How can Nutritional Therapy help me?
Nutritional Therapy uses a functional approach to health. We identify underlying causes of symptoms in the body, and correct the imbalance through diet and lifestyle changes. We use whole food nutrition, herbs, and whole food supplements to assist in your body’s natural healing process.
The truth is, symptoms are the last thing to appear, which means whatever your concern is, it has been building for most likely, years. Nutritional therapy is about finding the root cause of the symptoms and restoring balance in the body to create long-term health.
Nutritional Therapy can help any situation, because our bodies were designed to be healed with food! When you give the proper building materials to your body, it will start to heal on it’s own.
Functional Nutritional therapy can be especially beneficial for the following health goals and/or concerns:
- Digestive/GI issues such as IBS, bloating, & constipation
- Food or environmental/seasonal allergies
- Sugar cravings & blood sugar imbalances such as hypoglycemia & Type II diabetes
- Low energy, chronic fatigue, & adrenal dysfunction
- Thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
- Hormonal imbalances such as PCOS, PMS, peri-menopause or menopause
- Fertility and healthy conception, pregnancy, & postpartum
- Immune conditions (including autoimmune diseases)
- Inflammation and/or chronic pain
- Joint pain and/or degeneration (such as arthritis)
- Heart disease, hypertension, & high cholesterol
- Healthy, sustainable fat loss
- Improved athletic performance (muscle gain, improved strength, endurance and recovery)
- Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD
- Simply learning about nutrition, how your body uses food, and how to improve your health with your diet
- … & much more
What if I have a condition? Do you treat these?
Examples
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Depression
- High Cholesterol
I do not treat conditions. However, I do provide care to people who have conditions. I support your body’s nutritional needs, offering it a chance to effectively care for itself.
What does the process look like?
Prior to our initial consultation, you will fill out a health history form, nutritional questionnaire, and a 5-7 day food journal.
At our first session we will discuss in detail, your health concerns. Next, I will perform a functional evaluation to gather more information about where there seems to be dysfunction in your body.
Once I see that I have sufficient information, we will begin testing for the proper nutritional protocol to support your needs. This typically begins with some sort of gut reconditioning program, or digestive support. We have a very thorough, systematic way of evaluating your needs. We work through the “layers” of your body’s priorities. This ensures optimal healing throughout the body.
We do not get to see the entire picture in one day. The body is like an onion, where we have to peel away one layer at a time. We work through each system in the body, addressing every issue that arises.
When starting nutritional therapy, you can expect to be working consistently, and diligently for at least 6 months.
Functional Nutritional therapy is not a quick fix. The process takes time and effort, but the rewards are tremendous.
Why do I need to do a food journal?
The food journal is an extremely important piece in the healing process. This helps us identify unhealthy foods, foods that could be an issue for you, unhealthy eating patterns, and many other important factors regarding your health.
Yes, I know, this is one of the least favorite things about the process for most people. However, I can not stress it’s importance. How would you feel if you had worked hard for three months (or more) trying to improve your health, and then come to find out that something you were putting in your body on a daily basis was the cause for your lack of progress? Frustrating right? This is why a food journal is important.
Why do I have to start with a digestive protocol if I am not experiencing symptoms in that area?
All health and disease begins in the gut. In order for nutritional therapy to be effective, we must first make sure that you are able to absorb all of your nutrients. I have not seen one client yet that didn’t have gut issues, whether they were aware of it or not.
If you are not able to digest and absorb nutrients, this causes a whole list of other issues. Undigested food particles, whether it was a healthy food to begin with or not, will be seen as toxic substances to the body. This can lead to intestinal permeability, food allergies, dysbiosis (overgrowth of yeast, bacteria, viruses, and parasites), and autoimmune conditions.
In order to effectively restore health in the body, gut health is absolutely the number one priority.
How are the supplements you recommend different from what I can buy at the store?
I get this question a lot! The short answer is, there is a huge difference in quality.
First of all, most supplements you buy from the drug store (and even health food stores) are synthetic. They are derived from coal tar, which is a known carcinogen, and contains over 10,000 chemicals! Sounds healing right? Creating synthetic vitamins are much more cost effective for these companies. They are able to produce mass amounts, for much less expense, resulting in big money for them.
Not only would you be completely wasting your money, you would be poisoning yourself at the same time. Who in their right mind would pay to poison themselves?! Your body does not recognise any of these supplements as nourishing or healing. it doesn’t know what to do with them, and it only creates more work and toxins for your body.
This is why I only use whole food supplements.
So what exactly does “whole food” mean?
Whole food supplements are a complex formula that include plant and animal extracts. Using concentrated forms of foods like brussel sprouts, kale, and alfalfa have an extremely therapeutic effect on the body. By providing the body with proper nutrition, you are allowing the body an opportunity to health on it’s own.
Why do I even need supplements?
The sad truth is, it is simply impossible to get all of our nutritional needs from food anymore. The soil is so severely depleted, to get the iron that was available in one cup of spinach in 1945, you would have to consume 65 cups today.
Unfortunately, unless we actively participate in correcting our nutritional deficiencies, we would all suffer from malnutrition. Our bodies are literally starving. This is why disease is so rampant. Combine lack of nutrition with the toxic overload we are exposed to on a daily basis ranging from our food supply, water, environmental, hygiene and cleaning products, is it really any wonder why health is declining?
What do I have to do to get better?
Each person, and their healing journey is unique. No two people will be exactly the same. However, there are some factors that are the same for everyone.
Learning what a truly healthy diet looks like is a must, as well as identifying and eliminating food sensitivities. Ensuring you are properly digesting, managing blood sugar fluctuations, supporting endocrine function and adrenal health, maintaining proper mineral and fatty acid balance, as well as ridding your body of toxins are all vital for good health.
In addition to the physical aspect; addressing stress, emotional concerns and spiritual needs are all an extremely important part of your healing journey.
How long will it take?
As I mentioned above, you should be prepared to commit to at least 6 months of intense healing. The real answer is, it takes years to rebuild the body. So when someone asks me, “How long do I need to see you?” My answer is “How long do you want to be healthy?”
No, you will not need to see me every week for the rest of your life! What I mean by this is, once you have reached more of a maintenance level in your process, it is important to maintain a somewhat regular schedule, even if that means you’re only coming in 3-4 times a year.
See “when will I feel better?” below, for more information.
How often do I need an appointment?
In the beginning, most people come in every 2 weeks. Again, this varies based on your specific needs. Our goal is to get you at a maintenance level where you would be coming in every 1 to 3 months.
How do you evaluate my progress?
Throughout your process, we will perform several functional evaluations, nutritional assessments, as well as review any previous lab work you’ve had done.
When will I feel better?
Most clients report feeling better within a matter of days. The important thing to remember is that even though you are feeling better, it doesn’t mean you can stop your protocol! Healing takes time. It takes months (sometimes years) to restore function to certain areas in the body.
The other important thing to remember is this; the harder you work at home, the faster your healing will be.
The better your diet, the more effective nutritional therapy will be. The happier you are, the more joy and gratitude you show, the faster your body will heal. Reducing, or preferably eliminating all toxic exposures as much as possible will also significantly decrease your recovery time.
Exercising regularly and looking at other key areas in your life such as career, relationships, and spirituality would all greatly improve your experience. These are what are called your primary foods. There is also an option to integrate holistic health coaching addressing your primary foods as part of your nutritional therapy plan.
As you can see, all of these suggestions are up to you. How much work are you willing to put into it?
Ultimately your health is your responsibility. We are here to support and guide you, but the real work comes from you.
How much will it cost?
When seeking out natural healing, you must look at it as an investment in your future. We invest in our cars, and our homes, why not our bodies? After all, we live inside our body for our entire life! Not only that, but the better care we take of ourselves, the greater impact we have on the health of our children and grandchildren. Within 3 generations of a healthy lifestyle, we could reverse chronic conditions! What a gift to give your future loved ones!
Typically, a wellness program will be less than €8.00 per day during an “active” healing phase. Once you have reached a certain level of wellness, the cost will go down.
Please keep in mind, every person is different, with their own unique set of goals and challenges. My intention is to give you the best possible care and most effective protocol, for the least amount of expense to you.
Is natural healing cheap? No.
Is it worth it? Absolutely.
You are rebuilding your body from the inside out. You are addressing your health concerns from a cellular level. We do not put band-aids on, or mask symptoms. We find the root cause, and help your body correct the imbalance, resulting in a well functioning body.
Health is the ultimate wealth. Enjoying a happy, healthy, active life, and having the ability do what brings you joy in life is priceless.
Would you like to get started?