Hello World!
Welcome to the Rebecca Hicks Health Journal. This will be where I will share a little more information on important topics. Some will be topical, and others will be expanding on commonly asked questions. This could include topics such as nutrition, mental health, lifestyle and women’s health. Being qualified in both Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine, journal entries may be from either or both schools of thought. However, the common theme will be that the root cause of an issue is always explored. I’m passionate about these topics, but I’ve been known to ramble, so will try my best to keep these journal entries a quick read whilst always explaining the jargon! If there are any topics you’d like me to cover, feel free to get in touch with suggestions.
So a bit about me…
It’s been 8 years since I discovered the wonderful world of Chinese Medicine and to say it has changed my life is an understatement.
If I rewind to January 2013, I had been living in London for 6 months and had been suffering debilitating weekly migraines, insomnia, anxiety and palpitations. I had been to see a number of experts who were stumped why I, an otherwise healthy person, was experiencing such extreme migraines. They came up with various recommendations, most commonly a trial and error approach to medication. None of which worked.
It was only when reading a magazine article about sleep that I found Chinese Medicine and my wonderful Acupuncturist (who still treats me today!). Within minutes of beginning my initial consultation I was told “In Chinese Medicine we treat the root cause of disease and the needles may not go where you’d expect”. Points in my feet and ankles were then needles (that I now know to be Liver 3 and Gall Bladder 40) and my world changed. Within weeks the frequency and severity of my migraines had improved, and I was no longer an anxiety riddled insomniac.
Flash forward 8 years…. I am now able to help others as I have been helped, having qualified as a Licensed Acupuncturist. After completing a degree in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, which integrates both Five Element and Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches, I am able to treat using an individualised, holistic approach, allowing patients to achieve not only health, but balance and resilience.
More recently, my studies have included Functional Medicine, which like Chinese Medicine looks to treat the root cause of a health issue. This approach is from a Western, often data driven, perspective. It identifies and treats the malfunctioning mechanisms of an organ (pathophysiology) which has caused the disease. Treatment may include nutritional or lifestyle changes, supplements or occasionally a referral on to a specialist.
By combining the Eastern and Western approaches to root cause medicine, I am able to provide a truly holistic treatment which is unique to the individual. There are many conditions that may be helped, from anxiety, stress and insomnia to digestive issues, lower back pain and headaches and many more. Please get in touch to find out how I can help you.
