Take me home Take me back to the Club
After completing the foundation course at the Chi Centre I couldn’t wait to start working. As I live in Dubai it is required by law to have a medical license before practicing. Once the medical license is pre-approved, it is only issued once one is located within a clinic where there is a medical doctor on site at all times. After six months of searching for a suitable clinic to work in I recently began working at the Synergy Integrated Medical Centre. It took about three weeks before I could start seeing clients as we had to prepare the room and plumbing. The clinic is in a three storey villa and we converted one of the bathrooms into a treatment room as we were limited with space, rooms and plumbing options available.
The tiled bathroom walls were covered in plywood and painted, the bath remained as is, however we covered it with hard board and a mattress so this acts as the treatment bed, the basin was removed and replaced with a smaller one, the toilet remained as is and the bidet was removed. The water outlet connection for the bidet was used as the connections for the Aqua Clinic device. The actual Aqua Clinic device is positioned on a movable trolley so I can move it closer to me and the waste/water outlets during a treatment. I sit down on a swivel medical stool during the treatment as the treatment bed is not adjustable obviously. It seemed tricky at first but all problems were easily solved with a little bit of imagination!
Since I started working, each and everyday is completely different. As it is an integrated medical centre the therapies provided are both conventional and alternative. All practitioners are encouraged to integrate their treatments by using a referral system so as to provide clients with a complete service where one treatment complements the other. In the three weeks since joining I have learnt an incredible amount of information to my benefit from the other practitioners, particularly the Naturopathic Doctor, the Kinesiologist, the Brennen Healing Practitioner, the Osteopath and the Integrative Counselor.
The whole team is super supportive and all eager to learn more about what I do and vice versa. Up until recently I did not know that Osteopaths can also work with and heal digestive disorders. I am living in a very cosmopolitan and diverse society and I have met clients from all walks of life, with many challenging personalities too! I have worked with such a variety in such a short space of time including those suffering from Acid Reflux/GERD, a few with Laxative Abuse, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Lupus, Cancer recovery and many with Constipation, Diabetes, IBS and Food Intolerances or allergies. The naturopathic doctor also does specific food allergy, hormone & adrenal levels and vitamin deficiency testing using a Quantum Analysis Device which complements my service nicely.
My treatments include a very basic nutritional consult together with the colon consult. I have educational posters all over the room and during the treatment I try to teach my clients about the digestive system and basic nutrition. I encourage them to ask me questions and I explain what I am doing step by step in addition to what is happening within their bodies at any given time. In almost all clients so far I am confidant in saying what they are experiencing, whether it be good or bad, is due to their current diet, eating habits followed by emotional blockage. I keep Galina’s workbook “The ABC of Common Disorders Affecting Bowel Movements” in my room at all times as a referral especially when justifying to a client why they are experiencing or suffering from what they say they are. What I am discovering is that everything is true when analyzing a client’s diet, emotions etc.
The Aqua-Clinic colonic irrigation machine has been a dream to work with. It is very straightforward, clean and neat, easy to store and I find it very trouble-free to use during 
treatments. Even the Aqua-Clinic speculum is unique and very comfortable to use. Clients often ask me how much water is going in at any given time and the Aqua Clinic can tell me this which then opens more questions and gets the conversation going. I like the way I can play around with the device according to what the client needs, whether I need to increase or decrease the temp and increase or decrease the flow.
I had a client with high blood pressure this week due to various factors enroute to see me. We had enough time to allow him to relax first and I explained how I would adjust the treatment in relation to the flow and temperature due to his high blood pressure. He was quite surprised and said he learnt something new that day. I had another client who closed her eyes during the whole treatment and was completely relaxed; needless to say she was releasing masses from start to finish. She said for the first time in her life she has never had cramping and appreciated why I started and ended the treatment on her side. She said no therapist has ever done that before. She walked away with a smile and booked a series of five treatments. It is too soon to say that I have had dramatic results with clients as it has only been 3 weeks, however those that are colon therapy veterans have all confirmed that this way of performing the treatment is the most gentle they have ever experienced with no discomfort or major cramping. Some have even commented on the small and compact size of the Aqua Clinic compared to other frighteningly big and complicated contraptions they have seen around!
The clinic also encourages staff members to host workshops, open evening presentations/talks or symposiums. I have my first open evening presentation coming up this weekend where I will talk for two hours on Digestive Health to about 40 people. I am very excited about this and am hoping to gain a few more new clients, not to mention creating general awareness and education when it comes to this very important topic. I have also performed two live colon treatment demos on a “model” client in front of the nurses and other practitioners/doctors so as to give them a clearer picture on what colon therapy actually is. The client herself was a perfect candidate as she was very constipated and subconsciously refusing to “let go”. I was able to use certain tricks that Galina had taught me and remarkably they worked which drew a few “oooohs and aaahhs” from the gathered audience much to my delight! It is my intention to continue hosting open evenings, seminars and live colon treatments for educational and awareness purposes so as to fulfill my role as the GPACT Awareness Centre Ambassador for the UAE.
Overall so far I am incredibly happy with my chosen career and passion as a Colon Hydrotherapist and Nutritional Therapist. Galina Imrie, my mentor, could not have been a more perfect tutor. Everything she taught me was done in such a way that the information has stuck in my brain. She not only taught me the knowledge required but she forced me to understand the digestive system as a whole and in detail. She taught me to think for myself whilst justifying my thought processes at all times. She taught me how to handle different situations, how to read different clients and how to always think ahead. She is an inspiration to us all and has made my chosen career path exciting and completely rewarding in so many ways. Each day is a constant learning process which never stops. I am blessed to be working where I am and to be surrounded by such a diverse mix of practitioners. This is only the beginning so watch this space!