Nutritional THERAPY & FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
I help provide nutrition and diet support to help you find effective solutions to improve many gut and gut related health conditions
Many gut and gut related health conditions can be helped using Nutritional Therapy, including:
Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Abdominal pain or unexplained digestive discomfort
- Acid reflux/ Heartburn/ GERD
- Celiac Disease and non-coeliac gluten-related disorders
- Constipation
- Food sensitivities/ intolerances
- Fructose Malabsorption
- Gas or bloating
- Gastritis
- Histamine intolerance
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS – constipation, diarrhoea, intermittent constipation-diarrhoea)
- Leaky gut (intestinal permeability)
- Microbiome imbalances
- Nausea or feeling sick
- Small Intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Support after removal of gallbladder (Cholecystectomy)
Non-Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Atopic eczema
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Heart Disease
- Kidney disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
- Parkinson’s disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Type 2 diabetes
What is Functional Medicine?
The functional medicine model is an individualised, patient-centred science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.
When working within a functional medicine framework many questions about a patient’s symptoms are asked e.g.:
- When did this happen?
- Why did this happen?
- What are the factors that contributed to the diagnosis?
- How can we bring the body back into balance?
By looking for root cause, rather than symptoms, practitioners become oriented to identifying the complexity of disease. They may find one condition has many different causes and, likewise, one cause may result in many different conditions.
Functional Medicine follows some basic principles:
- Acknowledges that each individual is unique e.g. different genetic make-up, different lifestyle and different environment
- It focusses on preventing disease and restoring health by looking at the person as a whole and not a series of individual parts – and looking at how these parts fit together and impact each other to establish the root cause and drivers.
- Seeking to identify triggers and drivers and once understood to devise a plan to help you avoid or reduce them.
- Respects that the fundamental needs of the body are also required: nutrition, nutrients, mindfulness, movement
- That support and education is also key to provide you the necessary skills for implementing change
In addition, I use cutting-edge laboratory testing to get the clues we need to target the right areas of health.
THE NUTRITIONAL THERAPY PROCESS
01
ASSESS
Firstly, I will meet with you to get an understanding of your symptoms, medical diagnosis, challenges, and goals
02
TEST
I don’t like second guessing, so I’ll recommend you undertake specific laboratory tests* that will help us understand exactly what’s going on in your body
03
ACTION
I will create a bespoke diet and lifestyle programme for you, monitor your progress, and support your journey to ensure success.
Want to learn more about how to improve your gut health?
Download my FREE eBook "Fix Your Digestion Naturally"
WHO IS NUTRIONAL THERAPY SUITABLE FOR?
With so many conflicting messages about healthy eating, it’s great to have a professional on your side to help find the right solution for you.
You know nutritional therapy is right for you if you have experienced any of the following:
- You don’t feel “right” and can’t figure out why
- You feel tired most of the time
- You have been diagnosed with an illness and would like to do all you can to recover and/or optimise your health
- You’ve been ill and want to avoid it coming back
- You want to have a baby and can’t get pregnant or have had multiple miscarriages
- You want to lose or gain weight
- You feel fine, but just want to know what to do to ensure you prevent future illness
- You want to avoid taking medicines, such as antibiotics or statins
FACT:
Studies show that the right foods can reverse, prevent, or slow down disease progression and age-related processes at any stage and age!
“There is no such thing as a ‘well-balanced’ diet”
You may be surprised to find that, at Food4Life Coach, I believe that there is no such thing as a “well-balanced” diet. Foods that may be good for one person may not be suitable for another.
Even if you think that you are eating a healthy diet, chances are you are deficient in many vital nutrients without even knowing it. People lack nutrients for a variety of different reasons, such as a reliance on processed foods, what they drink, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, stress, pollution, and even changes in farming practices over the years.
Long-term sub-optimal nutrition, whatever the cause, is linked to a variety of different diseases and can alter the way our genes work. Therefore, any changes to your diet, good or bad, can have profound effects on your health.
I am dedicated to helping you find the foods and lifestyle changes that are best for you so that you can reclaim your health and fight, reverse, and prevent disease.
Here are some of the lab tests I use regularly:
Functional Blood Chemistry
This is blood testing looking for biochemical imbalances that we can rebalance with the right nutrients, and may include advanced thyroid function testing with antibodies.
Digestive Function Testing
As up to 80% of the immune system is in the gut, looking at your digestive function with gives us a window into what could be going on and what support would be most suitable. I use cutting edge microbiome testing (Biomesight), which enables me to tailor my dietary recommendations as well as probiotic and prebiotic supplement advice to your specific needs.
Cyrex Testing for Autoimmunity
These tests look at what could be contributing to your autoimmune condition and may also predict likely autoimmunity to difference areas of your body up to 10 years before you develop symptoms.
DUTCH Testing
This looks at your hormones in detail, including how you are metabolising your hormones.
Micronutrient (Vitamin, Mineral and Essential Nutrient) Testing
This profile covers a range of micronutrients (e.g. Vitamin C, Zinc, B Vitamins)to provide a comprehensive assessment of nutritional status. Micronutrients are important compounds that are required for the proper functioning of every enzyme and cell in your body and support some of the following functions: the immune system, energy production, detoxification and more.
““I am delighted to say that since seeing you, I feel a lot more energised, am sleeping much better, and no longer suffer from heartburn”
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a masectomy, reconstructive surgery, and chemotherapy. While I have been told by my consultant that I am free from cancer, I had a number of other problems which is why I decided to come and see you. I am delighted to say that since seeing you, I feel a lot more energised, am sleeping much better, and no longer suffer from heartburn. I am really pleased I have made the dietary changes you suggested. It has made a big difference to my quality of life.”