John Coombs, holistic wellbeing specialist, ecology and living systems strategist, is clinical director of Global Health, which he founded in 2010 after he and members of his family had suffered serious health issues that weren’t able to be resolved by conventional medicine. Now, he and his team of therapists treat people from all over New Zealand and even Australia.
John’s original university study was in calculus, chemistry and physics, which gave him a background in a systems approach, but when his wife became seriously ill with cancer, he cared for her and their young family of five children. When his own health deteriorated to the extent he couldn’t work he had to sell the family home and assets to keep the family afloat.
He then set about applying his scientific bent to finding and testing options for good health and wellbeing. With his own health restored using complementary medicine, he became passionate about treating people holistically, treating the underlying causes of illness before they become serious enough to disrupt family and work life, as had happened for him.
“We ideally try to see our clients when fatigue or stress are setting in and when quality of life is deteriorating, before serious illness sets in and becomes debilitating. We help people get their zest and energy back, and improve their confidence and quality of life,” he says, with a proactive approach that uses a combination of improved diet and high-tech treatments that give them both confidence and peace of mind about their future health. “It’s all science-based,” he adds. “The science we are using is often more than 20 years ahead of conventional medicine which takes years to get new processes through the system.”
John works directly with authorities in the field of epigenetics (the study of changes in cells caused by modification of gene expression, for example by environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle or exposure to electro-magnetic forces, rather than alteration of the genetic code itself) and world authorities in hormone treatments. He cites Dr Bruce Lipton PhD, who undertook the first stem cell research in the 1960s and with whom he made The Global Health Show, a 10-episode series of television programmes on wellbeing, initially shown on Sky TV in 2016 and now available on the Global Health website. He also works with Dr James Wilson, a world authority on chronic and adrenal fatigue, who has published a best selling book called ‘The 21st Century Stress Syndrome’; and Dr Darryl Turner whose area of expertise is hormone health and thyroid testing. Dr Turner, a New Zealander, has recently been appointed head of endocrinology at the most modern Chinese private hospital.
“Our treatments have minimal or no side effects, because they involve utilising natural systems and work on building a healthy immunity and a positive approach to life,” he says. “They don’t involve drugs. We use a combination of personalised nutrition and a variety of high-tech therapy treatments like NASA uses for its astronauts.”
The initial wellbeing assessment involves, among other things, FDA-approved spectrometry scanning of hair and hair follicles to a lab in Germany, which results in a simple to read, prioritised epigenetic report of 800 environmental issues. It covers hormone assessment, brain function, heart function, digestion and various nutrient deficiencies, among a raft of indicators. John is careful to ensure that the initial assessment is affordable, and understood. He keeps prices at a level that are affordable to most people and certainly cheaper, he points out, than the cost of falling sick and losing quality of life or having to take extensive time off work.
“Ideally, we’d reach people who are starting to plan ahead, so we can put proactive warranties in place for their future wellbeing.” With 12 therapists, offering expertise in 30 different treatments, Global Health is able to assist clients with most health and wellbeing processes, including fatigue, stress, pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart health and other serious diseases, as well as mental health, sleep and brain health issues. Many treatments include sensible stress management programmes that help “retrain clients to live in a more mindful and manageable way”.
“We work to help with smart nutrition and effective digestion so you are gaining energy from your food and are not stuck on antacid type drugs…. Nutrition is basic, yet most people are not sure what to eat. Our personalised assessments determine what’s right for them,” says John. “Often a husband and wife need different food, so we help combine plans to suit them.” This involves developing personalised nutrition plans that also take into account the nutritional needs of your partner or family so that meal times and food selection work easily.
Assistance for arthritis covers more than 10 modalities, depending on the person, and includes pain relief, osteopathy, the infrared ozone steam sauna, remedial therapeutic massage, PEMF and hypnotherapy.
When it comes to high tech options, the clinic boasts a two-person hyperbaric chamber which is effective for most conditions, especially immunity and brain health. The seven treatments in one session Hocatt ozone spa also helps with most conditions, as does a PEMF therapy device, which stimulates the flow of blood through the body, which you can hire to treat pain, sleep problems and anxiety.
“We’re the widely recognised wellbeing centre in New Zealand, and our combination of treatment programmes are world pioneering, integrating cutting edge science and technology as well as widely recognised natural approaches. We’ve been treating people from all over New Zealand for years now. We really want to be more available to help members of the local community to keep well so they don’t suffer expensive hospitalisations or treatment programmes and loss of quality of life.”
Global Health, 409 Lake Road, Takapuna 09 488 0208
info@globalhealthclinics.co.nz
