Bouncing back naturally - the backstory of a Wanaka business

Otago Daily Times

14 hours ago

As a teenager Olivia Lucas was told she had the perfect build to be a model.
This felt like a compliment but on the inside she was unwell and was eventually diagnosed with Grave's disease, a thyroid disorder which causes weight loss and other symptoms.
"I didn't know I had symptoms because it is all I ever knew. You don't know what you are feeling, especially when you are 13. You don't know what's good or not.
"I just remember everyone saying how skinny and tall I was and should be a model. My eyes were protruding. Looking back now I was just so sick."
Doctors offered her medication, and suggested radioactive iodine treatment, despite reservations over her weight and how her body would react.
While waiting on the treatment she was told about more natural treatments but undertaking them would have required her to go up to Auckland.
"My mother's friend suggested natural therapy and my family are farmers and were like 'what is this woo-woo?'."
After three months of treatment when she was 16 years old, her condition was cured, and she has not had any relapses since.
It was this rocky start to her teenage years that inspired Miss Lucas to study natural medicine and open her own business "Holistic House" in Wānaka in October.
Having studied a bachelor of science, majoring in natural medicine, Miss Lucas works with pathology while combining natural herbs and treatments.
The basis of her practice is to look at her clients as a whole person, including their habits, hobbies and lifestyle, and work out a treatment plan, rather than concentrating on symptoms of sickness.
"We still look at pathology work and it is very science-based but we also weave it with traditional naturopathic wisdom. If you came to me, I would give you herbs as opposed to medication as well as lifestyle recommendations.
"There is always a time and a place for Western medicine, and it is definitely needed. Prevention and not cure is how I work and we also need to look at people as a whole and not just the symptoms — the root cause of why."
She also takes reformer Pilates classes outside her daytime work hours, which was also inspired by her Grave's disease recovery.
"My bones started breaking when I was 21 and it turned out I had osteopenia. I never had the estrogen to build up my bone density and so I had to do Pilates to build up my bones and muscle and I fell in love with it."
Her Pilates skills and training helped pay her university bills and eventually open up the business in Wānaka, at the tender age of 26.
Since opening up her natural medicine practice in Wānaka she has found most people in the town have an open mind.
"I think it used to be conservative but maybe things have changed."
She says thyroid issues are very common, both underactive and overactive thyroid conditions. This is because the modern lifestyle can bring stress, trauma and poor diet.
Despite having been open for only eight months, Miss Lucas is looking to employ more staff.
"It is exciting — it means I am growing."
With the natural medicine industry becoming more popular, especially a spike since the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak, there is plenty of success and help to go around, Miss Lucas says.
"There are enough people in this town for all naturopaths. We are all doing slightly different things."