How I became a colonic therapist
I know from chatting to my lovely clients that many of you are interested in how I became a colonic therapist. Those of you who know me know how much I love my job, and how I feel I’ve found my true calling, but the journey to get here wasn’t as straightforward as you might think.
In 1993, I was working as sales development and trade marketing manager for a major UK brewery. I really enjoyed the work, but the long hours were starting to take their toll on my health. I suffered a succession of problems, from a nasty attack of salmonella poisoning to an under-active thyroid, all exacerbated by stress. Just as I was heading for a bit of a breakdown, I was offered voluntary redundancy and seized the opportunity.
I then staying in marketing for another three years, working as brand marketing manager for a very well-known food company. In 2004, I was pregnant with my eldest son Harrison and trying to work in Liverpool, commuting from my home near Holmes Chapel. Around the same time, my Uncle Peter was diagnosed with the bowel cancer that he was soon, sadly, to die from.
I went down to Poole, Dorset, to see my uncle, and it all acted as a bit of a wake-up call for me. My stress levels were soaring again, and I was suffering from crippling irritable bowel syndrome as a result.
With Harrison only two weeks old, I started going to night school to study complementary therapy and reflexology. Interested in how I could offer a more holistic service for clients, I looked into the two UK schools offering training in colonic hydrotherapy. When I saw that one school, The National College of Colonic Hydrotherapy, was in Poole, it seemed like a sign and I enrolled straightaway for an intensive course. One of my tutors was with the wonderful Dr Milo Siewert, who founded the Association of Registered Colonic Hydrotherapists in 1987, the association of which I’m currently vice president. I sailed through the course and achieved top marks, I can honestly say I’d never enjoyed anything so much.
On qualifying, I went to work for a clinic to gain some experience before setting up my own business, the Complete Health Clinic, in 2012.
I’m often asked why I went into this business, and my reply is always that, although it’s a terrible cliché, it’s because I love helping people. Colonic hydrotherapy has a undeservedly embarrassing reputation – after all, everyone has a bottom! – and I like to use humour to engage any clients who are a bit unsure.
I’m lucky enough to have some fantastic clients, and everyone comes to see me for a different reason. I do a standard abdominal check for all my clients, and one lady had been suffering from bad constipation for a while. On examination, I immediately packed her off to see her GP, where she was diagnosed with a huge fibroid that had to be surgically removed. Another lady come and saw me for an initial treatment, and by the time she came for a follow up a month later she’d lost six pounds in weight. She was delighted, as she’d been struggling to diet without success, and said she felt so much better and lighter. For other clients, their general health has improved so much after treatment that they’ve been able to come off anti-depressants. Success stories like these are what makes it all worthwhile.
I love to get chatting to people – what I do creates a very intimate bond between me and the client, and I think afterwards they feel they have no secrets from me! I get so many hugs and kisses afterwards from clients who are literally relieved, there aren’t any barriers between us. My approach is very no-nonsense, and although I explain everything beforehand I do so in non-clinical terms.
A very important part of my job is healing with laughter. 95 per cent of serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’, is manufactured in the gut, so it’s very important to keep it healthy. It really does make you happier!
For more information about colonic hydrotherapy, give me a call on 0161 207 4034 or visit our Facebook page and follow the conversation on twitter @CHClinicUK #colonicsqueen. I’d love to hear from you.
Helen x