Poonam is a prolific and passionate osteopath who uniquely specialises in treating pregnant women and paediatrics. “Not many do focus on this area,” she told us, having fully realised the calling of her profession when she became a mother for the first time in 2020.
Poonam is a popular medical influencer, co-founder of the MHV clinic, and has high-profile clientele in the Middle East including royalty and A- list celebrities. She regularly travels for work internationally. “Interest in the profession is driven by my desire to effectively remove the pain from people’s lives,” Poonam shared with us: “to eliminate the source of the issue rather than just treating the symptoms. I was very much influenced by my dad’s personal journey growing up here: I saw he suffered a lot of shoulder pain and couldn’t quite get to the root of it.”
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As a result, Poonam’s individual approach has evolved to become thorough and bespoke in the world of pain management : “when a patient comes in, it is important to have the right diagnosis – generally, what defines a strong osteopath is someone who understands the anatomy of the body and physiology well and how interconnected it is especially.
Rapport is also important and working with another to get them better to ideally eventually become pain-free.” The open-minded osteopath combines known professional techniques with advice on lifestyle, prescriptive exercises, Ayuvedic interest, ergonomics and dietary issues including supplementation. She is also qualified in clinical acupuncture and kinesiology taping to ensure that she has an extensive range of treatment options to achieve high-quality healthcare. “My patients will even have homework to do on self-care and are encouraged to be active agents in managing pain away from the clinic.” The central ethos of Poonam’s expert methodology then is emotional: that of the commitment to honesty which fosters trustworthiness and allows the patient to feel truly held.
“Authenticity is key – if you are genuinely invested it shows. There is no need for salesmanship.” Indeed, Poonam has prior been a part-time lecturer and clinic tutor at The British College of Osteopathic Medicine in London, teaching osteopathic technique and supervising final year students. “I have always specialised in pre and post-natal osteopathy and children and seemed to have increased interest around the niche online after becoming a mother myself.”
The young osteopath is particularly interested in wellbeing around motherhood: “I believe that women should be advocates for themselves in hospitals. After my labour, I soon began to realise that the way our system works is very rushed – as soon as a woman goes into labour, she tends to be in and out quite quickly. Even the process itself is hurried: if a mother hasn’t gone into labour after a certain number of weeks, they are pressured to be induced or receive a C-Section – a lot of babies are then born very quickly under the influence of medication. This can result in digestive problems such as colic and reflux which are very hot terms now – so many new babies suffer from constipation.
I believe every woman should have the option to say yes or no at crucial points of the delivery process.” Poonam is also vocal about the difficult psychological aspect of becoming a new mother in life as well as celebrating it. Her Instagram page gives valuable medical and personal tips to manage the different challenges faced during early motherhood and how to successfully overcome them. “Motherhood is not so easy – its alright to talk about taboo topics and normalise a more complex idea of it.” Indeed, one example may be that ‘mothers are expected to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their children and give up on hopes and ambition’ when the truth is that ‘it is possible to prioritise both the health of the mother and child and push to have it all.’ In terms of her accomplishments, Poonam shared that: “starting the MHV clinic with her husband was a big moment.” Now with bases in Central and North-West London, the business began simply as a series of home visits! The osteopath also stated that “the pleasure of teaching and flying out to the UAE to treat patients,” as highlights.
Broadly speaking, Poonam believes that emotional and physical health are linked as a practising professional: “the body stores emotion and trauma and the grieving process – this can manifest as tension, for example, in the shoulders. This is called a somatic reflex: the idea that pain is stored internally first.” Not only does Poonam champion the fundamental empowerment of her gentle physiological trade, but epitomises it too. Indeed, conversation with her is noticeably smooth, relaxing the consciousness even as she speaks.
@Poonamshahmedical
