My latest feature for Spirit & Destiny magazine, which appears in the September issue as 'The Diet from Beyond' *(the title wasn't mine, I'm an avid non-dieter!), was most definitely a fun and insightful affair to pull together. For the article, which is in the magazine's first person journalist review section, I attended a Weigh Forward workshop, run and developed by Sky TV psychic Jules Williams.
The Weigh Forward is all about the subconscious reasons as to why we put on weight, and the 'blocks' which make it stay regardless of what we do to try and rid ourselves of it.
My latest addition to iVillage's health section is a feature I recently wrote on slimming teas, mainly an investigation on whether they work and on what they are. To cut right to the chase, I didn't find that I slimmed down any while drinking them, and this was in considerable amounts for around two weeks for the sake of the feature. Mind you, I wasn't exactly taking a scientific approach!
Recently published on iVillage.co.uk is a feature I researched and wrote in October, called 'Cup away your cellulite'. The piece involved me undergoing a Chinese traditional therapy called 'cupping,' which Gwyneth Paltrow is famed to have had done (turning up to a film premiere with very visible signs of the treatment), and it was aimed at trying to make my thighs a little more aesthetically pleasing.
I booked in for some sessions with Manchester-based cupping practitioner Alison Levesley for the feature. She attacked my 'problem areas' using what looked like small goldfish bowls, heated to create a vacuum when applied and rubbed over my dimply bits. There were times that it wasn't altogether unpleasant, though I have to admit, on occasions, it was downright torturous!
Admittedly, it can be a little embarrassing when you're using your own personal experience for health stories, especially in the case of this new candida story I've done for iVillage.co.uk (it reveals a little too much for my liking!). But as anyone who writes from personal experience knows, it makes the whole process of putting the feature together a lot easier, as well as making it more real for the reader - particularly if they can relate to what is being said.
This feature I wrote for iVillage on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a great example of drawing on my 'expertise' for my work. In my old career as a substance misuse worker for young offenders I did some training around CBT methods, and used CBT tools with my clients.
I like it when I can utilise my training and experience in my journalism! Makes the job a whole lot easier.
If you get hold of the November issue of Natural Health magazine, you'll see my latest glossy feature as the cover story title "Change Your Destiny", and then my mug on page 16.
In the photograph, I'm whacked out in a state of hypnotic trance (you can blame Barbara Ford-Hammond for that), undergoing both past life regression and future life progression to write about my experience for the piece. It really was a lot of fun as well (honestly!).
Well, I doubt mine is, and that's probably because he's been so exposed to the subject (and I mean because I used to be a drug and alcohol worker, not because I used to roll spliffs in front of him) that I doubt he'll see it as a form of rebellion. I'm more worried he'll start wearing brown cardigans and try to elicit discussions of freshwater lake sediment levels.
But seriously. My recently published article Is my teenager taking drugs? on allaboutyou.com covers two of the topics I write about frequently (and am very familiar with): substance use and young people.
I've just written for handbag.com on the raw food diet, an article I thoroughly enjoyed doing since my interest in nutrition and diet is such a strong one.
This feature sparked lots of other ideas, and introduced me to new contacts such as Barbara Louvrou and Karen Knowler who I think are doing great work, and who will hopefully inspire many more articles in me.
I've recently written for handbag.com on dealing with the grief of bereavement through natural health.
I'm very interested in using alternative methods of healing and following the death of my ex-husband just over 4 years ago, I tried to employ as many ways as I could of helping myself.
I also witnessed the demise in the health of my ex-husband's mum, who has suffered terribly, so I wanted to investigate ways in which we can try to buffer the ill effects of bereavement stress through natural remedies and treatments.
