Get Well Keep Well - Natural health courses - Online and in West Dorset: Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport

"We all could herald in an epidemic of health because every day you - all of you - choose what you eat and what you do. Every day. You could choose to eat plenty of vegetables; switch to organic foods; move your bodies and meditate. We could all become the physician of the future. We could all herald in an epidemic of health. Every day you choose what you eat and what you do. Now that you know - what choices will you make?"

Dr Terry Wahls

How to optimise your health with diet, herbs, aromatherapy, supplements, cooking, lifestyle changes ... and much much more!

Total Wellness with Andrew and Mary-Clare - Natural health courses - here we are in Sri Lanka!

Over the past 35 years, we have built up an unrivalled body of knowledge and expertise in natural health methodologies which - crucially - can be utilised by anyone. We have amassed a whole 'toolbox' of tips, advice and practices which can enable you, our course participants, to take back your power over the health of yourselves and your families.

We do not 'empower' you - we give you information so that you can empower yourselves!

I feel I now have good health at my fingertips; and am empowered for self-health!
I attended Mary-Clare and Andrew's Get Well Keep Well day. It was such a rich day packed with information and inspiration. Although there was a lot to absorb, it was very informal with lots of time to ask questions and start discussions along the way.
The framework for the day was the world's Blue Zones - localities found in multiple countries, from Greece and Italy, to Japan and Pakistan - where the population survives and thrives into old age, in good health. The common factors in diet and lifestyle across these zones formed an agenda for discussion.
However this is where the day went off-piste, as rather than stick strictly to blue zone research by other actors, Mary-Clare and Andrew brought their own combined 70 years of research, expertise and experience to the fore, which they generously shared.
Topics covered included: herbalism; exercise; supporting natural immunity; a diet grounded in unprocessed whole foods; myth-busting around often over-simplified nutrition advice such as the role of fats in the diet; and enriching the body for health through an array of practices, from smelling sea air to diversifying micronutrient intake.
Practical aspects included making a rich herbal tea which was like a health-bomb elixir!, gentle movement in the garden, and a tour of their amazing smallholding with chickens.
I live a very busy life and so did not want to go away overwhelmed with a list of "shoulds". In fact, I went away with a simple list of prompts for things I felt particularly inspired by, to follow-up on in my own time and way.
I went away with so much learning and so many ideas, and am am now free to choose what to act on, in taking more accountability for my own health, and laying much firmer foundations for my good health into the future."

I thoroughly recommend taking the time out and doing this workshop with Mary-Clare and Andrew. Apart from being the loveliest couple you could hope to meet, they have a wealth of knowledge of holistic and nutritional ways and wisdoms which they don't just teach, but actually live, and have done for years whilst raising their children to adulthood. And seeing is believing - they are absolutely bursting with healthy vitality and radiance! We all have to be far more responsible and individually sovereign in our health choices. This is one step into doing that and at a very affordable financial exchange.

I feel like I've learned so much in such a short space of time - my brain is quite full of knowledge!
Thank you so much for all the information on herbs - there is so much out there to learn and I can't believe it's not a key part of our education system

What can I say but Wow! Such an amazing day spent with Mary-Clare and Andrew who so freely shared their expertise and knowledge which they have gained over many years on herbs, health and well-being. They took us around their amazing wild flower/herb and vegetable garden with stunning views, such a lovely relaxing space and so inspiring. We met so many like-minded people, thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, especially Mary-Clare's home-made biscuits! I would thoroughly recommend any courses that they do and will definitely be back for more, I am feeling so inspired.

The Health Course - Get well, Keep well!

... your health freedom journey starts here!

Here is an outline of the course units on our main one day course with answers to some of the questions people asked before enrolling on the course -

Introduction - Tipping the scales in our favour

There are small areas in the world - the 'Blue Zones' - where people live routinely into their 90s and beyond, in full health.

"That sounds very encouraging - in the course, do you recommend changes which we can make in our own lives, so that we stand a better chance of being like 'Blue Zoners'?" > our answer

Yes - that's what our course is based on - looking at all aspects of the Blue Zoners' lives and trying to emulate these as much as possible. This is the most exciting thing about our course, since we all really can start to tip the scales in our favour, starting with just small changes to diet and eating habits! > hide answer

Nutrition, diet and eating

"There are an awful lot of diets out there and such confusing information on what are the best and worst foods to eat ... I really need somebody to help me who doesn't have some nutritional axe to grind!" > our answer

We completely agree about diets: it's easy to latch onto one of these restrictive diets, in the hope that it will solve all your health problems! In contrast, what we do is look at the type of diet which people have eaten through the centuries, in the healthiest parts of the world and then adapt that for a more modern lifestyle. We pay particular attention to the nutritional deficiencies in a lot of 'conventionally' produced food and whether processed food can play any part in a healthy diet. No fad diets here!

Also, health authorities tend to base their dietary recommendations on extremely outdated ideas, so don't expect to hear us parrotting out the NHS line! And, unfortunately, the majority of conventionally-trained nutritionists do the same thing, so we will be suggesting nutritional changes which you will see routinely dismissed by the health 'establishment'.

Amongst many other subjects, we will look at the rise in people with gluten and lactose intolerance and provide some information which will open your eyes to what the problem really is! > hide answer

Pesticides and chemicals and how they get into the food system and your body

"Most people say that we shouldn't worry about pesticide residues because, when tested, the residues are always found to be within approved safe limits. So isn't it just scaremongering to suggest that we need to be concerned about this?" > our answer

There is indeed a widely-held view that these chemicals would not be allowed in agriculture if they were unsafe for us to consume. However, it's important to realise that regulatory bodies throughout the world necessarily operate on an economic basis - a viable agricultural sector adds to the country's GDP, so the country (within that economic context) benefits if that sector is allowed to use products which appear to increase its profitability or international competitiveness. Dual forces - the agricultural industry (which has been persuaded of the desirability of these products by the manufacturers) and the agrochemical companies themselves - will apply considerable pressure to obtain regulatory approval for these products.

Offset against this will be the remit to ensure that human health is not impaired by the chemicals in question. But this is simply viewed on a cost/benefit basis, rather than based on the principle that no chemical should be allowed in or on our food if there is any possibility of harm. And, in any case, the tests and studies on the safety of the chemical will have been conducted by the manufacturer, thus rendering them pretty much useless as an unbiased source of information.

We'll be covering this subject in detail, particularly looking at organic food and whether we can trust that label, or is it just another marketing trick!

> hide answer

Cooking and food preparation to maximise the nutritional benefit

"I'm intrigued by this subject and look forward to hearing about how we can improve our health by changing the way we cook!" > our answer

This isn't a cooking course, but there are a lot of simple tips and tricks we've discovered over the years, particularly from doing a lot of Indian and Middle Eastern cookery. > hide answer

Creating and maintaining a healthy gut

"There seems to be never-ending discussion about this subject these days; why is it so important?" > our answer

Most forward-thinking health experts now view gut health as vitally important for our overall health ... including mental health, since there is a strong connection between gut health and brain health.

This is a particular interest of both of us and we will cover this subject in detail. We will look at both cutting-edge ideas and also what we can learn from looking at how traditional cultures grow, eat and cook in ways which will enhance gut health, rather than destroying it, as is the case with many 'modern' food and healthcare practices!

There is obviously a lot of overlap here with the preceding 3 sections: these 4 sections together form a major part of what we're teaching on the course. > hide answer

Creating a robust immune system

"It almost seems to me like 'improving your immune system' has become just another reason to blame illness on us and our bad eating or lifestyle habits! Does your course provide anything we can actually do about immunity, rather than just making us feel more guilty?" > our answer

A good question! What we always aim to do is to provide information, so that you can empower yourself to make changes - even small incremental changes - which will help you feel better and enable you to fight off illness. We have no interest in making anyone feel guilty about anything - all we are doing is making use of our own experience and knowledge to help you make your own decisions.

Dietary, environmental, and lifestyle factors all have an impact on the enhancement or depletion of your immune system and our course covers all of these aspects. This section summarises all of these aspects and links in with most of the other sections.

> hide answer

Skin care

"I'm fed up with buying over-priced 'natural' skincare products! Do you have any guidance on how we can make our own?" > our answer

Yes we do!

Commercial skin care products (even if they are 'natural' ones) contain a whole range of toxic chemicals and we all tend to have the idea that the skin is simply an impermeable coating (almost like plastic!) covering our bodies. The reality is that everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies, so it is always best for us to stick to the rule that we shouldn't put anything on our skin which we can't eat!

As well as using dry skin brushing to improve our skin health (which we will cover in a handout), we make: our own face lotion and oil; natural deodorants and perfumes, using only pure essential oils; lip balm; aftershave and also a tooth powder and essential oil-based mouthwash.

We will be giving you the recipes and wil be making some short videos about making all of these products.

> hide answer

Avoiding household chemicals/perfumes

"I've been wondering if I use too many perfumed products - not just body lotions, etc, but all those smelly washing powders and cleaning products; it sounds like you agree, so what's your view on this?" > our answer

We use natural essential oils a lot ourselves, so the whole idea of synthetic 'fragrances' is a particular issue for us. Natural fragrances are beneficial and health-promoting, but synthetic 'fragrances' are toxic and can cause a wide range of health problems. We'll cover this in detail in the course, based on that fundamental premise, also covering lack of ventilation in modern houses and even the problems with new carpets and furniture! > hide answer

Use of supplements

"This is a big subject, I know, but are there any supplements which you think are particularly worth taking on a regular basis?" > our answer

Yes there are - we take quite a few supplements on a regular basis and will be writing a list of suggestions, to give you as a handout.

We will also cover the use of various 'superfoods' which we take on a daily basis (recipes will be included!), to make use of the health-promoting benefits of these very special foods.

> hide answer

Treating yourself with natural remedies and natural health practices

"I'm really excited about starting to take control of my own health in this way - what sort of health practices will you be covering?" > our answer

We use mainly herbal medicine and essential oils ourselves, but are also strong advocates of the 'food as medicine' principle, so we use a lot of what would normally be classified as 'just' foods. However, we will be covering a much wider range of practices, explaining what we think they are best used for, and when it has seemed best to go and see a practitioner, to get a different type of healing which we can't do ourselves. > hide answer

Stocking a small natural medicine cabinet

"It looks like you have a lot of experience of this, so I'm looking forward to hearing your recommendations!" > our answer

Yes we do! For years now we have been learning/adapting/adding to what we stock in the house for First Aid and acute conditions. Some of these includes herbs we grow in the garden or spices we keep in the kitchen, a few are ointments we have ourselves and some things we buy in. We will also be discussing an easy, small selection of what we tend to take with us when we go away on long trips to the Middle East and SE Asia. > hide answer

Exercises for flexibility, mobility, balance, strength and muscle/joint healing

Total Wellness with Andrew and Mary-Clare - Natural health courses - Exercises for flexibility, mobility, balance, strength and muscle/joint healing

"I don't want to go to the gym, so I'm looking for some simple exercises to do at home - I'm presuming that you have a lot of suggestions?" > our answer

Yes, we do a range of different types of exercise and they all have different benefits. We'll share our favourites with you and will teach you a few nice gentle movements on the day. Oh, and we never go to the gym! > hide answer

Special introductory price of only £65 for the full day!

(limited discounts available for people on a low income)

Courses are run quite regularly - Please check back here, or ring Mary-Clare, on 07775-656782 for more information.

"Health can be as infectious as disease, growing and spreading under the right conditions."

attributed to organic food pioneer, Lady Eve Balfour

The Herb Course

... our one day introductory herbal course

An introduction to growing and using culinary and medicinal herbs

Now you can take control of your health with our exciting one day workshop!

We will be covering the following topics, with plenty of time for discussion and questions/answers -

Improving your health with culinary herbs and spices, including one common herb often dismissed as just a garnish!
Why medicinal herbs will always work better than pharmaceutical drugs ... and without the side effects.
Growing herbs - seeds, cuttings, plants ... which is the best way to get started and avoid disappointment?
A herb exploration and identification walk in our own garden.
The use of some every common herbs for a variety of ailments.
Preserving herbs for long-term use - drying, tinctures, infused oils, ointments & salves.
Creating a herbal medicine first aid kit.
The use of herbs for chronic conditions, with some case histories from our own experience.

Special introductory price of only £45 for the full day!

(Some discounts available for people on a low income)

Next course will be held in Abbotsbury, on Saturday April 20th.

To book your place, ring Mary-Clare, on 07775-656782.

Our experience in natural health practices

As testament to our confidence in natural health methods, neither us nor our sons has been registered with a GP since 1994!

Over those - now nearly 30 - years we have treated ourselves for such illnesses as kidney infections, appendicitis, hepatitis A, sciatica, measles, mumps, tachycardia, blood poisoning (from a gardening accident), etc .... but we have substantially kept ourselves healthy! We have become particularly knowledgeable about immune support, and cancer and dementia prevention.

We have a very large fruit and vegetable garden, such that we are almost self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables, which is of great benefit to our health. We also grow a wide variety of culinary and medicinal herbs and make our own medical herbal tinctures and infused oils.

Andrew

"My journey to natural health started way back in the 80's, when I developed a medical condition for which the only conventional treatment was surgery. Not wanting to go down that route, I happened to find a book about the condition in a health food shop and, with the book's advice, was able to cure myself, by substantially changing my diet. Through this, I developed a strong interest in growing my own food, spending time working for and with a holistic natural healing centre under the renowned Naturopath, Shyam Singha. This was a crucial formative experience for me - learning a massive amount about cooking, nutrition and natural healing from him and his staff.

"I am trained in reflexology, massage, aromatherapy, Reiki and herbal medicine and have been teaching myself about food, nutrition and cooking for over 35 years."

Mary-Clare

"Real Health requires personal responsibility and giving your body what it needs to heal itself and function at its best. In 'traditional' societies, people worked together to maintain good health and treat illness and disease. It requires communities and cooperation. For many years now I have been learning from others about natural healing and amassing a 'health toolkit', using nutrition, aromatherapy and culinary and medicinal herbs amongst other things. I spend a lot of time advising others successfully on easy ways they can help themselves with their health. I am part of the steering group for Bridport Health Alliance.

"I am trained in massage and aromatherapy. I also do a lot of work with new parents: having trained with The Breastfeeding Network and La Leche League, I try to help as many couples as I can with breastfeeding, which is a vital - but often overlooked - prerequisite for the future health of both mother and child. This includes volunteering at a Bridport and Weymouth group. I run regular walks for new mothers (see the West Dorset Slings Facebook page), to help parents understand their baby and learn the health aspects of carrying a baby in a sling. I trained as an antenatal/post-natal teacher (2017) and as a 'Babywearing' Consultant (2019) and run 'Starting Solids' workshops to help get babies and their parents off to a very good start with eating - which is fundamentally important for the child's - and adult's - future health."

Andrew is writing a book, 'Food Uncovered', a comprehensive investigation of our food system and its drastic implications for the health of people and planet. He has been campaigning about organic food since the 80s. He is currently seeking a publisher and/or agent.

"All we need to live a good life surrounds us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds, and plants. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos."

Bill Mollison, Co-Founder of Permaculture

For further information on our courses, please contact us -
Mary-Clare Buckle email:
Andrew Green email:
tel: 01305-871561 or 07775-656782
13 Market Street, Abbotsbury, Dorset, DT3 4JR

Please note that, if you pay a deposit to secure your place on either the Herbal or Total Wellness courses, we would not normally expect to refund the deposit if you decide that you don't want to come!

'Get Well Keep Well' - health courses
Online and in West Dorset: Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport

How to optimise your health with diet, herbs, aromatherapy, supplements, cooking, lifestyle changes ... and much much more!

The Health Course - Get well, Keep well!

... your health freedom journey starts here!