After 25 years, King retired from a government job, and felt a strong need to comfort people through the use of her hands, which ultimately led to her work with essentials oils, therapeutic massage and aromatherapy.

That need arose through an extraordinary experience that took place shortly before her mother passed away with Alzheimer’s Disease. Suffering through the final stages, her mother’s body was seized and stiff, seeming to lack feeling and she had long since lost her ability to communicate.

But minutes before passing away, King’s mother spoke: she said thank you, a small, simple gesture of gratitude to the woman who had just massaged her into a final comforting, relaxed state with lavender.

“She hadn’t spoken for years, so that was a revolution for me, getting that close to the value of holistic care,” said King, indicating the turn of events had spurred her to go on and start her own business in this natural form of health care.

“From there, my interests gradually developed into other areas. I had the opportunity to learn reflexology and took the training, then moved into pedicures and manicures because they all tend to go together enhancing each other. Now I offer a full line of services to my clientele.”

Through Riverside Hearth Wellness Services, King not only offers convenient home visits to those who view her talents as more of a gift than treatment, but she spends time in local nursing homes and Collingwood Community Living group homes, assisting to help comfort seniors, special needs patients and multiple disability clients.

Her service has also extended to area bed and breakfasts to meet the requirements of weary travellers and vacationers, and small group parties.

King said people respond well to touch and aroma therapies, and the use of essential oils for massage.

Those methods and the comforting scents that go along with them, are non-intrusive and help people to relax, which she believes is “an important part of healing.” She said, “people can really relax and benefit from oils and therapeutic touch.”

King assures that alternative medicines are not meant to replace medical treatment, only to service and assist people in their health. Many of these techniques and services are designed to relieve stress, one of the biggest problems affecting people’s health today.

Recently diagnosed with asthma, she uses the same “spoonful of medicine” for herself.

“The reflexology helps to relax the chest spasm and I can breathe easier,” said King, cautioning, however, that no matter what the problem or how much better the holistic health care makes one feel, people still need to recognize the need for medical intervention.

“It is not (meant) to replace medical attention, only to enhance the healing process one goes through. Alternative medicine is a strongly growing area of interest and people are positive towards it,” said King, explaining how she recently helped organize a Wellness Day event for Hospice Georgian Triangle, which was very successful.

“The Wellness Day is not only a good fundraiser for Hospice, but good for the practitioners and it has been well supported by the community and local businesses.”

Reprinted from the Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin, June 2001