What is Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy ?
Harnessing the healing power of food
Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy is a scientifically underpinned, evidence-based approach to health that embraces the use of foods as medicine, supporting a return to chemical-free foods and dietary measures and protocols as an effective response to many health complaints and conditions. Whatever your age or stage of life, wellness begins with what we put into our bodies!
Treating the body as a whole
This approach treats the body as a whole organism, embracing the unique biological, environmental and lifestyle aspects that can contribute to poor health. Unlike the conventional medical model, Naturopathic Nutrition strives to identify and address the root causes of illness, rather than only treating the symptoms. It aims to support and repair bodily systems, not overburden them, which is very supportive to the many sensitive clients I have who suffer with long term chronic illnesses.
A nutritional approach to optimal health
While food is always the first line of defence, as a qualified Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist I also offer a broad range of functional medical testing, to evaluate hormonal imbalances, gut and microbiome integrity, nutrient deficiencies, enzyme activity, genetics, neurotransmitters and so on. Identifying weaknesses in this way, allows me to get to the core of health issues and disease, to develop uniquely personalised protocols, combining food, sometimes supplements and lifestyle approaches that holistically address and support the body for resolution of illness and optimal health and wellbeing, one mouthful at a time.
Nutrigenomics
I have a special interest in the area of Nutrigenomics, which involves the study of how our genes and nutrition interact, or put another way, how our food choices and our environment affects our genetic expression and consequently our health. As a Nutritional Therapist I can order testing to identify common key inherited genetic errors or glitches, known as SNP’s, which can predispose us to vulnerabilities and risks for various conditions and health states.
Accessing this knowledge and supporting the body accordingly, through diet, supplementation and lifestyle choices can be especially effective with regard to the prevention and treatment of many chronic conditions and disease states. It can provide us with valuable information to develop supportive protocols for those of us who suffer with ongoing or life-limiting conditions.
While we cannot change our genes in and of themselves, we can certainly influence them by what we eat and how we live! Applying nutrigenomics allows us to play to our strengths while supporting our weaknesses. It provides a life-long roadmap for us to make better choices so we can live our best lives and reach our full potential!
Neurodiversity
As a neurodivergent woman, who got a late diagnosis of ADHD, I am passionate about supporting both adults and children with neurodivergent presentations. As awareness of neurodiversity grows and more children and adults are being diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and mental health conditions like OCD, anxiety disorders, depression and Bi-polar disorder, many are faced with decisions as to how to support their condition and whether to medicate. While medication can certainly be of value and is sometimes essential, side effects can be an issue, as well as waning efficacy over time, leading to constantly changing prescriptions and titration regimes.
Studies are showing that many of these conditions are underpinned by inflammation caused by nutrient deficiencies and imbalanced biochemistry, sometimes driven by genetic anomalies and often by environmental factors, such as food choices, chemicals, toxins and so on.
The body and the brain are inextricably linked. What we eat directly effects our brains, via the gut-brain axis, the health of our microbiome and the availability of adequate nutrients for optimal cognition and nervous system regulation. Poor digestion itself can impair our ability to get vital nutrients to the brain for it to carry out essential biochemical transactions.
Genetic SNP’s can limit our ability to produce adequate neurotransmitters, to metabolise toxins and absorb certain vitamins and minerals, all of which can leave us in profound deficits that affect us across all bodily systems, potentially resulting in poor digestion and absorption, mood dysregulation, allergies, sleep disruptions and sensory overload, to name but a few.
Equally artificial additives, such as food dyes, MSG and aspartame, as well as sugar, gluten, pesticides and food allergies and intolerances have been shown to be toxic to many neurodiverse individuals, slowing down essential metabolic processes, driving inflammation and hyperactivity, while dysregulating digestive and nervous systems and compromising detoxification pathways.
Whether medicating or not, making informed food and supplement choices that support the body’s inherent vulnerabilities should form the day to day basis for every neurodivergent person, be they an adult or a child and have been shown to improve focus, mood, attention and behaviour. Add to this functional medical and genetic testing to identify personalised areas of vulnerability and you’ve got a toolkit for comprehensive evaluation and bio-individual support. There is no better gift to give yourself or your child than a solid nutritional foundation offered by personalised naturopathic nutritional therapy upon which hopes and dreams can be built.
Connect with me
If you wish to book a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy session or to seek further clarification on the work I do, please reach out to me by filling in my contact form
