Published in: ALAR Journal
Vol 8, No 1, April 2003

Introduction – The Clinic

I am the owner/manager and director of Performance Health Qld Clinic and am trained in osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, bio-resonance therapy, acupuncture, and in mental/emotional therapy. My role involves both health management and business management. Health management entails the development of treatment protocols, actual treatment and oversight by way of case management. It also involves the recruitment and training of quality staff.

As the manager/owner of a holistic health clinic, I recognise and rely on four major tools. These are the practice of osteopathy in the cranial field, naturopathy using herbs, nutritional substances and homeopathy, I use the principles of acupuncture and employ electro magnetic energy, primarily through a device known as a BICOM machine. The clinic’s primary activity is the treatment of chronic, long term or degenerative states. We are not set up for the ER type case, nor do we hold a license for it.

I also work in the mental emotional realm. A primary tool is kinesiology and a system called Neuro Emotional Therapy (NET), which employs the principles of muscle testing and kinesiology for the treatment of mental emotional conditions. I developed the clinic in response to patient need and their insistence that traditional medicine had failed them.

The methodology employed to implement changes in the clinic is based on the action learning, action research (ALAR) model. This is a particular paradigm of thinking and learning that:

“… emerged in the 1920’s and has been developed since then constantly and in a dynamic way. They gained eminence in times of crisis and enormous change, such as during the World Wars I and II and in recent years in response to globalisation and rapid technological and
socio-economic change.” (Zuber-Skerritt 2001)

The patient’s point of view is vital. Part of the holistic approach is the understanding that health requires more than a sterile process or a clinically uninvolved routine. More often than not, the patient knows intuitively where their problem lies, and that understanding is a vital element in the diagnostic process.

‘Reflection’ after ‘Observation’ is the key component of my practice philosophy, and that is what makes the ALAR model suitable as my research methodology. I observed how regular the cycle was, and I found myself doing the same thinking, but at another level.

To read the full article in the ALAR Journal, please click here.