“Health Engineer” helps nib and women with endometriosis pain.
She’s known as The Health Engineer and Helen Cross, functional nutrition specialist and health & wellness coach, takes great pains to help women understand that the pain they are suffering is not “normal” – and can be addressed.
Like many women, Cross always suffered from debilitating periods. However, also like many women, she was told that the pain was a normal part of her menstrual cycle. Now, Cross is passionate about helping others understand that their pain isn’t normal and helping them to wellness.
Cross lived through her own healing journey where she underwent five surgeries for endometriosis and adenomyosis, including a hysterectomy. By making changes to her diet and lifestyle, she has improved her health significantly.
Changing her life has inspired her to help others and she now focuses on coaching clients to help them improve their health and quality of life.
“I know from personal experience the negative impact of chronic pain,” she says, “and I’m passionate about helping others to improve their wellbeing through positive lifestyle choices.”
It is often about transforming diet and lifestyle – and Cross has now partnered with nib, so eligible nib members who have recently undergone surgery for endometriosis or been diagnosed with the condition may have the opportunity to join the nib Women’s Wellness Programme.
“The programme is about helping to reduce participants’ pain so they’re out there living life, feeling confident and empowered,” she says, adding that the Women’s Wellness Programme has been a great success for participants and for many, life changing.
“I absolutely love what I do and it’s such a privilege to support this healing and help others regain their life after living with chronic pain.”
The programme is free and exclusively provided for eligible nib members. It includes an initial 45-minute one-on-one consultation with Cross and six subsequent fortnightly 45-minute Health Engineering sessions with her.
A personal Women’s Wellness Journal is kept and, during the three-month tailored programme, Cross uses her unique Health Engineering approach to consider each eligible member’s history, personality, lifestyle, and existing habits to build a life-long plan that suits the member’s life.
In addition, nib also provides eligible members with free access to Clearhead, a mental wellbeing online platform that gives access to therapy bookings and mental fitness training, including three free counselling sessions.
There is no lack of people affected. In New Zealand, up to one in 10 girls, women and those assigned female at birth are diagnosed with endometriosis – a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found in places outside the uterus, such as on the ovaries, bladder or bowel.
Symptoms include: painful periods (dysmenorrhoea), pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements, abnormal menstrual bleeding or infertility.
Around 120,000 New Zealanders have endometriosis, with an on average seven-year delay between onset of symptoms and initial diagnosis. About 20-40 per cent of women re-develop symptoms within five years of their first endometriosis surgery.
Endometriosis-associated pain can be debilitating and keep people away from work or school. Although the chronic condition can’t be cured, it may be able to be managed, improving symptoms through individual diet and lifestyle choices.
nib members who have been diagnosed with endometriosis or have had recent surgery for the condition may be eligible to join the Women’s Wellness Programme.
Visit nib.co.nz to find out more about the nib Health Management Programmes.