Meet Our Team member Ayshe! Clinic Director, Principle Osteopath & Yoga Therapy Teacher at The Backbone Clinics:
Ayshe qualified from The British College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003. She has experience treating patients of all ages and levels of fitness, from babies, pregnant women and athletes. She caters every treatment to the patient’s individual needs combining structural and Cranial Osteopathy, dry-needling, NLP and yoga techniques. She is currently focusing her development in Women’s health and the effects of stress, anxiety and depression on the body and health. She is also a qualified NLP practitioner and yoga therapy teacher with has a keen interest in the mind and body connection. Ayshe runs Osteo-Yoga classes and Womens monthly circles in her Studio at The Muswell Hill branch.
What first attracted you to Osteopathy?
I lived with my grandmother for a few years growing up and she suffered horrendous joint pains. I saw the nasty side effects of the medications she took, and then the medication for the side effect of the medication! It was an endless cycle of discomfort of pain which later left her immobile in a wheel chair due to her vertebrae ‘crumbling’ as a result of severe Osteoporosis from years of steroids. I thought there has to be a better way. When I heard about Osteopathy it was holistic, natural and seemed perfect.
What have you found most challenging since becoming an Osteopath?
My initial reaction was ‘to get patients to listen to their bodies BEFORE the pain forces them to. But actually, the most frustrating thing still is being branded as ‘Alternative health’ rather then compulsory like a dentist, or optician is. We are forced to service our cars once a year, we use our bodies much more. I feel it should be compulsory to have our bodies MOT’d at least once a year!
What’s your most memorable moment as a practitioner?
I have been blessed to have had many emotional and wonderful moments over the many years as an Osteopath. My very first patient in 2003 was one thing I will never forget. Newly qualified, I started at a new clinic and my first patient who came in was a builder who was carried in from a building site. He couldn’t lie down, he couldn’t stand, he couldn’t sit. As a newby I was in complete shock and panic inside but had to smile and look confident! I managed to treat him and felt super confident afterward! I felt like I dealt with that, so I could deal with anything now!
What surprised you most about the profession?
I didn’t account for how involved I would be in my patients lives and families and how much love there would be! That surprised me in the best way possible.It’s not uncommon that I have two or three generations of a family sat in the waiting room together all waiting for treatment. Watching the little ones grow, the older ones get married, caring for them through their pregnancies and watching the family units expand. I’ve been to patients weddings, birthdays and sadly funerals.
Can you share a nugget of wisdom for well-being?
A balanced life is key. It’s not about work hard and play hard. It’s about work and play hard and then make sure you REST hard!
What are you doing when you aren’t working?
I love to learn so I am constantly studying something to do with health or the mind, spirituality or self development. I love new,random experiences or anything creative so enjoy variations of things, playing guitar, salsa, painting, watching shows, cultural festivals, yoga events, travelling. Being Turkish I am a complete foodie and love trying out different restaurants. I spend alot of time with my large family and am auntie to three (two of whom I was a birthing partner for) and I am also a step-grandmother.
What always makes you smile?
All my family, particularly my husband who has the ability to make me laugh in all situations, my little niece & nephews and my crazy two cats and their antics!
Ayshe works on Wednesday & Saturdays at our Muswell Hill Branch and Tuesday & Thursdays at our Southgate Branch. To book an appointment with Ayshe you can call the clinic directly on: 020 8886 8698 or to make an online booking please click here…
