Dr Iain Lea
Doctor of Chiropractic
BSc, MSc, M.Chiro
_______
Iain Lea, Doctor of Chiropractic, left North Wales at 18 years of age to attempt the gruelling 8 month Royal Marine Commando selection course. He not only passed the Commando Course but was also awarded the Kings Badge, an award that is only given to a Commando recruit who shows exceptional abilities in leadership, fitness and mental toughness under adversity. Iain saw action in South America, Northern Ireland and Africa and after 3 years in the Royal Marine Commando’s he completed the arduous elite selection course and was drafted to work with Special Forces. During his time in the Royal Marines he became the Commando Units Welterweight Boxing Champion.
Dr Lea became interested in injury management as a serving Commando and decided to change career. Being in the luxurious position of having high A level results and also still being a serving Royal Marine Commando he was able to take time to thoroughly evaluate the course that would best equip him to successfully treat injuries and provide the high standards expected in private practice. Iain considered the full time 3 year Physiotherpy1 course, the full time 4 year Osteopathy course and took time to visit the various teaching institutions. Iain wanted to be the best he could be and was searching for a serious challenge that would equip him with arguably the most innovative in depth skills and knowledge in injury management available. Therefore, due to his Commando spirit, drive and relishing tough challenges, he decided instead to study full time in higher education for 8 years. Firstly he completed a 3 year full time degree in Neuropsychology at Bangor University, which he considers absolutely vital for successful management of injuries and chronic pain. Following this he completed a full time 5 year Master’s degree in Chiropractic at the internationally renowned Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, eventually attaining the rare3 and coveted title of Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and becoming a state registered Chiropractor with the General Chiropractic Council.
Dr Lea has now re-located back to his home in North Wales from New Zealand where, alongside Edmund Hilary, he was a member of the world famous New Zealand Alpine Club. In New Zealand he worked in a multi-disciplinary medical team including the All Blacks team Doctors based at the home of Kiwi Olympic Squad – The Millennium Institute of Sport in Auckland. Here Iain gained vital and significant experience with Olympic level Athletes and top-level rugby players. Whilst working in the Southern Hemisphere Dr Lea also completed the advanced and much sought after postgraduate course in Neurology taught by the world leading specialists educators in biomechanics, neurology and pain based at Macquarie University in Sydney. This progressive evidenced based training allows him to assess and manage complex presentations such as chronic headaches and dizziness, chronic back pain and shoulder pain and provide advanced specific rehabilitation schedules.
Previous to moving to New Zealand Iain set up a thriving practice in Manchester’s City centre consulting for The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Royal and Sun Alliance, Deloitte, Datamonitor, O2 International Mobile Phones, Bannatynes Health Clubs, Virgin Health Clubs, Buttress, Fuller, Alsop and Williams Architects and The Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Dr Lea was also associated with the Sale Sharks Premiership Rugby Club and worked extensively with The Sale Harriers Athletics Squad. Whilst in Manchester he set up the Physio Coach course. This was due to the significant demand for quality post NHS training by intuitive Physiotherapists who felt they were too under skilled to move to private practice and provide the advanced level of service demanded by the paying public.
Andy’s entire life centres on health and fitness and as a keen road cyclist, mountain biker, rock climber, winter mountaineer, Kayaker and general all round sports enthusiast there’s no better place to settle than North Wales!
Having worked within the industry for 15 years she has experienced an accolade of different approaches, influences and areas of the business and been fortunate to have worked with simply 100’s of fabulous clients of all ages and ability in 1-2-1 and group sessions, including world-class Ballroom Dancers, Rugby Players, Golf Pros, Triathletes and NBA Basketball stars!
Her career began as Manager of a large Body Building Gym in the South of England coaching bodybuilders for world-class competitions. She worked at the infamous FIBO in Germany with Nutrition Company MSM promoting ‘Food as Fuel’ which led to a fitness modelling contract in Miami before she changed tact completely to join the UK’s Premier Health & Fitness Club (David Lloyd Leisure) as Health & Fitness Manager. She enjoyed the teaching attributes of fitness with Spinning, Core Attack, Balance Challenge and as an SAQ and Team Combat Instructor for kids ranging from 5-16 years. A Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) she successfully led and developed a large team of Personal Trainers focused upon Functional Training and Functional Stability.
A change of direction and new opportunity founded upon a trip to the Tour de France led to her involvement with the Anglo European College of Chiropractors (AECC) and union with Dr Iain Lea. Here began the initial partnership for the establishment and implementation of individualised ‘back care’ programmes and a new focus upon rehabilitation protocols for spinal related disorders. Her growing interest and enthusiasm for Spinal Health and Fitness led to a consultancy role for Manchester based Deansgate Chiropractors, alongside a Managerial and Consultancy role for Derbyshire County Council. She also took the opportunity to become trained as an NASM Younger Adult Specialist.
Enjoying the outdoor life that the Peak District offered Andy next formed and successfully operated her own Mobile Personal Training company ‘Fitness Solutions UK’ with a large and diverse client base combining sports performance goals, weight loss and corrective exercise strategies for muscular skeletal disorders along with comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle advice. Her growing involvement with Deansgate Chiropractors as the Functional Stability and Corrective Exercise Specialist led next to her New Zealand adventure. At the Millennium Institute of Sport in Auckland the objective was to have hands on access to a variety of elite athletes from all sporting disciplines including the All Blacks! There was also an opportunity to work with more unusual patients such as Sheep Shearer’s, Orchardists and Ostrich farmers in the deep south of Otago! Christchurch provided a final excellent opportunity to further develop the unique, evolutionary joint ethos that Iain and Andy have for managing patients’ welfare.
The mountains scaled in snow, ice and blazing sun, crags climbed, roads ridden and mountain bike trails explored it was time to return to North Wales bringing all the knowledge and experience from a lifetime spent gathering skills and quite literally walking the walk!
Andy Smith
Clinical Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Performance Specialist
_______
Ian Craig
Nutritionist
BSc, MSc, DipCNE, INLPTA, BANT, Fellow
_______
Ian Craig BSc MSc DipCNE INLPTA BANT Fellow is the founder of the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition (CISN) and course leader of their online postgraduate level courses.
With his joint academic backgrounds in exercise physiology and nutritional therapy, and a long career as a British middle-distance athlete and coach, he has been developing the concept of integrative sports nutrition for the past twenty years; a fast-evolving discipline that considers both the health and performance of an athlete from an integrative health perspective.
He is the coauthor of Wholesome Nutrition with his natural chef wife Rachel Jesson, and is currently co-writing the Textbook of Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition with Professor Justin Roberts of Anglia Ruskin University, to be published by Routledge in 2025.
Additionally, as co-founder of the Nutritional Institute, Ian is a clinical practitioner, based in his native Scotland. His client base ranges from chronic health cases, such as autoimmunity, through recreational and elite athletes, to sports and lifestyle induced low-grade chronic fatigue syndrome.
He gained his BSc in Physiology & Sports Science from the University of Glasgow, his MSc in Exercise Physiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his BSc in Nutritional Therapy at the Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management, validated by Middlesex University in London. Ian is a fellow and professional member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy (BANT).