Dr David Beales
FRCP ( UK), MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, Dip Psch.

Expertise Stress Management (Executives) Behavioural Physiology Healthy High Performance

Dr. David Beales is a practicing physician, general practitioner, educator, and researcher. His focus is on promoting the benefits of behavioural physiology in health care, supported through his roles with The Happiness Centre, Medical Director of Better Physiology Ltd, Research Associate at the Buckingham and Chilterns University College and Co-Director of Mindful Physiology.

His mission is to integrate research findings from physiology, education, medicine, and social science into a holistic framework that is applied in the health and performance arena. Here the individual understands and works with the factors in their make up and physiology that promote or prevent optimal health and performance. The ability to remain well with good energy and performance become central in the midst of the ever-increasing pressures of complex lives. His work is to help individuals take responsibility, with knowledge and support, to regain and maintain autonomy, self-respect and well-being.

He is particularly interested in unexplained and functional medical symptoms and the relief of symptoms ranging from fibromyalgia to depression, post traumatic stress, functional syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome. He is able to help clients recognize the effect of an over aroused mindbody system and an overcharged metabolism. He can show how this leads to internal changes that include overbreathing and its impact on body chemistry disturbing emotional resilience, thinking, behaviour, and performance. Working with physiological feedback creates a window on how feelings and emotions impact on physiology and behaviour, followed by a practitioner-patient partnership for creating a restorative programme for re-establishing and optimizing health and performance. Restoration is then a combination of outside-in services and inside-out patient participation, leading to more successful work and life style choices.

He earned his medical degree in 1967 at Guy's Hospital and specialised in rheumatology and rehabilitation. Posts in neurology, paediatrics and obstetrics ensured a broad training in all aspects of medicine, including membership and fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians. After five years he chose to do general practice, during which time he completed the requirements for membership in the Royal College of General Practitioners. Work in an inner city London practice was followed by a move to Cirencester where he combined general practice with hospital medicine, including eighteen months as a consultant in elderly care. During 24 years in Cirencester he provided holistic care to an ongoing patient group of 1800 within the Phoenix Practice. The practice expanded from 3,400 patients to 10,500. During this time he was elected as the leader for practice research and development.

He was appointed in 1996 to the Department of Epidemiology at Oxford University and as the general practitioner member of the Clinical Standards Advisory Group. He established an independent trust - the Phoenix Charitable Trust - providing services such as complementary therapies, stress management, and educational guidance. He researched and developed a preventive service for older people called Stay Well 75+ that earned national recognition through its Beacon Award for innovation and excellence.

He developed a special interest in the association of heightened emotional arousal in the development of symptoms and disease states. In 1996 he became a research practitioner for three years for the South West Regional Directorate to continue this work. Publication in the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners followed with a scientific paper on the effect of personality and unexpressed emotion on recovery in eating disorders. He retired from general practice in 2000 and became Medical Director of the Bristol Cancer Help Centre before developing an independent practice seeing individuals and couples in Cirencester at the Complete Health Centre.

He has extensive publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as editing and contributing to the book Community Care for Older People - Radcliffe 1998. He contributed the chapter of Science and the Holistic Approach for the Bristol Cancer Help Centre. He lectures and presents workshops and seminars extensively in the UK and Abroad. He was a keynote speaker at the Holistic Medical Health Care Conference 2004 and is completing and presenting research on complementary healthcare and the effects of overbreathing on people with asthma, at the Exeter Holistic Medical Health Care Conference also in November 2004.

He enjoys a rural life looking after a small farm with his wife Marian. As well as gardening, playing tennis, and making pottery he enjoys walking, singing and time with his family.

Other team members:

		Alexis Garnaut-Miller Corporate Wellness Director (Founder) HR & Wellness Consultant
		Jonathan Hill Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Expert Performance & Leadership Consultant ...read more
		Anna Duschinsky Stress Management Specialist Optimum Health Coach & Author
		Tony Plant Trainer and Facilitator Breath Coach Authentic Happiness Coach ...read more
		Kim Upton The Breathing Coach Mindful Physiology ...read more
		Graham Shaw Trainer and Facilitator
		Aisha Afzal Lead Onsite Osteopath Ergonomic Consultant

The Happiness Centre is an organisational member of the London Chamber of Commerce, the British Board of NLP and The Wellbeing Network.