About Sara 

Sara is a qualified and highly experienced medical herbalist who specialises in herbal medicine for women’s health and hormonal balance.  She provides individualised herbal treatment and a functional nutrition approach for:

• The menopausal transition including natural alternatives to hormone replacement treatment (HRT)

• Menstrual issues including, erratic ,heavy ,painful , periods, Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)

• Ovarian cysts and endometriosis

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

• Subclinical hypothyroidism

• HPA dysregulation ( adrenal fatigue) and chronic stress

• Fertility challenges

Sara believes that women’s health in the modern world is increasing being impacted by processed diets, xenoestrogens , poor lifestyle choices, environmental pollution and chronic stress. Hormonal imbalance is often a result of these factors. She takes a holistic approach and incorporates herbal medicine, functional nutrition and lifestyle factors into her treatment. She believes little positive changes can make a big difference over time and supports women to make these changes to reach their health and wellbeing goals.

The initial consultation will last an hour with a review of your health and past medical history including diet, medication and supplements. After the consultation Sara will write you a personalised treatment plan with nutritional, supplement and lifestyle advice. She will then prescribe a course of herbal medicine which is reviewed every 8 weeks.  Sara works with Genova laboratories and can also order adrenal stress tests, hormone panels, thyroid tests, digestive analysis and DNA tests to provide a tailor made and specific treatment and try to get to the root cause of your symptoms.

Background

Sara’s interest in medicinal plants stems from working on an Amazonian rainforest reserve in Ecuador after completing a degree in Anthropology and Spanish at Sussex University, Brighton. In Ecuador, she assisted the local Shaman in the propagation of medicinal plants from the rainforest and observed the medicinal qualities of plants used in a community with little access to Western drugs. Sara was so impressed in the therapeutic qualities plants could have that she decided she had to learn more about their diverse properties and how they could be used therapeutically as a natural form of medicine. Subsequently, she returned to the UK and completed her BSc (Hons) in Herbal Medicine. Her dissertation was awarded first class honours and she went on to publish her research In the International Journal of herbal medicine about the herbal treatment of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

She is an experienced writer and contributing author for the Herbal Academy, in the US and has written on natural approaches to the menopause; herbal adaptogens and adrenal fatigue and an advanced course on  pregnancy and fertility for herbalists.

She is also an experienced retreat manager and runs integrated herbal, nutrition and yoga retreats in Central Portugal.

For bookings and enquiries please contact the Centre on 01273 220159 / info@tolcentre.com