SOMETIMES a career is more of a calling.

And that is almost certainly the case for Cathy holistic therapist Cathy Brooks.

She is clearly hugely passionate about what she does but the aspect she loves most is helping people and seeing the results she brings.

Initially training as a homeopath, for the past 15 years she has also been practising the hands-on CranioSacral Therapy and is also a trained Doula, helping women in the run up to birth and afterwards.

She believes using natural remedies and practices can help keep us healthy and away form antiobiotics and runs regular courses as well as giving up her free time to head out into the community to share her skills.

This includes annually heading to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset where she and a team of like-minded homeopathists help revellers cope with a whole range of conditions which could have the potential to seriously curb their fun.

Cathy explains : "I saw an advert in a student newspaper about 20 years ago asking for volunteers to go along and that was it really.

"I went along and now I go every year and it has been so successful we have added other events too so I have been to the Cambridge Folk Festival, the Secret Garden Party and also I go along to the Mersea bike Rallies and help the bikers down there."

Cathy, who runs a clinic from her home in Bakers Lane, Colchester, and in a number of other locations across East Anglia, blends in well with her Harley trike and her camper van she heads off to the festivals in.

"It is flat out really from the minute we get to the festivals and it can be anything from helping relieve symptoms of cystitis to bad hayfever.

"Can you imagine getting to a four day event like that, in a field, with the portable toilets and finding out you have cystitis ?

"In many cases we have been told we have saved the festivals for people who have come to us for assistance," she adds.

Cathy initially became interested in homeopathy as a mum of two young children, when her son suffered from eczema and she was looking for something to help.

"I met a lady who introduced me to treatments that would help and I ended up learning from her and eventually went to college to train myself," she says.

She explains the CranioSacral Therapy is based on a number of findings highlighted by osteopaths more than 100 years ago.

These showed in health, all living tissues express a subtle rhythmic motion which has been called Primary Respiration.

This motion is palpable to the hands of a trained therapist but barely feels like a touch to the patient.

"It is all about trust and relaxation and really finding that connection so that you get the best result.

"My fingers start at the head and shoulders and I like to say they are like corks, bobbing on the surface of the water," says Cathy.

She helps a wide range of people seeking help with myriad issues from birth to the elderly.

"I treat a lot of small children and it can often be after a traumatic birth or to help with the fact they are not sleeping well.

"I have literally been told by mums it has helped save their marriage because they were at the end of their tether with their toddlers not sleeping.

"But even after one session they will often ring up the next day, incredulous, because they could already seen the results."

Having moved to Colchester, from London, with her ex-military partner she has also become heavily involved in using the CranioSacral Therapy for the treatment of PTSD.

"My partner, who served in Bosnia, suffers form this and he actually was quite sceptical before we tried the CranioSacral but now says it is the only thing that works for him and I would like to do more to help others in his position," she says.

Her work as a doule, helping mums in a non-surgical way, also introduces her to families who stay with her for years and continue to do so.

"I have helped families deliver all their children and now still advise them on holistic remedies over the phone or text and e-mail.

"Being a doula is a real privilege and while you are not doing anything medical you are an impartial presence, someone who can be practical and supportive when things might not be going to plan.

"Husbands and other relatives can often find it hard to be like that but I can offer that support.

"A doula is not insured to do anything medical so it is purely from a supportive approach which some mothers really appreciate."

Cathy, who still works with a number of families in London and runs clinics, is passionate about helping people and spreading the word about holistic treatments.

"I am hoping some of the pharmacies and chemists in the area will let me share my knowledge so they can in turn help customers when they have things like coughs and colds, hayfever and other issues.

"A lot of the chain chemists are now doing their own holistic remedies and so it is something that people could really build on.

"I have given both my children and other close families kits and when they are under the weather I can direct them to which one will help the most," she adds.

For the past four years Cathy has also been teaching introductory workshops to CranioSacral Therapy in Chelmsford, Colchester and Witham as well as running a clinic in Suffolk.

"This and other homeopathic treatments can help with so many conditions from anxiety to migraine and menopause which is why I am so passionate about people just trying something alternative."

* www.cathybrooks.co.uk