The College of Medicine works to re-define medicine beyond pills and procedures, and our members and wider community are vital to our success.
By engaging with our online classes – covering everything from mindfulness to hypnosis and nutrition – our supporters have shown over the last year exactly how effective community can be to improving our health – both mental and physical.
Below is just some of the feedback we’ve received in recent months about how the College of Medicine has helped our members and those attending our virtual classes, particularly during the hardest months of lockdown.
SHARE YOUR STORY: If you’d like to share your own story, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at info@collegeofmedicine.org.uk or post your stories across our social media channels.
“The classes gave us motivation and an outlet to meet others during lockdown and the winter months…”
Roger and Linda Millard told us how online classes had helped both their physical and mental health during lockdown.
Roger explains: “About a year prior to the pandemic having a hold on the nation we had reached the age that some form of exercise was needed to keep the old bones and muscles moving.
“After many years of restricted movement with her back following a road accident, Linda ventured forward to try Tai Chi, attending one class a week at a local centre – but she found some the exercises just a little challenging.
“Of course these classes were closed as COVID bit. Isolation gave rise to a new communal feel of how things could be delivered of course ZOOM entered our lives.
Linda was already a member of the College of Medicine not as a professional but having a keen interest in healthy living. And soon as Sarah Bazin’s exercise sessions were announced we signed up.
“Sarah’s classes offer exercises for breathing, mobility, balance, strengthening and, depending on the activity levels of the participants, a little cardiovascular work-out .
At the end of the session, there would be five minutes of well-earned relaxation. Perfect for us and the bonus is its available five days a week which is something the Tai Chi classes could not offer.
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“Ultimately what are the benefits? Being at 9.30am in the morning it starts the day well stretching joints after a night’s sleep is important to get us moving. Repeating exercises daily somehow your body becomes more used to them. If you miss a few days when you come back it seems a little harder.
“During the early stages of hard lockdown and particularly over the winter months it also provides an outlet to meet others who need the same form of motivating. We offer our heartfelt thanks to Sarah and the College of Medicine for facilitating these exercises and long may it continue.”
“Freddy Jacquin and his hypnotherapy sessions have turned into a highlight of the end of each month for me…”
Victorian McCann, a herbalist who practices endobiogenic medicine has been a College of Medicine member for over four years and says our lockdown classes have given her a chance to try new things.
She tells us: “I can’t begin to express how truly revolutionary – in a brilliant way – the College of Medicine is with it’s foresight and inclusivity of practitioners, covering all aspects of personal health and growth for the benefit of truly holistic health.
“I was amazed at how during the very early stages of the pandemic, College of Medicine members swung into action offering sessions in their specialities for the benefit of the rest of the membership with the aim of helping everyone feel connected to a caring community.
“During this time I took advantage of several practices that I had never experienced before. I have found great help from John Miller and his Qigong, and the whole Healthflix online health series, which introduced me to the truly wonderful Freddy Jacquin.
“Freddy’s hypnotherapy sessions have turned into a highlight of the end of each month for me. It is an hour of gentle, kind insightful banter from Freddy culminating in half an hour of the most amazing, calming, relaxing state of ‘letting go’. It is an almost guilty pleasure as it feels so self indulgent. Freddy is so generous with his time. I am sure all of us who attend benefit greatly from his sessions and none of us want them to stop – ever!”
“I’m absolutely certain being a member has helped me get through this difficult time with minimal negative impact on my health…”
College of Medicine member Elizabeth Solowo-Coker said The College of Medicine had been “one cornerstone of my life throughout the period of the pandemic”.
She told us: “I am absolutely certain that many of the activities/events being a member has given me access to have helped me get through this difficult time with minimal negative impact on my health and well-being – both physical and emotional – in a way that many people I know have not.”
Elizabeth said she’d benefited from sessions including Lu Jong (Tibetan Healing Yoga), yoga nidra, laughter yoga, breath practice and hypnosis, as well as ayuryoga (which brings together Ayurvedic principles and yoga), webinars on magnesium for stress and anxiety, and the benefits of fasting.
Jay: “Very informative and Heather kept to simple, understandable nutrition concepts and language. Thank you!”
Agnies: “Fantastic presentation, thank you! Really helpful for me as a GP to add to my narrative. Looking forward to the slides.”
Farinaz: “Very useful overview and some very practical points. Many thanks.”
Jay, Agnies AND FARINAZ were speaking about a healthy eating WEBINAR with College of Medicine Nutrition lead Heather Richards
“The College of Medicine has been, for me, a solid foundation to keep myself centred and focused, especially in my care of patient…”
Fellow member Madeleine Brzeski wrote to us earlier this year to tell us that she felt “extremely fortunate to be a member of an organisation that puts the health and social needs of people at its core.”
“The courses I have attended have helped me, and helped me to help patients. The sessions with Mark Chambers and Freddie Jacquin are very informative. The power of the human mind is extraordinary, those guys make it very accessible and easy to understand.”
HILDA (Harmony in Living and Dying) sessions with Dr Eleni Tsiompanou had also proved useful, said Madeleine. “Many patients that I see, currently have an overwhelming fear of death and dying. It seems to be exacerbated by the negative media coverage of the pandemic.”
“Mark and Freddie have given me skills to set people’s intention on the present and Eleni and her colleagues have some wonderful guidance for end-of-life care.”
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SHARE YOUR STORY: If you’d like to share your own story, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at info@collegeofmedicine.org.uk or post your stories across our social media channels.
