Women in Wellness: Emily Barton on holistic health
Today I bring you the first of many Women in Wellness articles.
This week, I spoke to Emily Barton, a Reflexologist, Holistic Facialist and the owner of Remedies London (@remediesldn) about her passion for holistic health.
To Emily, holistic health is about seeing yourself as a whole, rather than isolating factors such as symptoms. “It’s about understanding your body, and utilising the way you’re communicating within yourself, as a means for change” she explains.“For example, noticing shifts in your sleep pattern, the vibrancy of your skin, your hormonal health and how you’re digesting your food.” Emily believes in focussing on the root cause of a health issue, rather than masking the issue by addressing the symptom.
Remedies London is based in Enfield and offers a variety of ancient, relaxing treatments, include reflexology, the Zone Face Lift (an alternative to botox), Facial Reflexology, Indian Head massage, mindfulness and spirituality workshops and classes. The clinic only uses products that are reflective of its ethos and which hold medicinal properties within their use. Therefore clients can feel at ease with the use of only natural, organic, eco-friendly and vegan products, such as ‘Ziggie Bergman's Zone Face Lift' range, and BALM.Wellness.
Emily’s top holistic health tips are:
Emily Barton, 26, Reflexologist, Holistic Facialist and owner of Remedies London
Use organic, natural, vegan, eco friendly products with as little ingredients as possible. Avoid products with ingredients, such as perfume/fragrance and SLS.
Exfoliate once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells and promote cell turnover. This will leave the skin brighter and smoother. Make your own gentle scrub from natural ingredients such as finely ground sugar or sea salt, or using a very soft-bristled brush to gently buff away dead skin. Emily loves Amphora Aromatics ‘mandarin & patchouli’ organic exfoliant.
Stay hydrated to flush toxins from the body and keep your skin looking plump and healthy. Drink lots of water and incorporate hydrating foods such as watermelon, cucumber, leafy greens and raw carrots drizzled with a good quality olive oil.
Focus on gut health and supporting the gut microbiome to improve digestion, balance hormones and improve the immune system response. To do so, eat gut hugging, nutritionally dense foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, and have a varied diet with lots of leafy greens. Emily’s favourite probiotic is ‘Optibac every day max.’
Avoid inflammatory substances such as processed foods, alcohol, dairy, fizzy drinks and artificial sweeteners. Use a stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic pan.
Emily discovered reflexology at the age of 17 when her mother became ill and commenced reflexology alongside traditional treatment to manage her symptoms. “I couldn’t believe the difference that one hour would make, she was back to being mum again” she explains, “the connective, grounding nature of the treatment was a saving grace in a time of turmoil.” From there, Emily’s passion for holistic health blossomed, and she began researching ways to support the body naturally, in a non-invasive, sustainable way. “There’s something really beautiful about taking it back to basics and connecting inward. Witnessing my own health transform is what kept it consistent, and ignited a passion to allow it to flow into my professional life too.”
I asked Emily how she found being a young, female business owner, to which she replied that it was equal parts amazing, terrifying and beautiful. “It can be really challenging, especially starting a business so young, you’re really learning on the job, and oftentimes aren’t taken seriously - but honestly that motivated me more.” She loves her job, especially witnessing the moment in treatment when a client’s recognises their own progress, which she considers beautiful.
Emily’s tips for other aspiring wellness business owners are:
“Connect with your community, you’ll find this industry will naturally gravitate wonderful, likeminded people to you. Collaborate, share, listen, learn. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and lean on others!
Tune into your core values - express them. This is what will attract meaningful/dream clients to you.
Prioritise your own well-being, and commit to your practice. This is something that I’m currently working on, after discovering that you really can’t pour from an empty cup.”
As for the biggest lesson Emily has learnt in her 20s so far? “To trust your intuition. Deciphering between intuition and anxiety can be a journey in itself, and there’s a lot of self trust to build before comfortably leaning into that, but I’ve discovered that it’s often times the answer that you know deep within, but might not want to listen to, that guiding voice will never steer you off course, so trusting yourself is everything.” She is still navigating self-confidence, as most of us are, but tries to lean into her intuition. “Recently [I] had an intuitive pull to travel to the lake district alone with my dog Rosie. The thought of driving for five hours petrified me, but I did it and now I have the confidence to go anywhere, I trust myself to make the right decisions, and I feel more comfortable doing so. I think it’s leaning into the things that scare you and recognising that beyond that fear is growth.”
So what is in store for Emily for 2024? “To build more of a wellness community within RemediesLDN, to deepen my personal well-being practice with fluidity and allowing that to transform with the seasons, and to live in alignment to my values and desired direction - I’m very open to what that may look like.”
Emily’s favourites:
Book: ‘Braiding Sweet Grass’ by Robbin Wall Kimmerer and ‘Breath - the new science of a lost art’ by James Nestor
Podcast: The Pursuit of Wellness and the Huberman Lab
Wellness product: Her obsidia gua sha or her red therapy light.
Instagram accounts to follow: @zonefacelift, @abbsbrems and @parkingonthewildside
