Nutritional Therapy & Functional Medicine
The Science of nutrition and health
Nutritional science studies the effect that food has on our health – specifically how it can impact our biochemistry, metabolism and the proper working of our cells, tissues and organs.
But scientific findings can be conflicting and confusing, because no two people are the same. So whilst applying the science we need to take into consideration the uniqueness and individuality of the person we are helping and to treat them as a whole, real human being
The Art of Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Therapy is the application of nutritional science in the real world, to real people who have:
- different goals and aspirations
- different family history, genes and biochemical processing
- different diets, budgets and relationships with food
- different beliefs, ways of thinking and ways of doing things,
- different commitments and responsibilities
- different lifestyles, relationships and environmental exposures
- different challenges and emotional responses to change
What can Nutritional Therapy do for you?
I never know who is going to ask for help and what a person may need. So my first task, during a free introductory call, is to find out what you want to achieve and you would like to work towards that.
I will explain what I think may help and suggest a plan. If we decide if we are a good fit we get started – in partnership – on the task in hand.
what has digestion got to do with it?
It’s not just about when we eat, what we eat and how we eat it, but how we digest and process our food as well. If we can’t absorb the nutrients, then our body can’t use them in it’s miracle factory to produce energy, healthy tissues and hormones. So keeping our digestive system in tip-tip condition is really important for all aspects of health.
And the stress connection?
Our body is designed to deal well with short term stress. But when stress becomes chronic and pervasive the stress hormones that we produce and that are intended to keep us safe in the short term, play havoc with our health in the long term. I believe it is almost impossible to be symptom free in the long term if we do not manage stress well.
Managing stress is not just about avoiding emotionally stressful situations. Stressors come in all sorts of guises (e.g. infections, nutrient deficiencies, food intolerances or allergies, emotional situations or trauma, environmental toxins, physical injury or surgery, electromagnetic stress, the list is endless…). Identifying the stressors specific to your own life and environment, how you choose to perceive stress and what you choose to do about it can be a complete game-changer – and transformational for your health.
What is this thing called ‘Functional Medicine’
Functional Medicine is a systems biology approach to understanding what has challenged your health and caused symptoms or disease, so that we can help those systems to run more smoothly, your body to heal and help you to thrive.
It recognises that two people can have the same symptoms for completely different reasons. And that conversely, two people may have the same underlying problem that manifests in different ways.
So how can functional medicine help me?
Imagine a tree with leaves that are lifeless, dull or that struggle to grow. Functional medicine will not paint the leaves green. We will instead nourish the roots of the tree and ensure access to sunlight, so that new leaves can grow.
So for each client we examine which biochemical systems may not be working well for you specifically, we establish why and correct the problems by recommending the specific nourishment needed to help your body to heal itself.
Sometimes it can be enough to take a full case history of signs, symptoms, diet, lifestyle and environmental exposures to have a good idea of the issues that may be causing or contributing to symptoms. Other times we may need more detailed laboratory testing to help understand what is happening in your body.
Laboratory testing
Laboratory tests commonly run include:
- Stool or breath tests to understand what is happening in your gut bacteria and digestive function
- Vitamin, mineral and other nutrient assessments
- Food allergy or intolerance tests
- Blood or urinary hormone tests
- Hair mineral testing
- More specialised testing depending on the situation
- I may ask your GP to run some tests, with your agreement.
What if I just have ‘bad genes’?
Genetic variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms or ‘snips’) can cause us to process chemicals in our body differently to other people.
Whilst many health conditions can be related to the genes we have inherited, different environmental factors (eg. food, lifestyle, exercise, pollution, relationships, stress levels, medications etc…) have an impact on whether those genes are expressed (‘switched on/off’) or not.
Imagine, for example, that your genes are the cards you have been dealt. You may have a poor set of cards, but if you play the game well, you can still win. Conversely, you may have been dealt a great hand, but if you play the game badly, you may lose. So whilst we cannot change our genes, we can change the way our genes work (epigentics). Epigenetic changes (poor diet and lifestyle or example) can be reversible – they do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads your DNA sequence.
Most genetic variations are not detrimental at all. In fact, many can be advantageous under certain circumstances and may have enabled our forefathers to survive in specific conditions through history. Whether detrimental or advantageous, it can be useful to know the genes we have been born with, so we can understand how to work with them, rather than against them, for our best health.
I will only ever test genes that I know can be influenced positively through diet and lifestyle changes. I use Lifecode GX lab for genetic tests.
So what’s next for you?
I’m happy to help you understand what direction you might like to take with therapy. We’ll discuss what you want to achieve and any budget, time or practical constraints you have. If you need something or somebody different I’ll signpost you on if I am able. If I’m the right person for you I’ll look forward to getting started on our adventures in working together towards your better health.
