Helping others with natural medicine
As a child, Lynne Paton always wanted to be a nurse and after graduating from high school she took a year off to do office administration. That year turned into twenty years and in the meantime, she had a family and worked at a hospital in the emergency department.
“It was a real eye opener,” explains Lynne. “I actually became a little dismayed with our health system. To me it seemed like a one-size-fits-all fix for everything and that’s when I decided that nursing and general medicine were not for me.”
Instead, Lynne decided to study naturopathy, a form of complementary medicine that focuses on a whole-body approach. While studying naturopathy Lynne also became passionate about homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine based on the belief that the body can cure itself by using tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals to stimulate the healing process.
“I thought ‘Oh my God, homeopathy is what I really want to do’. I felt that I’d found my passion. So I studied for another three years and got a degree in homeopathy as well.”
“I read Kon Karapanagiotidis’ book about his work with the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre and I just thought I’d love to offer free treatment to asylum seekers. I love helping others and that’s what gets me out of bed in the morning”
LYNNE PATON
After graduation, Lynne decided to strike out on her own, renting a consulting room as a naturopath and homeopath at Newport Specialised Therapies because it was close to home.
Lynne has been serving clients there since 2008, with a special interest in polycystic ovarian syndrome, one of the leading causes of infertility in women.
“In the final year of naturopathy, you conduct clinics where you see members of the public under supervision. Every single person that I saw had polycystic ovarian syndrome. It became a running joke with all the class,” laughs Lynne. “Now I have a lot of experience working with women who have been told that they’re going to have to go through IVF to get pregnant and I’m confident about being able to help them through natural medicine. I get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals as a result.”
One of Lynne’s future goals for the business is to offer her skills and knowledge to charitable organisations.
“I read Kon Karapanagiotidis’ book about his work with the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre and I just thought I’d love to offer free treatment to asylum seekers. I love helping others and that’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.”
