Two FREE HEALTH TALKS To Kick Start 2013!

Get to know our resident Naturopath, Kimberly Parsons - Part 2

Following on from last week’s part 1 edition of getting to know our resident Naturopath, we are excited to bring you part 2. This week we will learn about Kimberly’s many other talents and what makes her tick...

We hope you enjoy getting to know her a bit better.  

What are your 'must do' healthy habits each week?

I feel at my best with daily freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. They set me up for the day and help me feel cleansed and ready to start the day. I also prescribe to a fruit and vegetable based diet before 12pm each day so I try to eat an avocado or banana after my juice.

I am also addicted to Yoga. It is my sanctuary, not only allowing me the space to centre my mind, find clarity and set intentions, but also to help me maintain my bodies strength, core stability and tone. I will be embarking on a 30 day Yoga Challenge at the Power Yoga Company in Parsons Green starting on the 24^th of November. Come and join me!

Do you have an ideal patient?

I am a big believer that we are all the master of our own life, with health being one of the most important aspects of life. So therefore my ideal patient is someone who is willing to take responsibility for their health and be dedicated to making the right steps to create incredible changes for their own health. Commitment is the key and it makes my life as a practitioner so much more enjoyable if i can see the enthusiasm my patients have for their own health.

If you were Mayor of London for the day, how would you help to make London a healthier city?

I would regulate the advertising and claims made on food packaging to help consumers make real, informed decisions on the foods they are buying. It really bothers me that food manufacturers can pretty much claim anything to be ‘healthy’.

What are your greatest achievements?

I guess two events spring to mind when I think about times in my life when I have felt proud of my efforts. The first came when I was a young teenager and I was able to represent my country in indoor volleyball. The other is a rather exciting new achievement...I have recently become a published author! My recipe book titled 'Suitcases of Recipes' was published in Norway in November 2012. Hoping to someday have it published in English, Kimberly hopes all her Norwegian friends will be buying it up as their Christmas present this year. Titled En Koffert full av Oppskrifter in Norwegian, feel free to click on the link to view her book.

What are your passions other than Natural Therapies?

Gosh, where do I start! I think it’s fair to say that my biggest passion outside of natural therapies is food and cooking. I absolutely love to cook. I find it therapeutic and very relaxing. Over the last few years I have developed a real passion for photography. In the recipe book I have recently had published in Norway I shot all the food and travel photography. My camera has become a bit of an extension of my arm and some of my happiest moments are when I'm snapping away. I also wouldn't be me without the freedom and experience of travel and exploration. It feeds my soul and allows me to expand my mind. I also LOVE to ski and try and write as much as possible. But most of all, I would love to be able to pick up my surfboard again one day and walk across the sand dunes of my favourite surf beach in Australia and paddle out...

Make a appointment to see Kimberly at Well4ever Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursday 10am-3pm.

Get to know our resident Naturopath, Kimberly Parsons - Part 1

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With so many of you showing such a keen interest in our newest Well4ever member, we've decided to put our resident Naturopath, Kimberly Parsons through her paces and come up with 10 questions for her to fret over. Here is part 1 and be sure to tune in next week for part 2...

We hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better. Here is what she had to say...

How did you get into Naturopathy?

I knew I wanted to be a Naturopath from the age of 15. I did toy with the idea of training as an Osteopath for a while but there was always something that brought me back to Naturopathy. As a child I was brought up with Naturopathic health care. I remembered my mother with her spoonful of cod liver oil every morning at breakfast and dissolvable vitamin C supplements as we left home for our day at school. I was always the kid at school with the 'weird' lunch box; instead of crisps and cheese sandwiches, I had containers of chickpeas, nuts and seeds and half an avocado!

What is Naturopathy exactly?

Naturopathy is an umbrella term used to describe a natural health practitioner who is trained to use a range of natural therapies. Naturopath's understand the traditional use of remedies as well as recent biomedical research and will implement modalities such as herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, iridology, manual techniques such as massage or reflexology, acupuncture and dietary and lifestyle modifications to treat and diagnose their patients.

Each practitioner differs in the modalities they choose to treat with but each will fundamentally focus on treating the underlying causes of disease by assessing and treating the patient as a whole. A Naturopath believes health and wellbeing are affected by multiple external and internal factors, some of which lead to functional disorders and chronic disease. A Naturopath sees their role is to educate the patient, develop preventative practices and reduce the incidence of relapse.

What is your education?

I am a registered N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy). To obtain this accreditation I studied a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy at the renowned Southern School of Natural Therapies, in Melbourne Australia. SSNT is a private college with 50 years academic excellence in the field of Naturopathy, SSNT has played a leading role in the development of complementary medicine both in Australia and internationally. My qualification was an intensive 4 year degree, encompassing subjects such as western herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, iridology, counselling studies, pharmacology, clinical studies as well and providing all base subjects such as biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, psychology and pathology. I loved my time at SSNT because of its incredibly well rounded curriculum, and the education I received gave me a great springboard to continue in my own way.

There is no statutory legislation for the registration for Naturopaths in the UK at the moment, although the legislation is slowly changing. I strongly advocate registration and have chosen to become a registered member of the General Council and Register of Naturopaths.

How can you help me?

I am hoping to bring a fresh perspective to helping people make the link between food, nutrition and their health; Educating the Well4ever community on how food and its nutrients impact our health. More specifically, I specialise in women’s health. In the areas of infertility, pre-conception care, pregnancy, and menopause.

What health practitioners do you visit regularly for your own health?

I visit a Chiropractor each week to keep myself aligned and in tune. I'm a big subscriber to a healthy spine, a healthy mind and a healthy diet being the key to happiness and longevity.

The philosophy behind Chiropractic care is very similar to that of Naturopathy in that both believe the body possesses an innate intelligence where if kept in check with good nutrition, a healthy mind, lifestyle and regular spinal re-alignment the body will maintain its own equilibrium and live without dis-ease.