Journey to wellness : holistic health practitioner Aggie Kotze
Full disclosure, I was feeling like an old dish rag toward the end of 2020. Like legit horrible. I was working out my usual five days a week, but I was suuupper heavy - like my round behind was just about to apply for it’s own postcode kinda heavy.
I am/was strong as heck because of all the weight lifting but the “comfort eating” (oh god the cheese and sugar) left me feeling like I was tap dancing close to my grave. My body was all out of balance. By the time January came round and I was finally going to have vacation, my body was full on freaking out. Me not being a good, “lets go to the doctor person” I began to realize my naps (which are my cure for everything) weren’t working. I needed to do something. My beautiful friend/trainer Ludmilla happened to mention that her friend Aggie Kotze was a holistic health practitioner!
Squealing the proverbial breaks, (as I was on the verge of calling the doctor) I called Aggie instead. After two meetings and 1.5 hours of non-invasive but comprehensive testing, I received a full report (15 pages!) detailing my food sensitivities as well as my vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Let’s just put it this way - I think it is a miracle that I am standing upright.
Armed with this information and some great suggestions for a detox and adjustments to my diet, (drink mineral water!!!! So basic and so helpful!) I used the rest of my vacation to balance out. I started with my tried and true elimination diet detox which lasts for 10 days and at the end of which time I was able to successfully recall my application for that postcode for my backside.
As March begins, I’m mentally preparing for the detox that Aggie prescribed. With any luck I’ll drop the last 5 lbs and get back to my normal state of just beyond fabulous!
“The primary goal [of holistic medicine] is to determine and treat the underlying cause rather than simply managing or suppressing the symptoms.”
Over a couple of blog posts, this being the first, we’ll hear directly from Aggie! This dedicated practitioner is located right here in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and I’m sure she will be more than happy to take your questions in the comment box below!
Have you ever tried holistic medicine? How is your body feeling as COVID - 19 drags on? If you feel comfortable, won’t you please share a little about your wellness journey? What would you improve if you could?
But now, let’s get to know Aggie!
Meet the practitioner
Aggie Kotze - Holistic Health and Wellness Coach & Educator
LWFco: Aggie, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where have you lived? What is your professional background?
AK: I was born in Poland and have had the privilege to live in several countries including Poland, Austria, South Africa, UK and of course, am currently in Saudi Arabia which has enriched my life.
I have worked in various fields and industries in my lifetime and have enjoyed each one which has helped me grow to be the person that I am today. Just to name a few I have worked as a lecture, industrial hygienist, in sales, regulatory affairs, lobbying and lastly holistic medicine. I have worked in various fields globally. You can find out more about my qualifications and experience on my professional LinkedIn profile. I am currently busy with my doctorate in holistic medicine and other advanced degrees in naturopathy and holistic medicine.
LWFco: What drew you to your career change?
AK: I have a passion for healing and helping others. My journey started with a different career path which I also loved until I developed a debilitating autoimmune disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis. I was always healthy and fit, however, I struggled with my digestive system for more than 20 years. Can you imagine living with pain and agony with no one who could help? Later, because of various causes I became incredibly ill. Out of desperation I had to find a cure as traditional medicine wasn’t helping.
LWFco: What is holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine looks at the treatment of the whole person and how a person interacts within one’s environment and the people around them. It requires diagnostic and therapeutic tools to examine and balance the physical, nutritional, environmental, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual levels of health.
Holistic medicine entails a combination of various modalities including clinical nutrition, detoxification, energy medicine, naturopathic medicine, herbal medicine, homeopathy, hair tissue analysis and many more to diagnose and treat patients.
The goal of holistic medicine is to use all diagnostic and treatment modalities available to optimize the health of the person on all levels of well-being. Holistic medicine treats symptoms, but also looks for UNDERLYING CAUSES of the symptoms. The primary goal is to determine and treat the underlying cause rather than simply managing or suppressing the symptoms. The underlying cause may be due to diet, lifestyle habits, life events, posture, or environment. Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body’s natural attempt to heal.
My work as your holistic medical practitioner is to restore and support the powerful and inherent healing ability of your body, mind, and spirit and to prevent further disease from occurring. As we work together, my job is to identify and remove obstacles to recovery, and facilitate your naturally intelligent healing ability.
LWFco: Wow Aggie! I can’t wait to see where our journey takes us. I’m sure our readers will want to know more as well. I can’t wait to share more about this in future posts!