I started my career in healthcare in the year 2000, when I began work as a pharmacy assistant straight after leaving school. I spent two years training for an NVQ in pharmacy services and eventually became the senior dispenser in a busy city-centre pharmacy.

During my time working in pharmacy, I gained a solid understanding of biomedicine through continuing professional education and lived experience, but I quickly became disillusioned with the pharmaceutical industry. Seeing my customers come in with multi-item prescriptions, some of which were for drugs to treat the side effects of the other drugs, was heartbreaking to me. So, I decided to retrain in a more holistic modality.

I had always had an interest in traditional Chinese medicine and decided to pursue this as a profession. I graduated from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in 2007 with an honours degree in Traditional Acupuncture.

After several years in private practice, I won a scholarship to complete further training at Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in Harbin, China. The six months that I spent there in 2013 were probably the most significant of my life as it opened my eyes to a new way of treating patients that extended far beyond the clinic. I decided I wanted to spend more time in China and lived there for a further two and a half years, studying Mandarin, Chinese medicine, and dietary therapy while immersing myself in Chinese culture.

HSN Holistic

It was during this time that I found my passion for writing and began working as a freelance writer and editor. In the past few years, I have written everything from website copy to academic papers, but my largest project to date was co-authoring Menopause: A Comprehensive Guide for Practitioners, a textbook designed to help practitioners of Chinese and East Asian medicine support their clients through menopause.

I now use the knowledge gained from these projects to help my clients via holistic health coaching, holistic menopause coaching, and healthy ageing coaching. I also offer research, writing and editing services.

Here at HSN Holistic, I explore the intersection of health, science, and nature to help you achieve and maintain optimal well-being.

My name is Natalie Chandra Saunders, LicAc, and I am a licensed acupuncturist, author, and educator, specialising in the holistic health and wellness niche. I have a particular interest in the fields of menopause and healthy ageing.