About Naturopathy & Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Therapy is a type of preventative healthcare, focussing on the optimization of physical and mental health and the management of chronic diseases, often with complex multiple causes. This is primarily achieved through personalised dietary and lifestyle changes, and often also targetted supplementation. While Dieticians generally provide dietary advice based on your diagnosed health condition, Nutritional Therapists can provide more personalised guidance, recognising that each individual has unique needs.
My approach to Nutritional Therapy is naturopathic, which means that I work to find the root cause of your issue and then support the body to reestablish it’s normal function as opposed to only targetting elimination of the current symptoms. More about Naturopathy below.
What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is an approach to health that seeks to support the body’s natural healing and self-regulation mechanisms. These processes are the only way that the body heals itself, no matter the approach taken by the healthcare practitioner. If a plaster is applied to a cut, it is not the plaster that heals the cut, but the body’s own healing mechanism. Likewise, if a broken bone is put into a plaster cast, again it is the body that does the healing, not the cast itself. This is important to understand.
The practice of modern medicine works against this natural process by suppressing the symptoms, which can enable more serious conditions to develop later.
Naturopaths understand that symptoms are simply signs that a deeper issue exists – they are not the issue itself. We instead work with the body to support its optimal function through a range of different techniques and practices. One of these is Nutritional Therapy, explained above. I am trained in a wide range of other naturopathic practices (click here for more information), including Homotoxicology, which is the study of the influence of toxic substances upon humans.
Nutritional Therapy is my main naturopathic discipline, but others may be utilised in your consultations where appropriate or if requested.
I do also practice the Bowen Technique which is a naturopathic bodywork technique and this offered via separate consultations, click here for more information.
For more information about the naturopathic approach and philosophy, please read this article (click here).
What can Naturopathy & Nutritional Therapy help with?
Naturopathy contains a wide range of tools to support your body to return to a better state of well-being.
Common presentations include IBS and digestive issues, skin problems, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disorders, and fertility issues. However, due to the nature of naturopathy, practically any problem can potentially be addressed.
While I am trained to support clients presenting wth a broad range of symptoms and diagnoses, I have a special interest in chronic and complex health conditions. My broad knowledge base allows me to quickly determine the causes of your symptoms, how they all connect and what the best approach would be to bring you back to balance. Importantly, I will also work with you to help you understand your own condition, how you got there and how you can maintain your own health going forward.
I do not specialise in sports/fitness nutrition, eating disorders, or weight loss, although my clients frequently achieve lasting weight loss as a side effect of their improved overall health.
What does a consultation involve?
Consultations are available face to face in Tavistock, Plymouth and online via video call. Click here for more information about my clinics.
When you first come to see me, I will ask you to fill up some forms beforehand which will cover topics such as your symptoms, any medications/supplements and your health and family history. I will also ask you to give some information on your current diet. I will review these before we meet in person, so that we can make the most of our face-to-face time.
The initial consultation will last around 90 minutes and we will use this time to dig deep into understanding your current symptoms and how they have developed over time, including how your family history has influenced this. I may also conduct an examination of your tongue, nails, pulse, iris and in some cases body alignment, where appropriate. I will help you to understand the reason for your current symptoms and together we will agree upon a plan to bring you back to balance as quickly as possible. After the consultation, I will prepare your new health plan, which might include nutritional and lifestyle changes, supplementation and more information.
Supplements may be recommended from the Natural Dispensary, which stock a huge range of natural health products or in some cases direct from the suppliers. For example, I am registered as a practitioner with Metagenics, BioCare, Cytoplan, BioNutri, NutriLink, DR.VEGAN and may recommend these supplements where appropriate. If you sign up for a package, you will receive a discount on all supplements (for details of the discount, refer to the information on each plan). They are of course optional, but progress can often be made more quickly when supplementation is used. As a naturopath, I always endeavor to keep the use of supplements to a minimum and also ensure that the conditions exist within the body so that they can be properly utilised. I will certainly not be recommending that you take 20 supplements at once like some other practitioners!
Functional private lab testing is available to give us more information on your case where this could be useful or is requested. It is always optional and we can progress without it if necessary. I do not generally recommend much testing, although I often use the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis test which is very useful and great value for money for clients.
Follow-up consultations are often recommended where we can assess progress and make the relevant adjustments to your plan in order to keep you moving forwards and towards maintaining a good state of health. These could include both advice and Bowen treatment or either one individually, according to your preference and what is best for your case.
For best results I recommend that we work together for at least three months. I offer packages with different options, all of the information can be found via any of the “Book Here” buttons. This gives time for you to implement the suggested changes in nutrition, lifestyle and environment and for the body to react to this and begin the process of healing. It also allows time for the therapy to be adjusted to facilitate deeper results. The appropriate length of time depends on your current health and your health goals. If necessary, we could discuss this via email or on a free discovery call prior to booking.
Would you like to get to the root causes of your health issues?
To understand why you feel this way and what you can do to feel better?
Why choose me as your Naturopath?
I received my qualificaiton in Naturopathy at the School of Health, which covers overs a minimum of 5 years training in naturopathic subjects and allows me to use the letters “ND” after my name. My training included: Nutritional Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy, Homotoxicology, Iridology, Naturopathic Hydrotherapy, Tibetan & Unani Medicine, Psychosocial Skills, and Oral Health. Later, I undertook further postgraduate training in homotoxicology and the Bowen technique, qualifying as a Certified Bowen Health Therapist from Bowen College, the most comprehensive training in Bowen available in the UK. You can read more about me, my background and training in detail on the about page (click here).
I bring all together all of this knowledge into my naturopathic consultations, offering an exceptionally complete service to my clients.
Clients commonly present with:
- Low energy or chronic fatigue
- IBS, constipation and/or diarrhoea
- Chronic pain/fibromyalgia
- Food intolerances or sensitivities
- Other digestive issues
- Arthritis and other joint issues
- Skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis
- NAFLD or other liver issues
- High cholesterol
- Autoimmune conditions
- Thyroid problems
- Asthma and other respiratory issues
- Rare or chronic health conditions
…and much more.
Would you like to get to the root causes of your health issues?
To understand why you feel this way and what you can do to feel better?
I am a full member of the General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN). The GCRN is the leading registering body for Naturopaths in the United Kingdom. It was first incorporated as the Nature Cure Society of Great Britain in 1925 and has been in existence in its present from since 1963. The GCRN is the authority for establishing and maintaining the educational standards for the naturopathic profession in the UK and is connected via the World Naturopathic Federation to all of the top Naturopathic training colleges across the world such as Bastyr University in the USA.
