ABOUT HEDGEROW HEALTH

The name Hedgerow Health came about as I was desperately trying to connect my training to my obsession with all things natural, especially plants and grown food, and how this all tied into my health and wellbeing. Given that hedgerows, when left to their own, natural devices, are a thriving eco system, this was exactly what I wanted to guide both myself and my clients back towards; a balanced, natural, thriving health.

It stems from a passion for helping people to make the absolute best of their health and regain control of their wellbeing, which is so often consumed by the mad, fast-paced, stress filled modern world we live in today.

Whether you’re dealing with active health challenges, looking for ways to support yourself though a stressful time, trying to reduce your risk of something 'in the family' like high blood pressure or high cholesterol or seeking a bit more knowledge about how to train in a healthy, balanced way I can help explain what you body is doing and how it's coping (or why it isn't coping!), where you might need a little more support and how to get back to feeling great!

Contact Me

ABOUT ME

My name is Jodie and I'm a Nutritional Therapist. I trained for 3 years with the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) and am registered as a practitioner with the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP). ANP are a professional body overseeing our safety standards and practices, onging training and professional development. They keep us practicing at the cutting edge, making sure we stay up to date and continue learning to ensure we are the best we can possibly be for our clients.

One of the biggest reasons I chose to qualify with CNM was the fact that students are required to do 200 hours of supervised clinical practice. This means that before we even qualify, we have seen dozens of clients and been thoroughly assessed on our clinical skills. It meant that we could realy hit the ground running when we set out on our own paths.

At the core of Hedgerow Health is a fundamental belief in real food (I'm a massive food lover!), doing something you love every day and keeping it simple! Good nutrition doesn't have to be, and indeed shouldn't be, complicated!

I came to nutrition through my own health challenges, including autoimmunity (my diagnoses are systemic lupus erythematosus & antiphospholipid syndrome; 10 points if you can say that second one out loud on your first attempt!) and disordered eating. I can honestly say, I understand, I'm here for you, I totally get it. A huge amount of my journey has been down to mindset change. The realisation and acceptance that;

a) I didn't have to put up with how things were, I deserved better

b) No one else was going to do the leg work for me. They quite literally couldn't. You know the phrase 'You can lead a horse to water...', never has that been more true. Only you are responsible for what you put in your mouth, on your skin and how you treat your body and live your life.

I had to take responsibility. Hands down, it was the best decision I ever made!

I had to totally re-evaluate my life, from addressing my terrible eating habits, right down to the 9-5 (more like 8-6.30ish...) job that was slowly killing any hope that I would ever feel better. Everything got the Marie Kondo treatment; if it didn't add value, it went. Including the alleged 9-5.

I rediscovered real food is fuel for all the amazing things we want to do with our time and energy. It's nourishment for our family life, it can provide comfort, healing and joy.

Ultimately, our relationship with food has become so warped by constant availability of unlimited foods (and frankenstein foods; low-fat, low-sugar and margerine, I'm looking right at you) that it seems like we've forgotten the fundamental basics about nourishing and nurturing our bodies with what they need.

There is a fantastic quote; 'Genetics load the gun, environment pulls the trigger.'. Environment in this instance is everything you put in your body from food and medication, medical interventions to cigarettes and non prescription drugs, everything you use in your home and on your body, the places you work, rest and play and the way you choose to live. This little quote shows up in sharp relief that you aren't necessarily at the mercy of your genetics. By altering the environment you can effect change.

We will delve into your history, look at your the food you eat as well as what's going on in your life and around you in order to identify any underlying problems contributing to how you're feeling. With a full range of clinical testing available, we can dicuss any areas you're curious about (genetics and immunity seem to be themain areas of interest at the moment) as well as those which could shine a light on any tricky areas of your health.

I'm not into extreme diets, full on fasting for beginners or any other crazy fads you may be worried I might suggest. Everything we do will be working towards balance and happiness and that's not going to happen for most people on a diet restricted to broccoli and plain chicken.