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Ease and relax your hardworking joints and muscles. Napiers warming cream is used to comfort muscles, joints, backs a...
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An Introduction to Essential Oils Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts that are obtained through steam distillation, cold pressing, or other methods. These oils are known for their distinct aromas and therapeutic properties, and ...
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We offer a wide range of high-quality aromatherapy and essential oils, carefully curated from aromatic plants and known for their therapeutic properties. Our collection includes pure essential oils, fragrance oils, carrier oils, and bath oils, amo...
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At Napiers, we are committed to supporting women at every stage of their lives. We understand the unique health needs and challenges that women face, from reproductive health and menstrual health to fertility and pregnancy, hormonal health, and me...
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Managing stress, sleep, and mood are crucial aspects of maintaining overall well-being and mental health. At Napiers, we understand the impact that these factors can have on our customers' lives and offer a range of herbal and natural products to ...
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Alan is a fully qualified Five Element Acupuncturist and has been practising this wonderful system of medicine at Napiers Clinic in the West End of Glasgow for the past 18 years.
Angela practices Herbal Medicine at Napiers Bathgate, Edinburgh & Glasgow, as well as with the Napiers CLAID Clinic.
Audrey is a Medical Herbalist, graduating in 2007 with a BSc (Hons) in Herbal Medicine & Phytotherapy from Edinburgh’s Napier University and is a registered member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (MNIMH). Audrey is a practicing member within the Napiers CLAID Clinic.
As a fully qualified, experienced Holistic Therapist, Bettina works with clients on a one-to-one basis to establish an optimal treatment plan or therapy to best support your skin health and well-being.
Cat offers a range of massage including holistic, deep tissue, trigger point therapy, advanced sports stretching and pregnancy massge.
Claire is an experienced Western Medical Herbalist (BSc), a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) and works at Napiers online clinic.
Clare is an experienced medical herbalist based in the West Highlands of Scotland, home to deer, livestock, ticks, and Lyme disease. She works for the Napier's CLAID clinic on a Thursday morning.
Clare began training at Edinburgh’s Napier University in 2005, gaining a Bachelor of Science Degree in Herbal Medicine in 2009. She joined the Napiers Clinic team shortly after her graduation, initially working in the dispensary before beginning her herbal practice in 2010. Since then she has been a key member of our clinical team, working alongside Dee Atkinson in running the general herbal clinics, as well as heading the Baby & Child Clinic.
Cybele is a passionate Sophrologist and founder of Chamapola, Healing Yourself - Healing Together.
Dean is a Naturopathic Practitioner experienced in Nutrition and Herbal Medicine. With interests in nerve problems, cardiovascular health, digestive disorders as well as male and female reproductive system wellbeing.
Dee is the senior herbal practitioner at Napiers the Herbalists in Edinburgh. She runs a general medicine clinic with a special interest in women’s health, managing hormonal health and ageing. More recently, Dee set up the Napiers Long Covid Clinic to facilitate an integrated approach between doctors, herbalists and nutritionist to this new disease.
Isabelle has over 20 years helping individuals and couples achieve their fertility goals through nutrition.
Jill is a fully qualified and insured Advanced Clinical Massage Therapist offering Outcome Based Treatments
John is a friendly and experienced counsellor offering 1-1 sessions on Fridays at Napiers Clinic in Edinburgh city centre and online via FaceTime/Skype. He has worked in private practice supporting people for over 18 years and brings a wealth of experience.
Kate is a BANT registered Nutritionist who owns and runs the Edinburgh Clinic of Nutrition. She trained for three and a half years at Patrick Holford's renowned Institute of Optimum Nutrition in London and is currently studying with The Institute of Functional Medicine in the US.
Kim is qualified in Aromatherapy Massage and Indian Head Massage. Working with the needs of her massage clients led to a deeper interest in their health and Kim studied the BSc (Hons) Herbal Medicine degree at Napier University, Edinburgh. Kim is one of the lead herbalists within the Napiers CLAID Clinic and sees many patients.
Kirstin is a fully qualified member of the Society of Homeopaths and holds an RSHom distinction in Classical Homeopathy. Kirstin qualified from the Northwest College of Homeopathy's four-year training course in Manchester.
Lynn is a registered osteopath and has been practicing osteopathy for nineteen years. She studied osteopathy and cranial sacral therapy at the European School of Osteopathy and graduated in 1991. Lynn has a background in physiotherapy and is trained in structural, craniosacral, functional, fascial and visceral osteopathy.
Malgorzata graduated from the College of Naturopathic Medicine where she studied Western Herbal Medicine and Naturopathic Nutrition /Diplomas in Herbal Medicine (2017), Naturopathy (2017), and Naturopathic Nutrition (2020). She is also qualified in KORE Therapy, Anmo-fu - 5 Element Abdominal Massage, Craniosacral Balance and Stress Release Therapy and Cupping. Her first degree is a PhD in History.
Margaret practices Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy at Napiers Edinburgh.
Mark runs the podiatry clinic, offering diagnosis and treatment of various disorders relating to the feet, ankles, legs and lower back. He offers podiatry, chiropody, orthotics and nail surgery.
Mary is a qualified therapist in Swedish, Indian and Thai Foot Massage.
Mary trained in Edinburgh, and has been working as a complementary therapist since 1999, holding diplomas in Clinical Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Therapeutic Massage and Hopi Ear Candling gained from the International Therapy Examinations Council (ITEC). She is a member of, and is fully insured to practice with, the Complementary Therapists Association (CThA).
Melissa qualified from Middlesex University in 2000. She runs a general herbal practice from her boat, The Herbal Barge, which is based on the river Lea in North London. Melissa joined the CLAID Clinic Co-operative to work collaboratively in an integrated and specialised context to support patients with long covid.
Mike is a body worker and NLP Practitioner who is passionate about working with the person as a whole; offering treatments that integrate body and mind.
Monica has a Masters degree in herbal medicine from the University of Central Lancashire. She is the research herbalist heading up the Napiers CLAID Clinic. The CLAID Clinic specialism is Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi and co-infections - crypto-infections Bartonella, Babesia, Rickettsia, Erlichia, Anaplasma, Mycoplasma, etc. A research herbalist is not the same as a medical herbalist and Monica does not run a general clinical practice. This allows her to focus on Lyme disease and bacterial and viral infections.
Natasha is an experienced and qualified medical herbalist in Western herbal medicine, a forager and mycotherapist. As well as practicing as part of Napiers' general herbal medicine practice, she also sees patients as part of the CLAID Clinic.
Nikki was awarded a first class honours degree in Herbal Medicine from the University of East London and trained at clinics in Glasgow and London. She was also awarded the Arthur Barker prize for her final examination grades. Nikki also has ITEC Diplomas in Holistic Massage and Aromatherapy. She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists which is the UK’s leading professional body representing herbal practitioners. NIMH members follow a strict code of conduct and are committed to ongoing and continual practitioner development and training.
Ona Madorell is a qualified Naturopathic Nutritionist, graduating with distinction from the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM). She has further enhanced her expertise through a course in blood test interpretation and a postgraduate program focused on the microbiome.
Pearlyn is a licensed acupuncturist and a registered member of the Acupuncture Society, and is fully insured to practice acupuncture, tuina, cupping and moxibustion.
Rebecca is an Associate Nutritionist, specialising in gut health and women's health, from hormone imbalance to fertility, pregnancy and beyond.
Sara is qualified Medical Herbalist, Ayurvedic Therapist and Yoga teacher, holding an MSc. in Western Herbal Medicine from Middlesex University.
Satya trained at the School of Natural Medicine where she graduated with a Diploma in Healing Diets and additional immersion studies in Herbal Medicine, Healing Diets, Iridology & Naturopathy, Quantum Botanicals and Flower Essences. Satya has a Nonviolent Communication Leadership Certificate with Bay NVC and an MA in European Dance Theatre Practice from Trinity Laban.
Sheila is a Holistic Therapist who qualified in KCR in 2019 with the KCR Academy. After a long career in retail, an ankle injury led her to seek an alternative approach to healing.
Shona has worked at Napiers Clinic for 30 years where she has picked up a wealth of knowledge about various complementary therapies. She trained as a Food Sensitivity tester with The Health Partnership Company, where she was taught how to use the 3 point marker system.
Thanos is an experienced Medical Herbalist and practises as a Herbalist and Orthopaedic Acupuncturist at Napiers in Edinburgh and at Napiers Bathgate.
Wendy qualified in 2002 with a BSc(Hons) in Phytotherapy. Since then she has practiced in Fife, Angus and the Lothians. She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
Vitiligo is a skin disorder that appears as white patches on the skin in different parts of the body. It is caused by the death of cells caused melanocytes. These are the cells responsible for producing the pigments that colour your skin. We look ...
Vitiligo is a skin disorder that appears as white patches on the skin in different parts of the body. It is caused by the death of cells caused melanocytes. These are the cells responsible for producing the pigments that colour your skin. We look at recent studies to see whether diet, herbs or supplements can help.
Ginkgo biloba, or simply ginkgo, is a natural herbal treatment frequently prescribed for vitiligo. Ginkgo possesses strong antioxidant action and helps enhance the health and function of your immune system, which are two important health actions in the treatment of vitiligo. Ginkgo should not be taken, however, if you have a bleeding disorder or are scheduled for surgery. Balch1 recommends a ginkgo dosage of 40 mg, three times per day, to help treat your vitiligo. A recent study by Szczurko et al5 found that taking 60 mg of standardised Ginkgo biloba twice a day for 12 weeks was associated with a significant improvement in vitiligo severity and area.
Many non-herbal supplements may also be helpful in treating this condition, including vitamin B complex, essential fatty acids and silica.
Eating foods high in vitamin B12 may help reverse vitiligo. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis3 in 2011 indicates that a vitamin B12 deficiency leads to an increase in homocysteine, a compound that may play a role in destruction of pigmentation in certain areas of the body. Choose foods such as liver, clams, trout, salmon, haddock and yogurt to boost your vitamin B12 intake. Fortified breakfast cereals are also a good source of vitamin B-12. Vitamin B12 is hard to get if you are a vegan. If you are vegetarian or vegan you should ensure that you eat seaweeds several times a week or take a seaweed supplement such as Napiers Seagreens Organic Kelp capsules, as seaweed is a source of B12.
The same study that correlated a vitamin B12 deficiency with the incidence of vitiligo, also implicated low folate levels in this condition. While evidence in the April 2010 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology3 indicates that some forms of light therapy can manipulate folate levels for those with vitiligo, you can also boost your intake through diet. As with vitamin B-12, you can get more folate from enriched breakfast cereals, but you may also get it naturally in black-eyed peas, spinach, asparagus and broccoli.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the form of vitamin D that our bodies produce naturally, following a biotransformation of cholesterol, after exposure to ultra violet rays from the sun. Several studies have observed a low level of blood serum vitamin D in patients with vitiligo. A recent study by Sehrawat et al.4 found that exposing patients to sessions of Narrow Band Ultraviolet B increased their vitamin D levels and also improved their vitiligo.
While more work is determined to separate out any other beneficial effects of sunlight, there are enough studies to suggest that people with vitiligo should take a vitamin D3 supplement. This is particularly important in those who avoid going out in the sun much to reduce the likelihood of sunburn, and those with darker skin pigmentation who already have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. Government advice is that a Vitamin D3 10 ug supplement should be taken by pregnant and breastfeeding women, people over 65 years old, people who don't get much sun, infants and children.
Include foods containing vitamin C in your diet as this also may be good for vitiligo. Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits and lemons are excellent sources of this vitamin, but other fruits high in vitamin C include kiwi, strawberries and cantaloupe. You can also get vitamin C from vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes and red and green peppers.
Interestingly, a study7 into piperine, a substance found in black pepper has been found to stimulate the growth of the melanocytes (skin cells) responsible for repigmenting the skin in the reversal of vitiligo. So be liberal with the pepper pot!
Boost your consumption of foods high in zinc when you have vitiligo. A study in the Indian Journal of Dermatology in 2009 suggests that zinc supplementation may help cure this condition. Oysters are an excellent source of zinc, although you may also acquire zinc from beef, crab, pork, lobster and chicken. You can also boost your intake of zinc by eating beans, nuts and dairy foods.
One cause of vitiligo is thought to be the development of autoimmune disease. It is often associated with other disorders which have an autoimmune origin such as autoimmune thyroiditis and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 1 diabetes). A recent study6 linked vitiligo with underactive thyroid in 16% of the children studied. Thyroid autoantibodies were found to be positive in 11.3% of them. Although this was a relatively small study, previously reported prevalence of thyroid disease in children with vitiligo ranged from 10.7 to 24.1%, and the prevalence of 25.3% determined in this study was compatible with other literature. Underactive thyroid was not measured in the general local population that did not have vitiligo however, and it is well known that there is a global concern about iodine insufficiency.
A seaweed supplement would be advisable to ensure adequate iodine intake to support the thyroid. If there is autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's disease) already present, this should be carefully monitored as some patients can become extremely sensitive to iodine, however, many are not affected as the bioavailability of seaweed and the absorption of the seaweed matrix is different to potassium iodide.
A study8 in India using topical pseudocatalase cream to treat vitiligo found that some patients did not respond to the treatment. The doctors suspected turmeric and ran a trial to test their theory. They found that when the patients ate turmeric (a common ingredient in curries) they did not respond to the treatment, however, when they stopped including turmeric in their diet they then responded to treatment and their vitiligo improved! Their conclusion was that curcumin, the main phytochemical in turmeric, can contribute to the oxidative stress in acute vitiligo and prevent repigmentation.by Monica Wilde
Research herbalist
References
1. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch, CNC; 2010
2. Murase JE, Koo JY, Berger TG. Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy influences serum folate levels in patients with vitiligo. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Apr;62(4):710-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2009.10.006. PubMed PMID: 20227588.
3. Singh S, Singh U, Pandey SS. Increased level of serum Homocysteine in vitiligo. J Clin Lab Anal. 2011;25(2):110-2. doi: 10.1002/jcla.20442. PubMed PMID: 21438003.
4. Sehrawat M, Arora TC, Chauhan A, Kar HK, Poonia A, Jairath V. Correlation of Vitamin D Levels with Pigmentation in Vitiligo Patients Treated with NBUVB Therapy. ISRN Dermatol. 2014 Mar 23;2014:493213. doi: 10.1155/2014/493213.
5. Szczurko O, Shear N, Taddio A, Boon H. Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of vitilgo vulgaris: an open label pilot clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Mar 15;11:21. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-11-21.
6. Al-Mendalawi MD. Prevalence of thyroid function test abnormalities and thyroid autoantibodies in children with vitiligo. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2014 May;18(3):435. doi: 10.4103/2230-8210.131231.
7. Lin Z, Hoult JR, Bennett DC, Raman A. Stimulation of mouse melanocyte proliferation by Piper nigrum fruit extract and its main alkaloid, piperine. Planta Med. 1999 Oct;65(7):600-3. PubMed PMID: 10575373.
8. Schallreuter KU, Rokos H. Turmeric (curcumin): a widely used curry ingredient, can contribute to oxidative stress in Asian patients with acute vitiligo. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2006 Jan-Feb;72(1):57-9. PubMed PMID: 16481714.