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An Australian-trained Naturopath in Dubai

 
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Nour Abu-Lughod's intrigue with Naturopathy first began with a book given to her by her father. This book, by Dr Andrew Weil was called Spontaneous Healing and it opened her eyes to a whole new world of healing and ignited a passion that has only been deepened as her learning progressed. 


“My interest had always been in Psychology, which is what I enrolled in first but I slowly found my passion in Natural Medicine so I began studying this alongside Psychology. My interest continued to grow for natural medicine and I can now proudly call myself a Naturopath! 

Nour graduated from Endeavour College of Natural Medicine (Melbourne) in 2011. After spending a few years working with Go-Vita and running her own clinic, Nour and her husband made a spontaneous decision to move to Dubai to enable Nour’s husband to step out of the corporate world and pursue building his own technology start-up. 

This also meant Nour faced the prospect carving her own career path in Dubai. Presently, Naturopathy is in its infancy in Dubai. Nonetheless a shift towards alternatives styles of medicine is on the rise. Aside from building an awareness of what Naturopathy is, another major challenge Nour has had to face in Dubai is licensing.

In Dubai, by law anyone wanting to practice within the health industry has to obtain a license. This process was quite arduous and according to Nour, anyone wishing to explore a Naturopathic career in Dubai needs to know that all documentation needs to be attested both from Australia and in Dubai. Furthermore, you need to be able to demonstrate two years clinical experience as well as sit a medical-based exam. To progress through the exam studying Kumar & Clark’s “Clinical Medicine” is essential, so too is a working understanding of reading X-Rays, ECG interpretations and uncommon diseases. 

Whilst navigating the lengthy licensing process, Nour spent her time building relationships with several nurseries across Dubai by offering to give health seminars to mums focussing on healthy eating habits for children. This proved to be a great success and helped greatly to raise awareness of what Naturopathy could offer, whilst also cultivating a future clientele. 

"My main focus was to create awareness amongst the community about what Naturopathy is and to build a clientele. Diabetes, obesity, malnutrition and over-prescription of antibiotics in children are very common and I feel Naturopathic interventions can play a big role”. 

Eventually Nour’s hard work paid off and she was able to open her own practice within a multi-modality medical centre located within Dubai Healthcare City. Here, she plans to gain the approval for dispensing supplements as well as bring liquid herbal extracts to the region. 

“Naturopathy is my passion and I will reflect this on the community by continuing to educate on different topics and inspire more people to adopt naturopathic treatment methods.

 


DISCLAIMER: 

The information provided on FX Medicine is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health care professional in the event something you have read here raises questions or concerns regarding your health.

 

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