Referred to as the father of modern medicine, the Greek physician Hippocrates understood the importance of diet to health and prevention of disease.

We are today aware of how our bodies evolved to eat a diet consisting of animal protein, plants, nuts, seeds, mushrooms etc. Our digestive systems developed to deal with natural foods that were available at that time. Essentially our health and wellbeing depends upon eating these natural foods that our bodies adapted to digest and assimilate over thousands and thousands of years in our evolution.

The further we move away from natural and sustaining wholesome foods, the more we subject our bodies to Toxic Processed Substances (TPS's) otherwise known as convenience or junk food, including many producs that maquerade as 'health foods' - (usally found in cartons, packets boxes etc). Over time, consumption of such substances destroy gut function, unbalancing body chemistry, eventually producing symptoms that if unresolved, progress to conditions and illnesses that are prevalent in today's society such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes, depression, obesity, exhaustion etc, etc, ........... the list is very long and increasing all the time !!

Processed foods should be renamed as they are not (in WIllow Herbal's opinion) actually real food, but TPS's - harmful ingredients that ensure shelf like and profit for their producers and ill health for those who consume them in any quantitiy.

Convenience is a driving force for many who consume TPS's, but how convenient is IBS, Diabetes or Arthritis?

Regaining health is essentially an undoing process, reversing the harm imposed on the gut by years of consuming TPS's in addition to the stresses and strains of modern living. A gradual introduction of natural wholesome nutrifying food to a restored and healed digestive system leads to full utilisation and efficient absorption of nutrients, which returns the body to its naturally dynamic and robustly healthy default state. It's like rebooting a computer, only doing it with food !

Therefore the main focus of nutritional therapy at Willow Herbal Clinic centres on healing the gut and restoring optimum levels of beneficial bacteria, thus establishing the best possible digestive and bowel function. From this foundation, good health can be built, layer upon layer, strengthening and nutrifying, fortifying the body so that it can return to its natural default state of vibrant health. Comprehensive advice is given regarding appropriate nutrition with plenty of support to inspire and direct healthy and delicious food choices.

Therapeutic consultation can take 2.5 hours to 3 hours with this time devoted to building up a comprehensive picture of a person's medical history, current physical and mental status, plus a nutritional assesment. From this we decide on an appropriate way forward concerning herbs, diet, degree of gut healing needed and lifestyle.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

Hippocrates c 460 - 370 BC