I began my acupuncture studies when both my children were very young, having just been through "The Tunnel", 4 years of constant nappies and all the demands that small children entail. I had been having treatment myself since my first baby was a few months old and I knew first hand just how much the acupuncture had helped me cope, both physically and emotionally. My pregnancies had been too close together and the deep level of wear and tear had left me with a fundamental exhaustion. It was in light of this experience that I came into my studies with an intention to treat in pregnancy.
The study of the processes of pregnancy has led to deeper study of gynaecology in general, which has ultimately led to my interest in fertility treatment. And, it goes without saying, that having small children myself led me into an interest in paediatric treatment. So my career has developed around these three intrinsically related subjects into what my husband refers to as "Babies-R-Us", a follow through service from conception to birth to nurture.
My interest in Chinese medicine began in 1986 when I spent 3 years traveling in Asia, including a year in Japan. At the low point of my travels I was in Singapore, really sick with some nasty tropical bug, with a fever of 104f, when the hostel owner came and said “I’m taking you to the doctor”. My delirious brain filled with images of white coats and stethoscopes and I let him bundle me into his car. Instead of a hospital he drove me to a funny little shop deep in the Chinese quarter, not a white coat in site. Through an interpreter the 'doctor' asked all sorts of questions, then spent ages tapping his fingers on my wrists. He then did a treatment, gave me some herbs and sent me home.
The next day it was as if I had not been sick at all. I couldn’t believe that I could feel so different after having such a high fever and being so dehydrated. I was so amazed and intrigued and I knew right then that I would spend the rest of my life studying Chinese medicine. I trained here in the UK at The College of Traditional Acupuncture (Leamington), and have since pursued postgraduate studies in obstetric and paediatric acupuncture with a particular focus on fertility treatment.
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