We’ve had some staff reshuffles in Only Natural and thought we’d like to keep you in the picture.
Due to other circumstances in her life Jenny has decided to move on and Ann has decided to devote herself solely to her therapies (keep an eye on our blog, Ann will be featuring shortly).
We have two new staff members on board and below are their stories in their own words but briefly they are Chloé and Sarah Kate and each of them brings something unique and valuable to Only Natural’s team.
Chloé is a recently qualified Nutritional Therapist who came to that place through dealing with her own health issues through diet. She is a passionate wholefood cook and one of her recipes features in our upcoming December Newsletter (sign up to our newsletter if you wish to be included in this months mailing). Chloé’s arrival puts Only Natural into the enviable position of having three fully trained Nutritional Therapists on our staff and we’ll endeavour to have one of their number on the shop floor every day of the week (although this may not always be possible on Sundays). This will ensure you, our customers, of the highest quality of expertise and service at your disposal at all times.
Sarah Kate comes to us from a number of years working in Health Stores in Cork and Dublin and in that time she too has amassed a huge amount of knowledge. She is currently studying to become a neuromuscular physical therapist which in itself will bring invaluable knowledge and experience to her work in Only Natural.
We’re very proud of our new team members and hope you’ll enjoy getting to know them too. Here are their stories.
CHLOE
My name is Chloe. I’ve just qualified as a nutritional therapist, DipNT, mIANT, and recently started to work in Only Natural. I previously worked in Nutri health food store in Dublin. I moved from France to Ireland in early 2007 to follow my dream of spending one year abroad and speaking English fluently, and I never left!
I’ve always loved food, especially cakes and biscuits…anything sweet really! During my first few years living in Ireland, I started to indulge a bit too often on chocolate muffins, cookies, vanilla lattes and other treats. I had already been suffering from chronic ear and chest infections in my early childhood, and hayfever, hypotension, hypoglycaemia, digestive issues (not so glamorous constipation and acid reflux, sorry for sharing…) and headaches since my mid-teens, but now I started to gain weight as well and my sugar cravings became out of control. My energy levels were very low at that time and I was constantly suffering from sinusitis, bloating and bad PMS.
Fortunately, Dublin is also the place where I discovered health food shops. At first, I mostly went there to buy organic and natural cosmetics but thanks to the health magazines I picked up during my regular visits, I became more and more interested in nutrition and decided to enrol in a three months introductory course with CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) in March 2011. I found it very informative and quickly noticed some positive effects on my health, just by implementing some small changes into my diet. Cutting down sugar and adding more fibres helped my digestion and energy levels a lot. This fast improvement had me craving for more (no pun intended!), so I decided to enrol in CNM three-year naturopathic nutrition diploma course in September 2011. This has been one of the best decisions I have made so far! It made me realise how much what we eat is so closely linked to our health, which allowed me to understand why I had been struggling to feel good for so long and therefore helped me to get better. In my case, cutting down dairy helped reduce my hayfever and sinusitis a lot. Making sure I eat every three to four hours (three main meals and two snacks), including protein and fats at each meal and reducing my carbohydrates consumption helped to keep my energy levels and mood stable throughout the day. I believe reducing processed foods consumption in favour of whole foods also played a major part in improving my health.
Supplements such as probiotics, omega 3, super greens and rhodiola are big favourites of mine. I also like using essential oils and natural beauty products (shop-bought and home-made), I am a huge fan of coconut oil (both in cooking and as a skincare product) and love baking healthy treats.
As everyone is different, what works for me might not suit you. Nutritional therapists do not cure diseases but help people to improve their health by trying to find the cause(s) of their ailment(s) and advising personalised dietary changes. We also believe in the importance of prevention to optimize our health. I’m looking forward to meeting you in Only Natural and hopefully guide you toward a better health.
SARAH KATE
I have worked in health food stores around the country for six years. During these years I have obtained Diploma and A-Level qualifications in areas such as personal nutrition, sports nutrition and the practical application of dietary supplements.
There are so many products out there, and while the differences might not be obvious – they can be important. I have always enjoyed guiding people towards the choices most suitable for their needs.
My passion lies in bodywork therapy; I will soon be qualified as a Neuromuscular Physical Therapist. I really enjoy the field of movement therapy and I feel that an in depth knowledge of anatomy and physiology is the key to treating muscle problems; from sports injuries to chronic pain. When we look at the body as one big connected muscle, we can start to see how a problem like neck pain may actually be caused by tight calf muscles! I truly believe that our bodies need adequate and appropriate movement to stay healthy and pain free.
