Dr. Veronica McBurnie
In a world increasingly focused on holistic health and well-being, Dr. Veronica McBurnie, Clinical Director, Founder, Family GP, and Specialist in Integrative Medicine, stands out as a pioneer in integrative medicine.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. McBurnie’s journey from traditional family medicine to groundbreaking approaches in DNA analysis, gut microbiome research, and energy medicine has redefined how we think about healing. As the founder and Clinical Director of a renowned wellness practice, she combines her expertise in conventional medicine with cutting-edge methods, including homeopathy and the Frequency Treatment.
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In this exclusive interview with The Eden Magazine, Dr. McBurnie shares her inspiring story, her vision for the future of medicine, and how a truly integrative approach can empower individuals to live healthier, more balanced lives.
When did you choose medicine as a career path?
That’s an interesting question. Looking back, I think medicine chose me.
I grew up in the west of Scotland, the daughter of a dentist and a teacher both of whom had come from very humble beginnings and had to work very hard to carve out their professional careers.
On graduating high school in 1985, I was somewhat torn between following my heart or my head. Head — Glasgow University Medical School or Heart — to audition for one of Scotland’s many prestigious and esteemed music institutions, following my lifelong passion. I followed my head, having no idea that my heart would also find a way through.
At that young age, I had no idea that the choice was actually not going to manifest as one or another nor that they would be mutually exclusive. On paper, Medicine and Music may sound like divergent paths, reminding me of a very famous Scottish song – “You take the High Road, and I’ll take the low road,” but they are linked more than anyone might imagine.
I have always been interested in the mind-body connection, what makes people tick, why some people get ill, and why others don’t. As a child, I could feel people’s energy, both negative and positive, and I could see that it was somehow linked to health. I have always been fascinated by my fellow humans and our purpose here on Planet Earth.
Then, only a year or two into my professional career, after playing the piano on a Sunday for pre-op patients from my surgical ward in what was the old hospital chapel, I had an enlightening moment of clarity … in short, a realization that music draws on your soul, your emotions and your energy. Music can make you feel good! I wanted to harness this somehow in my treatment plans for those willing to explore.
If you love music, you love life!
I now combine my love of music and its qualities for mood enhancement, togetherness, and calm, soothing energy into suggestions and recommendations I make to my receptive patients. I have observed how music can be very effective when interwoven into any medicinal treatment program. We have observed time and again the role of music, in particular singing, as a bridge to therapeutic healing.
How do you combine music, sound, and medicine?
In many circumstances, the combination of music and medicine can be extremely effective, whether formally as part of a unique and tailored treatment plan or informally as a complimentary component alongside some of the other bespoke treatments we recommend for our patients.
Singing is a lifelong passion of mine and something I enjoy sharing and facilitating for others. When we sing, we are the most authentic version of ourselves. Singing is one of the best ways to link our minds, bodies, and hearts, express ourselves, and unite as one. Before humans learned to speak, language would be just a simple tonal sound. People used to communicate in song before words came along. Even now, for some, it is easier to communicate in song than it is with the spoken word.
Singing opens your heart and encourages a body state called heart coherence. A study by the British Heart Foundation shows that when people sing together in a choir or a group, their hearts start beating in synchrony. Singing connects us to ourselves and others and helps release the happy hormones of oxytocin and dopamine, which help facilitate the healing response.
I have a piano in my consulting room at Westbourne Studios, and many patients will come in with anxiety and other issues. Depending on the patient, I will ask if they have ever tried singing before, and wherever possible, I will encourage a little singing together with the piano. I had one lady in particular who was so nervous about having an operation.
Her blood pressure was sky-high. She came to see me and said, “Oh, I don’t get out anymore. I don’t feel like doing anything. I used to be in a choir, but now I am so concerned about my health that I am unable to do the smallest task.” I then suggested we try a little singing together. She looked surprised but agreed, and after playing some simple, fun melodies on the piano, she began to sing. I could see and feel her whole demeanor change before my eyes. She floated out of the room at the end of the appointment, much to the astonishment of her husband, who was in the waiting area and could only ask, “What exactly happened in there?!”
Feedback, in general, has been extremely encouraging. Clearly, this is not for everyone, but where there is a will, openness, or intrigue, we find that the level of opt-in or willingness to learn more or observe or participate via a very gentle induction has a very healthy uptake and sustained participation. When it’s appropriate, and it clicks, it’s an emotive, engaging, and powerful asset in Westbourne Medical Studios Portfolio of core offerings. I also run some charity music workshops every week. I work with a group of people who may have had a tough day, many of whom do not have the easiest of lives, but when they sing together, the powerful energy they create raises spirits without fail. Singing something simple together, creating coherence and harmony, can change even the darkest of days, and standing directly in front of that at the receiving end of these frequencies is a wonderful privilege and a powerful emotional release. It is an all-around healing, two-way experience, and I love doing that. I can see and feel music as an effective healer. Without fail, after each workshop, everyone leaves in a different state. I was recently at a public event when a lady came running up to me after dinner to tell me that she had enjoyed the workshop so much that she had never ‘felt her heart so full” as when she was singing in one of the workshops with us.
I always say to people that it is not my magic; it’s your magic. You bring out your own magic when you sing. You are communicating from your heart. Singing is the true bridge to therapeutic healing.
Tell me about Frequency Medicine, Treatments, and Frequency Bowls.
I initially learned about frequency medicine in 2016 from a Dutch scientist who was engaged in helping the Brazilian government tackle the Zika virus outbreak before their Olympics in 2016. Surprising as it sounds, this is not a new phenomenon as we use frequency all the time in medicine, whether it be an ultrasound to heal or break up a bruise or radiotherapy to tackle a tumor. Each frequency is an energy wave that has a unique value. Then, each emotion and every signal from the brain to the body would have a particular value or frequency wave of its own. With this understanding, we are beginning to look at treating people using frequency as a signal to promote healing.
A turning point for me was when a family member became quite unwell with emotional difficulties and anxiety; they were not responding to conventional treatment, and I decided to take them to The Netherlands to explore frequency medicine as an option to help their brain heal. It was an honor to visit this incredible clinic who were working with cutting-edge, non-invasive treatments. After being given a tailored prescription of frequency, which he had to be listened to on a daily basis, this family member returned to full health in six weeks. I then decide to spend some time studying this approach to medicine and how to use frequency to help my own patients with their emotions and their brain health. I now use frequency medicine as one of my important tools for emotional health and well-being, in particular for depression and for people with all sorts of anxiety issues.
In Westbourne Medical Studios, we have invested in some progressive technology that allows us to take a scan of the speaking voice, which has many unique frequencies therein. When we speak as our authentic selves (i.e., unless we are performing to an audience), the frequencies in our voice at that time can offer an insightful scientific window into our emotions and how our brain is firing and wiring.
You can link this insight through the frequencies to the brain and brainwaves and then build a bespoke frequency prescription for the patient. I love doing it. I say to them, “Look, this is cutting-edge technology. And I am keen to try to help you. Do you want to have a try?” It is so important not to promise anything you are unable to deliver. Patients understand that this technology is so new and exciting and are keen to have a go. It is often used for patients who don’t want to take medication for some mental health disorders, and I get some pretty good results.
Energy is all there is. It just changes from one state to another. As I said above, frequency has been used in healing for years. That’s what Ultrasound is. The physiotherapist will ultrasound a bruise or a deep wound, sending frequency into the wound to heal it. Radiotherapy is also a form of frequency for cancer patients. Everything is frequency. Everything is energy. It’s not difficult to imagine then that frequency can heal.
I now run a monthly charity – sound medicine evenings – where people come and relax in our yoga space and are immersed in sound frequencies.
You hold a position of responsibility when you use the bowls. You can’t just sit in front of someone and bang on bowls. You must take your time, be aware of who’s in the room, and read the room, constantly adjusting things to reach optimal sound. Whether using a bowl, the human voice, or another instrument, each frequency has an effect on the person’s emotions, and all those emotions are very much linked to our body and physical health.
How did the Westbourne Team come about? How long did it take to make it a reality?
I always dreamed of opening a medical center that was truly holistic and embraced all forms of healing and health.
A career in medicine affords you many privileges, and I had the privilege of traveling all around the globe for work. I’ve learned that medicine can be so different, depending on where you are, and it’s not just a case of following the flow diagram and reading the rules. Evidenced-based medicine is, of course, of paramount importance. Still, the body has the capacity to heal itself in many different ways, and an individual approach to health is what we aim for at The Studios.
I am an experienced family physician with over three decades of training and have dealt with most medical situations from birth to the final days of life. I always wanted to have a clinic that offered a truly integrative approach for every patient encompassing as many forms of healing as possible… Throughout my career and my scientific background, I would struggle to find an explanation as to why one patient who had a tiny little speck of cancer would not survive more than a week or two while another who was riddled with cancer would still be alive after many years. How could this be? How can two people have the same diagnosis, the same prognosis, and have a very different outcome? What are the factors? What influences this? How could this be rationalized?
Until recently, I spent all my working life in the National Health Service, and I still do whenever I can, as it never felt right to walk away completely. Unfortunately, the constraints and never-ending demands of this system do not enable you to have the time to offer a truly therapeutic consultation. One of the most important things you can give people is your time and energy to allow them to feel heard and open a space to allow people to heal. This is why all new patients at Westbourne Studios have an hour-long appointment whenever possible.
As far as putting the team together, I picked my team as I went along. Some were people I had worked with in the past. For example, I worked in a prison in Bermuda. I was the last doctor in their old prison and the first doctor in the new prison. I worked in an old Victorian prison in Glasgow called Barlinnie. I was good friends with one of the nurses and told her that one day, I would open my dream clinic and would ask her to work alongside me She smiled and agreed…time moved on, Life moved on. I had my own challenges in life to face, like anyone else. Through no fault of my own, I found myself in a difficult financial position, bringing up my children as a single working mum. Then, after the sudden passing of my mother, I came to realize that life was not waiting for me. I had to go out and do something about it. It was now or never…I gathered the funds, and then, by some miracle, the perfect building appeared, and Westbourne Medical Studios was born. I then called the nurse with whom I had worked at the Glasgow Prison and asked her if she remembered her promise. She subsequently left her job and came to work alongside me at Westbourne and has been there ever since …one of the admin team is a former receptionist from my trainee days, and her sister joined us as housekeeper (believe it or not, having previously worked for the Royal Family in London)! I then gathered many wonderful healers and therapists and began putting the Westbourne family together.
A major inspirational character for me was a lady named Anne Shearer. She founded the Phoenix Centre in Glasgow, a center way ahead of its time that offered yoga, stress management, and meditation long before it became fashionable. I used to visit her regularly to study the art and science of correct breathing. I had no idea that we eliminate around 70% of our body’s toxins through breathing. Breathing correctly involves breathing both in and out through our noses as we did when we were babies. She also taught me so much more about following my dreams, creating my own space, and how to move your vision forward and make it a reality.
She was a real inspiration for me. Although Anne is sadly no longer with us, her right-hand lady, Heather, an artist and psychotherapist, comes to work at Westbourne, offering breath work to all our patients. Proceeds from the appointments go to a breathwork charity they founded together called Trust Your Breath.
Bringing the team together was like calling the elders of the tribe. I said, “Let’s make Westbourne a beacon of light. Let’s make this a place where people can come and heal.” It was never just about being a private physician. Business, in that sense, was never my passion. For me, it has been about having the space and the means to run a truly integrative and holistic medical center which also benefits the community at large. We have drop-in meditations at lunchtime on Wednesdays and a community music group that plays once a month. We run yoga classes and charity sound bowl evenings; we even have a monthly cinema evening where we show inspirational movies on our cinema wall.
We have so much going on. I want it to be a place where people come and understand that healing is possible. It’s not all about coming to visit the doctor simply for medication…I see it more as a place where we support patients to be the very best version of themselves and walk with them hand in hand to provide them with the tools to thrive in a state of optimal wellness.
You mentioned the word bespoke. That’s not a word you hear associated with the medical field. Today’s medical care has become so impersonal. Patients are numbers. Why did you choose the route of custom-made individual care for your patients and in your medical practice?
Having a bespoke practice is, to my mind, essential as everyone is a unique individual and deserves to be treated in that way as much as possible. How can you apply the same mathematical rule to everybody and get the same result? You cannot because we are all genetically different, so we react differently.
Patients need time to be seen and heard in a therapeutic space, which cannot happen with a short visit. My interest lies in the truly integrative mind-body approach to medicine, in the process, changing the whole health model that we seem to have accepted nowadays.
Tell me about Walk the World Moving Meditation.
Any form of meditation is about connecting with yourself – mind and body – in a state of mindful awareness.
Stress is the cause of most diseases. When you are stressed, the autonomic nervous system is in fight or flight, and your brain waves are in survival mode. Our brains operate on various frequencies, some fast and some slow. Every brain wave has a frequency, and every emotion has its own frequency.
When you are in this state, otherwise known as survival mode, you cannot repair, create, or do anything to make your body more whole and complete. Significant blood flow leaves the frontal lobe to supply the muscles. On the other hand, when you are resting and relaxing, that’s an entirely different matter. That’s when our bodies repair. That’s when our creative forces come into play.
Mediation, however, brings us to a place of deep relaxation, allowing our bodies to regenerate, repair, and renew themselves. In our fast-paced world, we often become addicted to the stress of “doing” and forget the importance of simply “being.” Meditation is a practice of letting go.
There are different types of meditation, including lying, sitting, standing, and walking. A walking meditation allows us to be fully present, moving mindfully without thought, ideally in a peaceful setting like a beach. It is a powerful way to restore balance, enabling the body and mind to experience positive change.
What challenges do you face when working with patients who are skeptical about your approach and alternative treatments?
I want to say that I don’t necessarily see these treatments as “alternative.” We should call them complementary. If the patient is at the heart of the consultation, then all well-researched and scientifically proven treatments may have a role to play. The whole point is that it’s not either one or the other for me. Let’s bring all potential solutions to the table to see how we might tackle a problem. We have several ways of doing this.
Some patients have a set idea of why they have come. Others are looking for guidance and for me to devise a highly individualized plan to help them on the road to a healthier life. I enjoy making joint decisions with patients when formulating any treatment plan incorporating all lifestyle aspects of care and any healing modalities that might suit them on their journey.
What about nutrition and health?
Many medical schools do not place enough emphasis on nutritional well-being. We are literally what we eat, but we are also what we absorb. How often do we enquire about our gut microbiome? How often are we aware of what is happening in our body /what are we putting in our mouths? Everything we eat is a building block for the next red blood cell, nerve cell, or muscle cell. If we thought about this every day, we might make wiser choices when it comes to eating.
Every stem cell has an incredible innate intelligence. How does a cell decide whether to be a kidney, an eyelash, or a fingernail? It is truly fascinating that our bodies have this capacity for growth and discernment. Everything we consume is a building block for that. It is not about having a rigid or fad diet. It is about the importance of recognizing what might work for us. When it comes to eating, inner wisdom and knowledge can go a long way. The mind-body connection is crucial. It is simply a matter of listening to your body and asking it what it wants. Am I thirsty? Am I hungry? If you have a hunger signal then, then what do I truly desire and need? Much of the time, we mistake thirst for hunger, and this can lead to the wrong choices being made. Adequate Hydration is a key factor in the health of every cell.
What about patients who can’t afford the treatments?
I did not open a private clinic because I wanted to be a money-motivated entrepreneur.
I wanted to open a private clinic to create a truly healing environment with sufficient time and means to offer patients the chance to be heard and nurtured as best I could.
We offer varying fee ranges. I like to see all my new patients for an hour, but sometimes, this is not possible, and if a patient asks to see me for a shorter time, we will honor this. Patients can book an appointment with me or with the nurse consultant on a different fee scale.
Westbourne Medical Studios is open to everyone, and we hold many free community and charity events, including a drop-in meditation sessions and sound evenings, creative art classes, and a community cinema wall every month. When people come to see me, I love to see them, but it’s not necessarily all about booking numerous return visits. I want to teach patients how to breathe correctly, how to meditate, correct nutritional advice, cold water bathing, and much more, as these are all great tools we can share to empower our patients to thrive and reach a state of optimal wellness, and live life to the fullest.
Of course, I also write out the occasional prescription too but that’s the beauty of combining all skills for the best possible outcome.
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