What to expect from a nutritional therapist
It may seem a bit daunting to visit a nutritional therapist when you’re not sure what to expect. I wasn’t sure the first time I went to see one either. But I knew that I HAD to take actions to help myself, and I knew how powerful food could be. So I bit the bullet and went along!
I want to set your mind at rest so that you feel confident about seeing a nutritional therapist, because I know it will make a real difference to your life.
So here’s what to expect.
Initial consultation with a nutritional therapist
Prior to our initial consultation:
- I will send you a questionnaire and a 3-day food diary which I will ask you to return to me.
- I want to know what you eat for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and all the snacks throughout the day
- I will also want to know about what you drink and how much, whether that be water, wine, tea, coffee, fizzy pop or fruit juice.
The initial consultation will last for approximately 90 minutes where I will ask you in more detail about your presenting symptoms and when they started, as well as asking you lots of questions about your health, lifestyle and food habits, including where you shop, who cooks, what’s your budget. This will allow me to build a picture of you and understand your health journey and how your health issues have impacted you. All this information will help me to put together a clearer picture of all your symptoms.
Once a full consultation has been taken I will look at the different bodily systems and how they affect and interact with each other, this enables intervention at the root of the dysfunction, rather than managing symptoms.
Testing takes the guess work out and finds the facts
I may recommend testing to dig deeper into what is going on. Some tests can be done through your GP or your primary medical care practice. However I do have access to other tests that aren’t available thought the NHS but will help build a deeper understanding of what is going on and discover the root cause of underling conditions.
From here it will give us a picture of what is going on and from here we can take a plan of action of what needs to change to bring optimal health
Sample tests available:
DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) measures levels of sex and stress hormones and how these hormones are being used and excreted within the body. This test also gives information on Cortisol (the stress hormone) and its rhythms and well as Melatonin (the sleep wake cycle hormone)
To investigate:
- Hormonal issues such as irregular or painful periods, PCOS
- Fertility issues
- Sleep problems
- Fatigue
- Low mood & lack of motivation
Stool testing helps to discover gut inflammation, leaky gut, the status of the gut microbiome, gut dysbiosis, and potential parasites.
To investigate:
- Poor digestion, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS,
- Hormonal Imbalances
- Skin conditions – ie: Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea
- Auto-immune diseases – i.e Rheumatoid Arthritis,
The ONE (Optimal Nutrition Evaluation) Test gives me details of an individual’s diet and supplementation needs, and offers a personalised nutritional assessment.
To investigate:
- Depression, low mood, anxiety
- Poor sleep
- Fibromyalgia
- Fatigue
- Optimal health check -up
Supplementation
Good nutritious food should always come first before suggesting supplements and vitamins, but there are times when we need a helping hand to kick start your health journey. That maybe because we our system is unable to absorb a nutrient or it has been missing from the diet. If I do suggest any supplements they will be professional grade supplements and from reputable manufactures within the UK.
At the end of every session you will have an action plan so you know exactly what your next steps are.
So I hope this gives you the information you need as to what to expect. If you would like to find out more please book a call, I would love to be able to help you.