Alternative Solutions

Heather Hull’s interest in alternative therapies developed as a result of her own serious illness. The 36 year old from Holmesfield, Derbyshire, had a stressful career teaching English in a secondary school in Chesterfield. She worked every evening and weekend to keep abreast of the job but it just seemed to get harder all the time. "There’s pressure from the government, new initiatives, constant curriculum and syllabus changes and to keep all these plates spinning is getting impossible," she says.

Then at half term in October 1997, after fighting off the usual round of viruses circulating the school, she succumbed to ‘flu. It then turned into viral meningitis and she never recovered her health.

Six months later, after a barrage of medical tests, she was diagnosed with ME, commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Later still she suffered double pneumonia.

At her worst she thought she was dying. The stress of constant pressure and work had, she believed, taken its toll on her health and well-being.

It is a link that is increasingly being recognised. A recent American study at the Harvard Centre for Society and Health found that a stressful job is just as unhealthy as smoking.

Heather’s symptoms were varied and wide-ranging. She suffered complete loss of balance, severe headaches, aches in joints and muscles, palpitations, a wildly fluctuating temperature, insomnia, sickness, diarrhoea as well as extreme fatigue which confined her to bed. The NHS provided her with a diagnosis but could offer no cure.

Heather says: "In a way the diagnosis was a relief but it was also very depressing. They say, ‘you have got ME’ but then discharge you because there is no treatment, with the warning that you may need to go on anti-depressants to help you cope with your situation. That can make you feel desperate because you want to get better but don’t know how".

In desperation she took the advice of a friend and travelled to Bristol to visit an alternative health therapist who used the ancient Japanese form of healing called Reiki.

Reiki balances the flow of energy in the body and supports the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Reiki practitioners place their hands on or near various parts of the body known as ‘chakras’ - centres of energy. The healer aims to clear blockages so that energy can flow freely through the body.

The treatment promotes a profound sense of calm, deep relaxation and well-being. Heather says: "I’m a sceptical person and after having taught for nearly ten years I’m fairly cynical but I was willing to give it a go. It was a nice experience, very soothing. It didn’t set the world alight but it sowed a seed. I felt there was something in it."

A few months later she returned to Bristol and decided to learn Reiki for herself so she could self heal. "I self healed every day and started to get results. It’s hard to describe but I knew it was doing me good. It works on many different levels - healing physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. The beauty of it is, it knows what you need most at a given time and will go to the root cause and heal it.

"Most of all it gave me a feeling of confidence that I would get over the ME. It is incredibly soothing. If I had a bad headache I would self heal and it would go. If I had aches in my joints I would self heal and sometimes it would just put me to sleep.

It was gradual. It didn’t happen in an all-singing, all-dancing kind of way but I just knew I would get better using Reiki. I wasn’t getting all of the symptoms all of the time and my stamina improved."

By now Heather had been off work for two years and lost her teaching job. "We all have mortgages to pay and I needed to earn a living but I knew that no employer would look at me because I had been off sick for two years and couldn’t guarantee to be able to hold down a regular job; so I decided to become self-employed".

During this time she had progressed through the different stages of Reiki to become a Reiki Master, enabling powerful healing of herself and others, but also enabling her to teach others to use Reiki for themselves. She set up as a Reiki Healer. Within three months of doing this and beginning a Reflexology course she had become well enough to begin a new part-time teaching post. 

Having taught for a year, however, Heather has now left teaching to practice as a healer full time.

Her Reiki clients’ problems are varied. "They may suffer from chronic back or neck pain, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, cancer, anxiety, panic attacks, asthma and depression but in the main feel they have stress-related illness".

Heather describes the sensation she feels when healing her clients: "My hands get really, really hot, you can feel the energy flowing almost like rods coming through your hands. It can throb or pulsate or even feel cold. It is different for every person and for each session."

Reiki isn’t the only therapy Heather offers, she has since qualified as a reflexologist. "My Mum bought me a reflexology treatment for my birthday. When I had the session I was amazed that a reflexologist can pick up ailments or imbalances that exist in your body simply by working your feet. This fascinated me and I wanted to find out more so I enrolled on a course. "

Reflexology is an ancient healing art that works on the principle that following illness, stress, injury or disease, vital energy pathways in the body become blocked leading to imbalances whereby the body does not function properly. There are reflex areas in the hands and feet that correspond to the organs, glands and parts of the body. When a reflexologist applies firm pressure using thumb and finger techniques, a response is illicited in an organ or gland in the body that is connected to the reflex by energy and nerve pathways. The goal of reflexology is to promote relaxation and encourage the body to balance and heal itself.

"Reflexology is an increasingly popular complementary therapy which is particularly beneficial in relieving stress and tension which is so much a by-product of modern life. An increasing number of people are using this safe and natural therapy as a way of relaxing, de-stressing, balancing and harmonising their bodies. Reflexology can achieve positive results on a wide range of illnesses, conditions and diseases - from backache, migraine, allergies and PMT, to joint pain, tension, infertility and acne."

Heather’s reflexology clients range from teenagers to pensioners and have treatment for conditions ranging from Multiple Sclerosis, hormonal and menopausal problems, insomnia and depression, to gall stones, osteoporosis and liver problems. "Nearly all of my clients find that after a few sessions they are gaining additional benefits such as better sleep and they are generally more relaxed. It’s not just the obvious problems that are helped."

The International Institute of Reflexology course that Heather followed is the only internationally recognised qualification of its kind and the only one to be officially recognised by the British Government. "The Institute has been lobbying parliament to allow reflexology on the NHS. This is beginning to happen in some areas, which is great news as maybe in the future, GP’s will be more inclined to refer patients to qualified practitioners for help."

She says that her clients are benefiting in the same way as she has herself. "More people are becoming aware that they need a bit more than the NHS and tablets to treat symptoms. They want to get to the root cause of their illness or condition and avoid lengthy or even permanent reliance on medication. 

A growing number of people are becoming aware that their spirit and soul needs attention as much as their physical body. I offer both therapies to people seeking natural, gentle and non-invasive methods of helping their bodies to heal themselves."

Heather Hull has an established practice at home on Main Road, Holmesfield. Telephone (0114) 289 1342 for more information or an appointment.