savour time out from the craziness that can invade our headspace regularly. I hope some of you were as lucky as I am to walk many miles/kms with 2 of the best dogs globally (I'm making that official, 2 very special canines in my life).

It's been a while since I made any appearance on social media. Life and work have limited my time to post.

I work a lot with people who have or who have had cancer and whilst I had plenty of training and academics under my belt, I wanted to do a specialist course in Oncology (cancer care) that met my needs, both as a nurse and an acupuncturist. I have learned quite a lot which means I am now ready to share some of my learning with you. After an awful lot of work it was a great gift to recive this particular certification on Christmas morning!

My blog page will reflect some of the work I do with clients and information that you will find interesting if you or someone close to you is living with cancer.

It is important to make it very clear, I support people with cancer who are receiving or have received chemotherapy and or radiation and/or surgery. What I do significantly improves quality of life alongside hospital based care. I also support people who have finished their treatment and are in the recovery phase of their illness. I use an integrative approach. This involves either one or all of the following: acupuncture, chinese herbal medicine and mental fitness building.

This work I do applies regardlesss of whether you living with a diagnosis of stage 1 or stage 4.

2022 I am looking forward to experiencing whatever life unfolds and working with and supporting as many people as I can.