What is nutritional therapy?
Health or disease comes from a complex interaction of physical, emotional, dietary, genetic, environmental, lifestyle and other factors
A nutritional therapist will use a patient centred approach, recognising that every person is different, hence treating each client individually and developing a nutritional programme that is completely unique to each client.
A nutritional therapist will work to restore and support the inherent healing power of your own body. He/she will do so by following the traditional principles of naturopathic nutrition.
Health or disease comes from a complex interaction of physical, emotional, dietary, genetic, environmental, lifestyle and other factors. A naturopathic practitioner will treat the whole person, taking all of these factors into account, as all of them play an important part in the state of your health and wellbeing.
A naturopathic nutritionist is trained to find and address the underlying cause of a disease, rather than focusing on the palliation of symptoms (which only results in temporary health improvements).
A principal objective of naturopathic nutrition is to educate the patient and emphasise self-responsibility for health.
A naturopathic practitioner will strive to increase the patient’s level of ‘wellness’, regardless of the level of physical health or disease. Wellness is defined as a state of health characterised by a positive emotional state.
Naturopathy versus allopathy (conventional medicine)
“If you had a flooded bathroom, would you start mopping up the floor (allopathic approach), or would you switch off the tap first (naturopathic approach)?”
Pasteur’s life was dedicated to finding substances that would kill the infecting organism. However, Pasteur’s colleague, another 19th century scientist, Claude Bernard, had a different view of health and disease: “The state of a person’s internal environment (terrain) is much more important in determining disease than the infecting organism. We should focus more on making this environment the most inhospitable place for disease to flourish.”
On his death bed, Pasteur said: “Bernard was right. The pathogen is nothing. The terrain is everything.” However, modern medicine focuses on Pasteur’s theory, largely ignoring the importance of the ‘terrain’.
Or to put it another way: If you had a flooded bathroom, would you start mopping up the floor (allopathic approach) or would you switch off the tap (naturopathic approach) first?
Personalised Nutrition with Genetic Testing
Genetic testing helps us to address two very important issues in today’s health care.
- How do we prevent illness before it occurs?
- How do we make treatment personal to each individual?
Variations in our genetic makeup are associated with many forms of disease. These variations do not cause disease, rather, they influence a person’s susceptibility to it. Genetic profiling helps us to understand which form of specific genes are influencing our health, allowing us to target interventions appropriately.
- Do you have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis or osteoporosis?
- Do you suffer from a chronic condition that resists medical treatment?
- Do asthma and allergies run in your family?
- Could genetic variations make you more vulnerable to the harmful effects of everyday or small amounts of toxins?
- Could you be less likely to respond well to certain nutrients?
- Are you concerned about cancer risk?
- Do you want to develop a focused plan to better prevent inherited risks from turning into realities?
How can nutritional therapy help me?
Nutritional therapy has been found to help all of these health conditions:
Asthma
Atopic Dermatitis, Acne, Psoriasis
Thyroid Problems, Hashimoto’s
Low energy, Fatigue, Tiredness
Digestive Problems, Crohn’s, UC
Coeliac Disease
Food Allergy & Intolerances
Stress
Weight Management
Cancer
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia
Diabetes Types I and II
Detoxification
Female Hormonal Imbalances:
PCOS, PMT, Endometriosis
Infertility, Pre-conception & Pregnancy
Menopause
Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol
Eating Disorders
Migraine
Joint Health & Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis
Parasitic & Fungal Infections