In the last six months I have been taken on a learning journey that has completely changed my views on acupuncture, and how I work as an acupuncturist. Since I have been watching Heather work I have been shown a completely new way of thinking/being. What I have learnt is to treat a person as someone who has lived a life, whose life has impacted upon their blueprint. We were not taught this at university.

We are taught to look at a person as a bunch of signs and symptoms, and to then differentiate between what each means to come up with a diagnosis. This is a very western approach, and is more in line with how a doctor diagnoses and treats a patient. When not focusing on the diagnosis or the current pathology the results are vastly different.At first I felt a little strange not having a diagnosis to work with, however the more I work the more I am realising that it is more beneficial to both me and the patient.

I am able to focus on the patient, and what they are feeling RIGHT NOW, not their diagnosis - which means patients leave feeling so much better than when they walked in. By not having a diagnosis as such it means I am not getting caught up in an inner intellectual debate about what a patient may or may not have, it means I am able to be present for them, and better able to help them with their healing.

Heather has shown me new techniques that I had not previously known; that have quick results. These include practical adjuncts such as cupping the navel to get the cold out, and prostatic drainage massage; as well as sharing with me new rules of acupuncture that I had never heard of before.This included more information on what the 8 extra meridians do as well as the importance of them in treatment- this seems to have been completely left out of our training! Another huge change to my treatment since learning from Heather and being her locum is needling without guide tubes. In university we were not taught how to do this, nor were we given a choice. I feel like I am more in control, and feel more like an acupuncturist than someone who just puts needles in.

One of Heather's diagnosis methods is the use of tongues. Yes you may, say we all use tongues- BUT- I am now becoming alot more aware of the subtleties of tongue diagnosis and amazed at seeing the difference that occurs throughout the treatment. If you take the time to look at the tongue before, during and after treatment (and treatment is effective) you are able to see the tongue change as the energy shifts. This was a huge revelation for me as we had been told that you are able to feel immediate differences in the pulse, but the tongue generally takes a few days to change- NOT SO!

Heather for me has been the gap of what we learn at university and what happens in the real world. At university we are taught to figure out the diagnosis and treat accordingly, however in clinic it is very rare to actually get a clear diagnosis or to even see someone who is straightforward. What do we do if we can’t figure out the diagnosis? We are not prepared for this.

Since learning from Heather I feel more confidant and able to tackle nearly anyone who comes to me for treatment. Although she seems to have encyclopedic knowledge of all things alternative health, (a knowledge base you can only gain from being actively interested in what works for a very long time) she generally treats people in a very similar and simplistic manner. This is easily transferable and I have found it invaluable, as have my patients – some of who I have been seeing for years.

Obviously I do not claim to know all that Heather knows or even a tiny proportion of, however having said that I feel that the influence she has had on my treatments and the feedback I receive from them speaks for themselves. Since I have been learning from Heather my patients have all commented on how much more confident I am, as well as how different they feel afterwards.

I have been very lucky having the opportunity to work as Heather's locum and can confirm that alot of what Heather does is reproducible- if you take the time out to learn, and are open to changing the way you approach treating patients. During my time at Heather's clinic I have been able to help patients who I would not have been able to previously, had I not had Heather's training. She has shown me that each person is an individual with a life, and if you respect that and use that in the treatment, it will be more rewarding for both you and the patient.

When I started watching Heather work in her clinic, and watched her DVD seminars I thought it all looked too easy. I thought there had to be some trick that she wasn't sharing. However, this is not true. It IS that easy, after changing my methods of treatment and removing the need for diagnosis I too have started to replicate some of the same results that Heather has.

From a patients perspective Heather helps to fill the gap of information that should be readily available to everyone. This is especially true in the pregnancy preparation work that she provides. If what Heather teaches were to become common practice there would be a huge decline in the number of complicated births, as well as a huge increase in women who feel empowered and confident coming into motherhood. It would also create many more bonded families, and fathers who take an active part in their partners and childrens lives. Watching the transformation that has occurred since my partner started receiving treatment from Heather has been a blessing. Not only in his health, but also in his attitudes and emotions. He has taken a more active step in his role in his life, as well as becoming alot more positive and light hearted. I have to say that I feel a very similar shift in myself since receiving treatment.

 
What Heather does isn't magic, what she does is healing and acupuncture- and it works.