Meet our people

Marjo Valonen is an expert on complex chronic infections and how to repair the resulting damage. She specializes in identifying and repairing body’s biological functions (gut, hormones, stress, energy production etc.) after treating the infections with natural remedies and her expertise brings patients from all over Europe.

She is the founder of Astris Clinic and trains MD’s and therapists internationally. She speaks in conferences and workshops around the world including USA, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Austria. She is a past member of the European board of ILADS. (www.ilads.org) and works with patient associations to further the diagnostics and treatment of Lyme.

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Sanna Peiponen has extensive experience about how to help people suffering from a complex and hard to recover illness. She is passionate about understanding the mechanisms behind a healthy person. She has applied her knowledge to solve modern day challenges such as gut issues and inflammation and she works in close co-operation with our MD's

She has a Masters in Personalized Nutrition from Middlesex University, her thesis was on the role of cytokines in chronic infections and how they could be affected by herbs. Sanna also teaches at Salus Academy for Nutrition and she has presented in multiple countries. She works often with international patients with the farthest one being from New Zealand, the opposite side of the planet from us!

I am medical herbalist and biomedical scientist. I obtained my doctorate degree at the Faculty of Medicine (University of Helsinki, Finland) and a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (University of Wroclaw, Poland).

I spent several years working as a biomedical scientist in Poland, Germany and Finland.My love of the natural world combined with my empathic nature, strong desire to help others, and curiosity about holistic approaches to healing led me to the naturopathic medicine. I studied at Heartwood Herbal Medicine College which is accredited by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH). Here I trained in orthodox medicine as well as plant medicine including areas of medical sciences, pharmacology, materia medica, clinical reasoning and physical examinations.

As a medical herbalist I offer an individual and natural approach with regards to your and your environment as a whole. I offer herbal medicine treatment for acute and chronic conditions. My clinical practice is grounded in the tradition of Western Herbal Medicine combining conventional medical science and diagnosis as well as plant medicine known as phytotherapy.

A basic requirement for a healthy body is a daily nutritious diet - repeated food choices are reflected in our health for years to come. Healthy eating should be taken care of throughout life, from an early age. Nutrition provides us with the necessary building blocks, supports the treatment and prevention of diseases, without forgetting the pleasure and social dimension that food brings.

I always focus on each client as a whole, taking into account individual starting points. Through listening, mentoring, and supporting, I help people build health, even in life situations where diet is limited for one reason or another. In addition to nutrition, I also address other well-being factors such as exercise, sleep, stress, everyday rhythm, eating behavior, and social relationships.

I try to map the factors behind the symptoms, and to offer easy-to-use action models. I do not diagnose diseases - I work closely with doctors as well as other experts, which allows for comprehensive and individualized help. I work with a big heart, my goal is to build health with a systematic but gentle approach.

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Ulla Renvall is our nurse who is responsible for day to day operations, especially laboratory samples. She is often the first person people people are in contact with. Ulla is proficient in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Rami Valonen has a diverse educational background and has worked in various positions and responsibilities in the medical industry including product manager for allergy field and (specialist) MD training. He has also worked in a Finnish Innovation Fund supported University project on infectious diseases diagnostics which resulted in a startup.

His area of interest is the development of advanced treatment models for chronic diseases using computer modeling, herbal research and advancement of Lyme and Co-infections awareness. He has presented in conferences in multiple countries and is often involved in the regulatory side also.