We colonic hydrotherapists may have to do our work in private, but we’re as fond of a get-together as any other profession. That’s why on a sunny Friday in August, I’m sitting on a train on the way to Birmingham for the Colonic Hydrotherapy International Congress, which I can tell you is a pretty big deal in colonic circles!
This event has been over two years in the planning, as it’s the first time four associations (ARCH, I-ACT, IPCH and RICTAT) are all joining forces to share knowledge and catch up with the latest in industry developments. As I’m on the Colonic Association committee, I’ve known about this for a while and I’m really excited about it.
The first day, Friday 21 August, started off with a little wobble as the first keynote speaker was unable to attend, but Russell Kolbo from I-ACT stepped in smoothly at the last minute to deliver an interesting talk about how colon hydrotherapy can help with detoxification.
This was followed by an inspiring talk by Elaine Wilson about rebalancing diabetes. Her talk was so good that I rushed over to buy her book, so that I can share some of her ideas with my clients and redirect them to Elaine’s programme if necessary.
After talking to Elaine I was ultra-aware of my sugar levels while having lunch! The next talk discussed iridology, which is the study of what people’s eyes can tell you about their health.
Saturday was just as inspiring as Friday with some great speakers talking about dehydration which Is a particular bug bear of mine. I’m currently putting together some information sheets for clients on this very subject, so watch this space!
Another topic under discussion was the virtual gastric band which was fascinating. A lot of my clients ask for information about diets, and this is something I’m considering adding to my portfolio.
Simon Gilbert delivered a very entertaining talk about self busting beliefs and I found myself buying his two books as well, as they’re packed with some great tips to help both my practice and my clients.
Professor Nick Reid from IBS network was the last speaker on Saturday, and I was really interested to hear his comments on IBS as 70 per cent of my clients are sufferers. The event finished with a chat about the importance of industry regulation.
Four people – Gill Edwards (my friend and ARCH secretary) , Ian McDougall from RICTAT, Elaine Wilson from IPCH and Gail Naas from I-ACT in America – bore the brunt of the organisation required and it resulted in a really fantastic and engaging event. I met colleagues from all over the world, including Australia, Dubai, Israel, America, South Africa and the Netherlands, and it was great to put faces to names.
Now, I feel invigorated, inspired and I can’t wait to start putting all my new knowledge and ideas to good use. I feel truly proud to be part not only of ARCH but of a profession that’s going from strength to strength, and helps so many people feel better every day.
To find out more, give me a call on 0161 207 4034 or visit our Facebook page, The Complete Health Clinic. I’d love to hear from you.