FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Answers to some of those questions that you may have here:
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Complementary therapy is not intended to replace conventional medicine. If you have any health conditions that have not already been assessed, it is strongly recommend that you seek your Doctor’s advice.
A full health consultation will be carried out during your first appointment and this is completed online. Subsequent visits, require a brief check to confirm no changes in health.
If you have any serious medical health conditions, you may need to contact your GP to gain their approval before massage treatment can take place. However massage and aromatherapy treatment is generally considered to be very safe, and depending on your ailment or health condition, you can, if you wish, go ahead with the massage provided you sign a disclaimer form. Please be aware if you have cancer or an eating disorder, I am unable to work with you as I do not have the necessary advanced training.
Should any red flag symptoms arise during your consultation which could indicate you may have some underlying health issues, it will be recommended for you to visit your GP for further investigation.
Please note that all records are strictly confidential and locked away in a safe place or stored securely online for 7 years. Under no circumstances will any personal information be disclosed to any other person/s (unless in extremely rare cases where I may have reason to believe that you may wish to harm yourself or others). You are entitled to have access to this information under UK GDPR regulations.
All bookings are completed online prior to appointments. If you have any serious health conditions this could mean that massage is not recommended, so this information is needed before you attend.
If you are unwell with a cold or some other contagious condition, I will be unable to treat you with a massage, but instead can prepare a a home treatment which may include aromatherapy.
As consultations can be conducted online for clinical aromatherapy and nutrition – having an infection is not prohibitive unless you are feeling really unwell of course!
If you need to cancel within a 48 hour period, there may be a charge of 50% of the appointment fee and failure to attend without any communication will incur a charge for the full amount.
I am privileged to earn my living doing what I love! A missed appointment may mean I can’t pay my bills because somebody else could have had the appointment that you cancelled at the last minute. Think of your booking as a theatre ticket – you don’t expect a refund as you’ve already booked your space which others can no longer book.
When you make an appointment you accept these conditions which you tick on the online booking form.
A thorough medical and lifestyle questionnaire needs to be completed before treatment or nutritional and lifestyle advice is given, including medical issues, family history, current medication, allergies and illnesses. An aromatherapy or massage consultation will take about 30 minutes and ensures that the most appropriate treatment plan is established, contra-indications are flagged and the appropriate botanicals (essential oils, fixed oils and butters, hydrolats etc) are selected. A nutritional therapy initial consultation is 90 minutes and a follow up is 60 minutes.
HOW DO I?
For convenience, bookings are online so you can choose a suitable time.
All new clients need to have a free discovery call before booking so that we can both decide if we are a good match.
Payment can be made by bank transfer or remotely by debit/credit card.
All clients will receive an invoice via email to pay prior to their appointment.
Invoices have bank details for direct payment.
Unanticipated events happen to us all and it is perfectly understandable if you are unable to keep your appointment. However, should you need to postpone your appointment, advance notice of 48 hours is required. Please contact me using the email that you will have received to confirm your original booking.
MASSAGE (IN PERSON): As a massage stimulates digestion, you should avoid eating a full meal before your treatment. Please also ensure you are well hydrated with non-stimulating and non-alcoholic beverages before your massage.
AROMATHERAPY TREATMENTS (IN PERSON): If you have booked in for Clinical Aromatherapy please remove any make-up before arriving. There will be some residual oil left on your body after your treatment and it is advised to wear appropriate and comfortable clothes. Some degree of undress should be expected and towels will be used for your comfort and dignity.
CLINICAL AROMATHERAPY PRODUCTS (VIRTUAL): This is a virtual process conducted online and you will be required to complete a form which may or may not require a short consultation for further information.
NUTRITION (VIRTUAL): You will be asked to complete a 5 day food diary and send via email prior to your appointment. Please also provide a list of any medications or supplements (including the brand name) that you are taking. Measurements required: height, weight, hip and waist measurements.
It is advised to bathe/shower before your treatment massage or aromatherapy treatment. To allow the Essential oils to be fully absorbed into the skin, you should wait at least 3 hours – ideally overnight – before bathing or showering afterwards.
It is best to exercise before your massage. Generally, exercising after a massage will add stress or strain to the muscles that have just been relaxed. We recommend a 12-hour break from exercise after a full body massage to allow muscles to recover fully. You may feel tired after treatment. Please make sure to drink plenty of water afterwards to support your rehydration.
ABOUT AROMATHERAPY
The practice of using essential oils, hydrolats and other botanicals in bespoke products prepared specifically for you after discussing your health history, to address your physical, physiological, emotional and spiritual health… treating the whole person not the symptom or disease.
Essential oils are extracted from flowers, leaves, roots, peel, resin or bark and are comprised of the volatile molecules from the plants from which they are derived. The Essential oils used to treat conditions, are complex substances that contain many chemical components.
There are many ways in which Essential oils can be used. They can be added to a massage oil, a bath, a diffuser, a personal inhaler, a spray, in a cream, on a compress, in household cleaners for example.
Hydrolats, aromatic waters, distillates or floral waters are the watery part which is produced when plant material is steam distilled. Two products are made in this process – essential oils and hydrolats. Hydrolats are incredibly versatile, gentle yet powerful and can safely be used for vulnerable groups which might not be able to benefit from the use of essential oils. They can also be safely ingested under the guidance of a qualified clinical aromatherapist who has received training in their use.
It is not safe to ingest essential oils as a matter of course unless you are working under the guidance of a practitioner who has received advanced aromatic medicine training. Serious harm can result in adding drops of essential oils to a glass of water for example – including mucous membrane damage and over exposure could cause gastrointestinal and potentially liver damage.
Essential oils and holistic treatments can be highly effective for stress, anxiety, depression, hormonal imbalance and many associated symptoms such as insomnia, IBS, headaches and migraines. The holistic approach ensures that an appropriate treatment with the right essential oils is selected for the individual.
Essential oils are very potent and can have many benefits when used safely. Essential oils should not be ingested and they should never be applied to the skin neat, but diluted appropriately by mixing with a carrier such as sunflower oil or white lotion. Some oils are known to cause skin irritations, some are to be avoided with children or in pregnancy, and some are not recommended for use with certain medical conditions or allergies. It’s always best to seek the advice of a qualified Clinical Aromatherapist.
Only 100% natural Essential oils are used, whenever possible Soil Association Certified Organic. All products used on your skin are free from any additives and unnatural chemicals. Please indicate any allergies or intolerances during the consultation.
ABOUT NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy is the promotion of health through personalised nutrition and lifestyle support. It is a whole body approach to nutrition and lifestyle addressing the root causes of ill health and provides therapeutic protocols to address these rather than simply suppressing the symptoms. It is evidence-informed and uses a wide range of tools to assess an individual’s health status to identify potential nutritional imbalances that may be driving symptoms. It is always personalised to the individual rather than being a one-size fits all approach.
One of the most important aims of nutritional therapy is in educating and empowering you to positively influence your health so that you can maintain it once support has ended, as you can independently support your health and wellbeing.
Many chronic health conditions and fluctuations in health and wellbeing are linked to nutrition and lifestyle. Improvements are often achievable in a short time when changes to diet and lifestyle are implemented. However, there can often be a lot of underlying issues that need addressing as the symptoms that you are experiencing may have been around for some time and if the body’s cries for help have been ignored for many years, there can be a number of issues that need to be resolved as the layers are uncovered. Homeostasis can be maintained for years until the body can no longer make the necessary adjustments as symptoms get worse. Chronic ill health doesn’t turn up overnight – although it may seem that way when you reach the buffer’s end and suddenly are so fatigued you can no longer function which is what happened to me.
A few examples of a range of concerns that can be supported by Naturopathic Nutritional therapy (not an exhaustive list):
- Digestive issues
- Weight loss
- Poor sleep
- General wellbeing
- Systemic inflammation
- Immune related issues
- Low energy & unexplained fatigue
- Skin conditions
- Stress & Anxiety
- Support emotional & psychological well-being
- Augment fertility
- Support endocrine health
- Promote and support optimum thyroid function
- Aches & pains
- Diabetes
- Hormone imbalances
- Migraines
- Autoimmune diseases
After having the initial discovery call, a mutually convenient appointment is made to complete a full health consultation which takes approximately 90 minutes. The therapist will then take about a week to go through your case, do any necessary research and put together your nutrition plan which will include nutrition and lifestyle advice together with recommended supplementation or herbal support and any necessary functional tests. Recommendations could include aromatherapy and massage.
You will then take 4-6 weeks to implement this initial plan after which there will be a follow up appointment to review what is going well and what might need adjusting.
You may find that an initial consultation and one follow-up is sufficient for your needs. However, if you have long term chronic issues, you will likely need a longer package of support of at least 6 months or more. You can opt for different packages.
The important part of this process is that we continually monitor and reflect on how well the programme is working for you.
Even if you are diagnosed with a medical condition with prescribed medication, you can still make nutritional and lifestyle adjustments to give your body the best opportunity to heal. Nutritional therapy is not a treatment or a cure, but it can support the resolution of symptoms considerably to improve your quality of life as it aims to look at the root cause(s).
Nutritional therapists are trained to check any interactions with medications, food, supplements and herbs to ensure that any recommendations are safe for each client.
All new clients should book a discovery call first before booking an initial consultation. Booking link here.
A discovery call is a 20 minute conversation where the client is able to briefly describe to the therapist what issues they are currently experiencing. The purpose of this call is to ensure that practitioner and client are a good match and check that the therapist is able to support the client’s needs. No specific advice will be given during this exploratory conversation as the whole case history would need to be taken to take all things into consideration and there is only time to outline what the issues are that need support.
Nutritional Therapists are not medically trained and therefore cannot diagnose.
Good nutrition supports the body’s natural defences and resistance. Although evidence based by scientific studies, no claims can be made about the efficacy of any naturopathic nutritional advice.
Naturopathic nutritional therapy is not a substitute for professional medical advice and treatment, but can be tailored to support medically diagnosed conditions and/or health concerns agreed and identified by two parties.