Joshua Hall

Dr. Bernard Jenson - "Every tissues is fed by the blood which is supplied by the bowel"

Originally from England where I practised as a massage therapist in a climbing gym, I moved to America in 2016 and married my beautiful wife. After a long stint away from massage I re-trained in 2021 deciding it was time to practice again. Having worked as a massage therapist for so long, it has taught me a lot about the body – I can see how things move, I can see inside the body, where deficiency or excess exists. The state of tissues has become very obvious to me, like I’m reading a book. I am a second generation herbalist and naturopath growing up at fares and fetes where my mum was selling her ointments, oils, salves etc. I can remember mum and dad closing the tent for the night and I would climb under my blanket, peeking out from under the bottom of the canvas tent, watching the world go by, seeing all the lights from the rides and food stalls, smelling the delicious smells. Now it is my turn…

I was lucky in that I was raised with Chinese herbs and western herbs which was lucky because I remember being sick quite a bit as a child. I have grown up with Gilbert’s syndrome which means that my liver has trouble processing heavy fats and I become jaundiced. The answer for me, luckily, was an easy one – I just had to become vegan. Since becoming vegan I have had no problems at all, but I still have to be careful, and I have to make sure that I’m getting all the nutrients I need, again luckily that’s pretty easy. Like everybody I do still have some health complaints that I am addressing, but as my dad says, 80% health is the goal because no one is 100% healthy – although that is my goal anyway.

I studied at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) in London completing their four year diploma (degree level) course in Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine. I graduated with distinction and gained my diplomas in both naturopathy and as a herbalist. It has been the toughest but best learning experience I have ever worked towards and I feel honoured to say that I learned under such experienced tutors as Peter Jackson-Main & Dee Clough with whom I found inspiration. I wish I had discovered them in 1998 instead of going to Norwich City College! It is now my time to develop my techniques using my learning and experiences. I think we all speak the same language but have our own words – sometimes I feel like I’ve had an enormous epiphany and must share it with my dad, only to hear the word, yeah… like he’s known this for decades, and I guess he has. But I also know that I’m on the right track whenever I hear that word.