Who was it that said, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”? I don’t know, but it certainly applies to me.
When I began my training in colonic hydrotherapy just over 10 years ago now, on that first day, I knew that I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right person training me in a therapy that I knew would change my life – and it has!
I now have one of the busiest colonic hydrotherapy practices in the UK with a diary that’s usually fully booked 6 months in advance. I have developed a successful range of digestive health food supplements and a ‘digestive tea’ – Tummy Tea. Not bad for a girl brought up on a council estate with two ‘O’ levels to her name.
So what is it like being a colonic hydrotherapist? No two days are the same, but here’s a glimpse into how one of my working days might unfold. It begins around 7am. I jump into the shower, have breakfast, which is either a cup of tea and some porridge, or fish and an egg, or just a piece of fruit and yogurt. It all depends on what I fancy. I don’t go by fixed, rigid routines. Having always been a free spirit, I dislike any kind of conformity, which includes having exactly the same things for breakfast at the same time every day!
I get to the clinic around 8am, check my messages and get my treatment room ready for the day ahead. When I have my ‘clinic head’ on, I am very much in the zone and I don’t mind having to follow a routine. I push any personal matters to one side and channel my energy on the needs of the people I have booked in that day and what I need to do to help get them better.
I usually carry out around 5 or 6 treatments on a ‘normal’ day in the clinic. You can’t rush a colonic hydrotherapy treatment – at least not if you want to do it properly and thoroughly. I allow at least an hour for each treatment with plenty of time before and after to chat, answer questions, and offer reassurance and advice as needed. Many of the people who visit my clinic for a colonic have been coming for many years and we are very comfortable with each other. Although I am too busy to take on any new patients, I will if I have an available space. I know people can feel nervous and scared when considering having the treatment. I know what that feels like because I felt the same when I had my first colonic treatment many years ago. When they come to my treatment room for the first time, I take great pains to ensure they are comfortable and they know they are in a private and safe environment. It is very important to me that a person walks out of my clinic feeling better than they did when they walked in. My aim is to reduce their bloating, their abdominal pain and alleviate some of the fear they have about their symptoms, including improving their body image and confidence.
I see a real mix of people, ranging from those who have been diagnosed with all manner of functional bowel disorders, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and are trying to get help for their bloated, gassy, painful bellies to those who suffer with constipation, smelly gas and indigestion.
While the ages and backgrounds of my clients cover a broad spectrum, 70% of these people are female, and although I feel men need colonic hydrotherapy treatment just as much as women do, they tend to be more reluctant to try the treatment, probably due to embarrassment and the issue of the speculum insertion – “It makes you gay, you know”. Yes, people have actually said this – and, sadly, believed it. Honestly!
The colonic treatment takes approximately 25 to 45 minutes depending upon whether I’m working on a short, fast bowel or a long, lazy one. I use herbal implants during all my colonic treatments and the type of bowel I’m working on will determine the herbs that I choose to implant – liquorice root and fennel seed to help relax a spasmed, cramping bowel, and void pockets of trapped gas, chamomile to calm down an irritated bowel, and senna to increase peristalsis (contraction and relaxation of the bowel to help push the wastes along), particularly in a ‘lazy’ bowel.
When I’ve finished treatments and my last patient has left for the day, I clean up and have a quick catch up on emails and phone messages. I also ensure my paperwork is up to date – I am a stickler for this. I finish around 6.30 or 7.00 pm and then it’s off home to a lovely cooked meal, courtesy of my husband, Kevin.
I am in the enviable position of doing a job I absolutely love and I get a great deal of satisfaction from doing it. After 12,000 plus colonic hydrotherapy treatments, I am still amazed and completely awed by how effective this therapy is, particularly in the treatment of IBS, bloating, abdominal pain, excessive wind and constipation. Just one or two treatments can achieve what no amount of drugs, X-rays, scans and tests can do. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than someone saying, “Linda, you have changed my life!” I thank my lucky stars that I happened upon the path of training and practising colonic hydrotherapy. Not only has it changed my life, but it has changed the lives of so many people, both in my clinic and the many other colonic hydrotherapy clinics across the UK.
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to know more about colonic hydrotherapy.
Linda Booth
Just For Tummies
