Denise Hales is a naturopath, nutritionist and gut guru (and a mother and grandmother!)
My daughter often refers to me as a natural born healer. I guess you could say I have an innate desire to always help others.
My career began as a registered nurse in 1970, specialising in Pediatrics. I was always the first to turn up for a shift and the last to leave. I often developed relationships that would form life bonds with patients and their parents; there was even a time when I begged my parents to adopt one of my patients that had been abandoned by his parents!!!
Although I constantly worked alongside western medicine I always opted for natural remedies first when healing my family, but I never took a “real” interest in it until I hit menopause! The dreaded hormonal change! I knew instantly that HRT was never going to be my thing so I sought treatment from an integrated clinic in Brisbane. And that was it… I was hooked!
Natural remedies saw me sail through menopause, where my practitioners treated my body as an individual, analyzed my hormones levels and worked with me to help replenish the hormones I had lost.
It was from this moment forward that at the age of 55 I knew I had to study naturopathy so I could help other women! But after completing my bachelor degree, my focus and passion led me to concentrate on the GUT and BRAIN connection (not on woman’s issues as I had once thought!).
Now as a fully qualified naturopath and nutritionist I combine laboratory testing to help identify what may be contributing to a client’s underlying health issue.
I believe in the scientific evidence to help find answers. Specific tests can result in a faster successful treatment outcome. For example, breath testing to diagnose Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) or a variety of non-invasive tests to evaluate specific gastrointestinal imbalances and assess digestive health and function; food allergies and hypersensitivities or hormone testing.
As if having my own Brisbane based clinic isn’t busy enough, I have also lectured at Endeavour College Natural Health, supervised student clinics, and mentored naturopathic and nutrition students in my private clinic; which I find extremely rewarding.
My mission is to restore your gut microbiome to a more natural state to help maintain good health!
Recently I have been working with a UK company known as Biome Restoration. They provide HDC, a higher organism (a helminth) which helps complete your intestinal ecosystem and provides diversity that probiotics alone cannot. I have been using HDC therapy, in combination with diet and lifestyle changes, to improve food allergies and intolerances, immunity and gut health. And having amazing results!
A practitioner/ lecturer/ mentor/ importer of helminths… as if my plate wasn’t full enough, now I’ve joined forces with my gut loving daughter and friend to create Gut Happy – a place where you can come to for professional advice, be guided along a path of wellness, buy Gut Happy products, create Gut Happy recipes and join a tribe of like minded people with an aim to get Gut Happy and unlock the potential to true wellness!