A former Aberdeen GP has told how she left the NHS to become a health, wellbeing and weight loss expert.
Doctor Aileen Alexander says leaving the health service in 2019 after six years of treating patients was “the right decision”.
Her firm, Nourish Academy, offers a “12-week small group coaching experience to help professional women create a healthier lifestyle, reduce stress, feel energised, reclaim their self-confidence & lose weight sustainably without rules or restriction.”
She set up the online firm eight years ago before making the jump into wellbeing full-time.
One of the driving factors behind her leaving the healthcare system was that her current role does not exist in the NHS.
She said: “I thought to myself, I can’t serve the mission I want to if I stay with the NHS.
“I was scared to leave and when I started seeing people privately, it was a huge emotional battle.”
Dr Aileen Alexander feels that part of her job is to “relieve the pressure on the NHS” as she says “some of the kindest and hardest working people are in the NHS and I feel so much for them.”
She believes that the set-up is wrong for the NHS but understands why they cannot change it.
‘We have a National Health Service, but it isn’t about optimising physical mental and social health’
Adding: “We have a National Health Service, but it isn’t about optimising physical mental and social health.”
She says her ultimate goal is to “help people live a happier and healthier lifestyle and she has helped hundreds of women from across the UK, Europe, Dubai and United States.
She claims that treating the root cause of their weight gain, fatigue and stress concerns, can prevent and help manage lifestyle-related medical conditions.
She states: “As a GP confined to 10-minute appointments in a pill-pushing culture it felt like we were all kicking the root cause down the road in the NHS.
“Now I’m able to help my patients lose weight and get healthier, to prevent disease and to manage their medical conditions with behavioural change techniques and lifestyle changes.
“I think collectively we need to educate and empower the population other than shame them.”
She says she still does everything a GP would do, but doesn’t prescribe medication to patients and instead reviews blood tests etc.
Starting to work more with men
Since the start of the year, Dr Alexander has seen a rise in men coming to her for help.
She added: “The other change I’ve noticed is that more men are coming forward for help since the start of the year which has been really exciting and a totally different experience for me.
“I’m so big about female empowerment and all of that, but I’m happy to help anyone on their journey.”
She feels “extremely lucky” as she has even appeared in publications such as Hello Magazine and Glamour as well as become an official TEDx speaker.
Adding: “It almost adds more prestige to what I do.
“You’d think being a qualified doctor and training 10 years to be a GP would be enough, but when people see you’ve done these articles and are a TEDx speaker they build a trust with you.
“I think that’s important – they are coming and choosing to work with me which is a massive privilege.”
Conversation