Clare’s interest in natural medicine was sparked in her early teenage years whilst dealing with a severe flare up of psoriasis. Having tried numerous prescriptions with no success she began to explore other treatment avenues, in time leading her to a herbalist and a nutritionist as well as food intolerance testing. After starting on a strict diet and herbal protocol, Clare’s psoriasis completely cleared. Amazed by this change in her condition, she was keen to learn more about health, how our dietary and lifestyle choices can influence our health, and how we can heal using herbs.

This has developed into a lifelong passion and though she continues to have a special interest in treating skin conditions, having had such an experience herself, Clare also treats a wide spectrum of other conditions from lowered immunity to sleep issues, hormonal upsets to digestive troubles.

Over the years Clare has turned time and again to herbal medicine and nutrition to treat her own and her families ails. Herself now a mother to two daughters, she has developed a particular interest in using herbs to guide mothers through pregnancy and new motherhood, as well as treating the common childhood ills such as coughs and cold, eczema, digestive upsets and molluscum.

APPROACH

Clare feels that it is important to view each person individually and holistically; to go beyond the surface symptoms to find out what is disturbing the harmonious balance of health within that person, and to treat that root cause be it dietary, emotional, external or internal.

For her, nutrition and the condition of the digestive system are of paramount importance; providing the body with a healthy, balanced diet and ensuring the proper digestion and assimilation of foods provides a strong platform for overall health. She will always look to address any imbalances in the dietary intake as well as healing the gut and supporting optimal gut function by dealing with acid reflux, ‘IBS’, bloating and constipation.

With so many health problems arising from high stress levels, Clare views emotional health and a balanced nervous system as vitally important to overall wellbeing, and will aim to provide this balance through herbs as well as lifestyle advice. She can also address specific emotional conditions such as anxiety, low mood and depression.

Clare can also use herbs to help bring the hormones into balance to aid treatment of premenstrual tension, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, irregular or painful periods, enlarged prostate, and to aid in fertility issues.

CONSULTATIONS WITH CLARE

An initial consultation will usually last 45 minutes (30 minutes for children), during which time Clare will discuss in detail the current symptoms, as well as the past medical history, the diet, stress levels and lifestyle choices. She will then prescribe a herbal treatment tailored to each patient based on the consultation, these may be in tincture, tea, or capsule form, she will also discuss any dietary changes relevant to the case and may recommend dietary supplements to support these changes, and will make suggestions for any lifestyle changes necessary.

Repeat consultations usually last 30 minutes, during which time Clare can assess the progress of the condition, and make any changes necessary to the herbal treatments.

Clare practices from Napiers Edinburgh Clinic.