Claire Hicks
D.TH.D(Dist) DN Med(Dist) D Iridol MA
Claire qualified from the Plaskett Nutritional Medicine College with Distinction in 1996 and has been in private practice working in the field of complementary medicine since this date.
A bit about yourself, how you enjoy spending your time?
Apart from my interest in natural medicine, I am a keen walker and cyclist. In my free time, I am likely to be found in the great outdoors either walking up on the downs or on the moors and coastal paths in the southwest or racking up the miles whizzing along one of the many off-road cycling trails. I love the feeling of freedom that being outside in the fresh air brings and use these activities to help improve my mood and balance my stress levels.
My work involves a lot of travelling around and I give a lot of time and energy to my clients. I feel that it is important to balance this with my own enjoyable activities in order to stay in good health both physically and mentally!
I also enjoy visiting gardens, castles, and other places of interest around the UK.
Why you chose your profession?
I first became interested in nutritional therapy in my late teens when I was searching for a more natural approach to tackling my own joint issues.
After finding an answer and being astounded at the power of diet and natural supplements I took a 4-year course in nutritional therapy. Over the years I have continued to be amazed at the positive results to health of making simple nutritional changes. Many years on I now feel privileged to have treated so many people and such a wide variety of different health problems over the years.
Iridology was included in the nutritional therapy course and after my initial scepticism, I realised that it was a very useful diagnostic tool to gain a deeper insight into the health of my clients.
My interest in reflexology came about when I was searching for a therapy that I could offer to those who did not want to go down the route of changing their eating habits. I was also looking for a therapy that could help to boost the energy flow in the body whilst promoting a feeling of balance and relaxation. Reflexology seemed the obvious complement to my practice and over the years I have enjoyed treating a wide range of health issues.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
My main aim with nutritional therapy is to provide clients with the information that they need to take control of their health. When a client returns for follow up appointments with much-improved health and an increased awareness of how their body works with regards to their nutrition it is very rewarding. To help people to overcome their current health struggles and set them on the right track towards maintaining good health in the future is the most enjoyable aspect of my work.
When it comes to a reflexology treatment the enjoyment comes from helping to rebalance those areas of the body that initially seem problematic. To experience a frazzled over-stressed person completely relax is also very rewarding.
What are your specialisms?
With nutritional therapy, I treat a wide range of health problems but have a special interest in digestive disorders, joint problems and those illnesses that have an autoimmune connection. Finding the root cause of a person's problem is always important.
With reflexology again I treat a wide range of issues with my specialism tending to be stress-related issues such as anxiety, excess tension, sore feet, insomnia and low energy.
What conditions or areas of work do you most enjoy treating?
I most enjoy treating digestive issues with nutritional therapy as there is always a different reason for a person's symptoms. I often use laboratory testing to help determine the root of a person's troubles and find correcting these issues very rewarding. Whether it's treating a parasite or bacterial infection that has been lingering for years, increasing digestive enzyme production with special supplements, boosting levels of good bacteria with probiotics or simply correcting an out of balance diet I find the whole range of different digestive issues fascinating to treat.
I also enjoy treating weight-related issues. Often a person is really struggling, not knowing which diet plan to follow. Seeing them gain positive results and take control of their weight issues after what can sometimes be many years of failing is a very positive experience for me.
With reflexology, I enjoy relieving clients foot pain with the massage techniques that help to relax and increase flexibility in the foot. I also really enjoy seeing an overstressed person transform during the hour's treatment to become calmer and much more relaxed.
When are you available at The Heeler Centre?
Tuesday: 11.00am - 6.00pm